I spent a month playing with network settings for Ubuntu and Windows, and only a dedicated IP allowed me to connect. Another forum member had the same problem and resolved it through purchasing a static IP. Forum leader @cultiv followed up with a step-by-step for dedicated IPs through VPN, which has resolved the issue for many other people. I’d love to dump my static IP and save some money. What is the specific type of IP and router you are using? Can you pass on port forwarding details for your provider? Other people encountering this problem can be found here.
That’s great to hear about your HDDs. 2/3 of my HDDs were destroyed within 2 months so I guess I’m unlucky.