Windows PC connection issues (Minecraft Ed) post-Secure Access upgrade

[Micheal Stoodley]

Has anyone run into issues with Windows PCs connecting to a hosted game (specifically Minecraft Education) following the N4L Secure Access upgrade?

We had no issues prior to the upgrade, but now a Wi-Fi-connected PC cannot reach a game hosted on a cabled LAN PC.

We’ve been working with N4L support, but I wanted to check if anyone in the community has seen similar behavior and found a fix.

What we know so far:

• N4L checked firewall traffic logs for the wireless PC attempting to reach the cabled host.

• The logs confirm the rule is allowing traffic from the STUDENTS zone to the SCHOOL_LAN zone.

• However, the session status shows aged-out, meaning the firewall passed the packets, but the host PC never replied.

• Support suggested this points to Windows Defender Firewall on the host PC blocking incoming traffic.

• On the host PC, Minecraft Education is explicitly enabled in Windows Defender Firewall for both Private and Public profiles.

• Required ports and URLs specified by Minecraft Education have also been allowed.

Has anyone experienced this specific aged-out traffic behavior between Wi-Fi and cabled LAN post-upgrade? Any suggestions on what else to check would be appreciated!

[Pete Mundy]

Heya Michael

When diagnosing similar issues post-SA (not Minecraft, but other local services) I have used wireshark or tcpdump on both the server and the client simultaneously. Examining the output will show what was sent/received through the NIC at both ends and that can then confirm whether the packets are indeed reaching the server, whether they are being replied to, and whether the firewall is routing the return path. 

https://www.wireshark.org/

Pete

On Fri, 31 Jul 2026 at 07:53, Micheal Stoodley <msto...@otuinter.school.nz> wrote:

<snip> 

[Micheal Stoodley]

Thanks Pete,
I'll give it a try.
It looks like I had some miscommunication from our ICT Media Arts Teacher, Wireless PCs can't host.
Says "Your Client is having trouble establishing a connection to multiplayer services.
Please check your internet connection..."

Ngā mihi

Micheal Stoodley
ICT Manager & Specialist Teacher

Ōtūmoetai Intermediate School

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[d.keen...@gc.ac.nz]

I'd recommend looking into the possibility of wireless isolation being in effect there.  Also, see if any traffic at all can pass between two clients on that wireless network, especially ICMP.

Regards,

David Keenleyside, BSc CS & IS, CTech

ITP Associate

EFF Member

ICT Technician

Glenfield College

PO Box 40176 (Kaipatiki Rd)

Glenfield, Auckland City 0629

Ph:       +64 9 444 9066 ext 677

DDI: +64 9 441 9779

Email:    d.keen...@gc.ac.nz

https://itp.nz/CTech/NZ160799

https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-keenleyside-626871/

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