Can "Back To My Mac" work in this situation?

August 12, 2008 12:17 AM

Can I use "Back To My Mac" when connected to the internet directly via a HSDPA modem? And if so, how?

I have a Mac Mini at home. When I enable Back To My Mac in the Mobile Me preference pane, I get an error stating "Back to My Mac isn't working properly because it requires a router that supports NAT Port Mapping Protocol (NAT-PMP) or Universal Plug and Play (UPnP). Make sure your router supports one of these protocols and that it is enabled."

But as there is no router involved, just a direct "dial-up" connection, NAT shouldn't be an issue. The only other potentially relevant info is that the Mac Mini has internet sharing enabled and shares it's connection over Ethernet.

posted by leakymem to computers & internet (3 comments total)

I would suggest that you check your IP address on the HSDPA modem. Without knowing the country in which you're receiving service, I can only guess based on my USA knowledge: AT&T Wireless sells HSDPA modems, but if the modem is improperly configured (or if it's not being used on a "tethering" plan, simply going through the MEdia Net service) it will receive a 10.x.x.x address, which is by definition behind a NAT interface. If you are receiving a private IP range on your HSDPA modem, this could be the problem.
posted by fireoyster at 12:56 AM on August 12, 2008

Not at home at the moment, so I can't verify just now, but I seem to recall that the IP address looked pretty public. Nonetheless, it's a very good point and merits double-checking as soon as I get home.

My internet connection is not AT&T. I'm with Thee Ireland.
posted by leakymem at 1:50 AM on August 12, 2008

Bah. 10.198.etc.etc.

Thanks for getting me an answer at least.
posted by leakymem at 12:32 PM on August 12, 2008