Information Technology Services (ITS)

What is NAT?

NAT is an acronym for Network Address Translation. At any given time, there may be hundreds of devices on the Missouri Valley network accessing the Internet. Because we do not have hundreds of public IP addresses, all these devices must share. This process of translating from multiple on-campus addresses to the shared public address is called NAT. This is the same thing a home router does (on a smaller scale) to allow multiple devices to connect to a single home Internet connection.

How does this affect my Xbox 360 / Xbox One / PS3 / PS4 / etc..?

The Xbox (and other gaming consoles) recognizes three NAT statuses:

With an OPEN NAT type, you’re able to chat with other people, as well as join and host multiplayer games with people who have any NAT type on their network.

With a MODERATE NAT type, you’re able to chat and play multiplayer games with some people; however, you might not be able to hear or play with others, and normally you won’t be chosen as the host of a match.

With a STRICT NAT type, you’re only able to chat and play multiplayer games with people who have an OPEN NAT type. You can’t be chosen as the host of a match.

You can read more here: XBox NAT

At Missouri Valley you will most likely see your Xbox (and other devices) report a STRICT NAT.

Can you change the NAT type to make it more open?

Unfortunately the NAT type cannot be changed or opened on campus. This is not due to a limitation placed by IT, but by limitations of the Xbox itself. The Xbox was designed for use in a home environment where it would be the only Xbox on that Internet connection. A more open NAT type depends on all incoming Xbox Live traffic on that connection to be sent to a single Xbox console. With the large number of Xbox consoles sharing the campus Internet connection, it is unfortunately not possible to improve on Strict NAT.

Can you enable uPnP or forward port 1234?

We cannot. UPnP is designed for consumer style home routers, and does not work in large enterprise networks like that of Missouri Valley.

I have a Mac, will that work?

• Yes, a Mac should work.  We have not found any programs that faculty require that do not work on a Mac so far.

Can’t I just use my smartphone?

• We don’t recommend relying solely on your smartphone for class. Many of our classes have moved to eBooks, and will be using D2L Brightspace as the Learning Management System this year. Although Brightspace has a reliable phone application, engaging in all coursework from a smartphone can be extremely limiting.

I have an iPad, will that work?

• If using an iPad, you will need to install the Google family of Apps (Chrome, Drive, Docs, Sheets, Slides) for the best experience.

Will a Chromebook work?

• Yes, a Chromebook will work for most students.

What programs will I need?

• Missouri Valley College is a Google campus and most classes use Google Drive, Google Docs. Google Sheets and Google Slides.
• Most of the other programs used are web based.

Will I need a webcam?

• Yes and most newer laptops come with one built in.  If your device does not, external webcams can be purchased relatively easily.

If you are looking to purchase a PC / laptop here are our recommended specs:

• Operating System – Minimum Microsoft Windows 10 or Apple macOS 11 (Big Sur), Windows 11 or macOS 13 (Ventura) recommended.
• Processor Type – 4-core processor or higher
• Memory – Minimum of 8GB of RAM, 16GB recommended.
• Hard Drive – Minimum of 250 GB; recommend 500 GB or higher

Nursing Students:

• You are required to have a non-chromebook laptop with modern WiFi capabilities, a built-in camera, and microphone.

Effective August 1^st 2022, all MVC Alumni accounts will be limited to Gmail access only. Google Drive and other Google Apps will be removed for all alumni users.

To make a local copy of your Google Drive files, checkout the Google Takeout tool or do the following steps in order:

1. Log into your Missouri Valley College Google Drive account
2. Right-click the file or folder you would like to download and select download.
3. The file will be downloaded to your local computer.
4. Delete the file from your Google Drive.

Tip: you can select more than one file by holding the Ctrl key on your keyboard and clicking on the file(s) or folder(s) you’d like to download.