Remote-access Guide

grant remote access to plex

by Laverna Watsica PhD Published 2 years ago Updated 2 years ago
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Enable access to your Plex Media Server from outside your local network so that you can reach it when away from home or for sharing content with family or close, personal friends. You can do this under Settings > Server > Remote Access in Plex Web App.Mar 27, 2019

How do I enable remote access for Plex Media Server?

Click on the “CIDR Address” box, choose a Label name for the Resource, enter the private IP address of Plex (it’s listed under Plex Settings > Remote Access and is likely for the Port Restriction, and click “Add Resource”. Congrats! Your Plex Media Server is now enabled for secure remote access.

Does Plex Pass work with remote users?

After that you can manage a lot about what they can and cannot do. If you have remote access enabled, it's global. It will work for them if they make an account. To add on to this comment, they don't need plexpass, only the free account. Also don't set them up as a manged user, but instead add as a "friend".

How to secure Plex server?

Some protect their access through cloudflare or VPNs. IMO, you are already pretty secure what plex natively provides. You can set the "secure connections" to "required" but then you will not be able to access the server with an IP address in your own network.

How do I connect to Plex from a Windows PC?

You’ve now set up a Connector on your Windows PC, which enables remote access to Plex, or other services that you’re running on your computer (called a “Resource” in Twingate). Go back to your Remote Network and click on the “Add Resource” link. You’ll see a popup like the one below.

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How do I grant access to my Plex server?

Granting AccessUsername or Email. Enter the username or email address for the Plex account you wish to grant access and click continue. ... Select the Server. Plex Media Servers associated with your Plex account will be available. ... Set Restrictions and Inviting to Home (Plex Pass required) ... Pending Access.

How do I access Plex server from another computer?

To open the Plex Web App from a different device than the server computer while still on the same network: Open a browser window. Type http://server.local.ip.address:32400/web into the address bar (e.g “http://192.168.1.5:32400/web”) The browser will connect to the server and load Plex Web App.

Do you need Plex pass for remote access?

It's not true. All users can stream remotely providing you've configured your Plex Server correctly. Head to Settings > Remote Access > Enable Remote Access to set it up. In this regard, the Plex Pass is only useful if you're going to be in a place with no internet—it lets you save content directly onto your device.

How do I use Plex remote?

0:3911:14PLEX Part 5: Accessing Your Media Remotely - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipAnd what you want to do is check this area here that says remote access and if you've got this greenMoreAnd what you want to do is check this area here that says remote access and if you've got this green checkmark you're fully accessible outside your network you're in great shape. Ok.

Why can't I access my Plex server remotely?

Open Plex Web App and make sure you're signed in to your Plex account on the server under Settings > Server > General. Go to Settings > Server > Remote Access. If needed, toggle the Show Advanced button to ensure the appropriate options are visible. Enable the Manually specify public port checkbox.

Is Plex remote access safe?

It provides all-round security to ensure that your media library, Plex account/server details, and Plex-connected devices for streaming are all kept safe from data leaks, privacy infringement, and hacking attempts.

How many users can access Plex at the same time?

Up to 15 members can be in a Plex Home. For Plex Pass users that includes a combination of both Managed Users as well as regular Plex accounts that are invited.

How do I remotely access a server?

Remote Desktop to Your Server From a Local Windows ComputerClick the Start button.Click Run...Type “mstsc” and press the Enter key.Next to Computer: type in the IP address of your server.Click Connect.If all goes well, you will see the Windows login prompt.

How do I use my phone as a remote for Plex?

An Android, Windows Phone 8, BlackBerry or Java mobile device....Setup is quick and simple!Step 1: Install Vectir PC Server. ... Step 2: Install Vectir Mobile Client App. ... Step 3: Install Plex Remote Profile. ... Step 4: Connect and control Plex!

How do I use a guest account on Plex?

0:472:43How to Add Plex Guest User Account - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clip4 click the grey enable guest button toward the top part of the screen if you don't have a pinMore4 click the grey enable guest button toward the top part of the screen if you don't have a pin associated with your account you'll be prompted to create one enter a four-digit pin.

Does Plex require port forwarding?

Plex Media Client: allows you to stream your content to all of your devices, anywhere. To make the most of Plex and get direct access to Plex's servers, you will need to set up port forwarding on your router.

What is the IP address of my Plex server?

Find out the local IP address of the device on which the app is running. You will typically be able to find this in the device's system settings. In your Plex Web App, go to Settings > Server > Network .

How do I use my phone as a remote for Plex?

An Android, Windows Phone 8, BlackBerry or Java mobile device....Setup is quick and simple!Step 1: Install Vectir PC Server. ... Step 2: Install Vectir Mobile Client App. ... Step 3: Install Plex Remote Profile. ... Step 4: Connect and control Plex!

How do I install Plex on a new computer?

1:338:41How to Move / Migrate a Plex Server from a Windows PC to AnotherYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipMachine which I'll be moving the plex server to you'll first want to go to plex TV. And download theMoreMachine which I'll be moving the plex server to you'll first want to go to plex TV. And download the installer for the plex media server. I'll opt to open it as soon as it's downloaded.

How to check if Plex is disabled?

While logged into your Plex Media Server’s web control panel, select the Settings icon from the upper right toolbar. Within the Settings menu select, the “Server” tab.

How to set up static IP address on Plex?

You’ll need to identify your Plex Media Server computer on the network and then look for an option in your router to create a “static IP”, “static lease”, or “DHCP reservation” to permanently associate the Plex Media Center with a given IP address. Below you can see an example of what adding a static IP address looks like, via our DD-WRT router.

How to port forward on Plex?

First, let’s turn on the manual port mode in Plex. To do so navigate to Settings > Server > Remote Access (as we did in the previous section of the tutorial).

What does the control panel indicate on Plex?

In addition to telling you that the server is accessible, the control panel will also indicate the internal IP address and port number of the Plex Media Server on your local network as well as external, or public, IP address and port number.

Can you use Plex Media Server on a TV?

If you primarily use Plex Media Server for watching content on your local network (like streaming your favorite shows to your HDTV or smartphone), you may not have given much though to the benefits of remote access. RELATED: How to Set Up Plex (and Watch Your Movies on Any Device)

Can you watch Plex on your phone?

One of the greatest things about the Plex Media Server platform, however, is the ease with which you can access your media from anywhere. With remote access enabled and properly configured, you can watch your favorite TV shows anywhere you have internet access: on your phone while you’re sitting in a waiting room, on your laptop while you’re vacationing, or even on a smart TV at a friend’s house.

Can you disable remote access on Plex?

During the initial setup of the Plex Media Server, the setup wizard prompts you to enable or disable remote access. While the default state is enabled, you may have opted at the time to disable remote access, or perhaps you inadvertently disabled it while messing around with the system settings later on. Regardless, it’s easy enough to check the status of remote access and enable it if it is currently disabled.

What is Plex

When we talk about Plex we refer to an application that we can install on our devices. Its mission is to allow us to centralize multimedia files in one place. For example movies and series and be able to watch them from another device.

How to configure Plex to enter from the Internet

This function will allow us to connect to our Plex server from anywhere , simply by having access to the Internet. We will not have to pay anything additional and it is an option that undoubtedly expands the possibilities of only limiting ourselves to having access from the local network.

Why access Plex remotely

We have explained how we can access Plex remotely and view all the content. However, you may be wondering what this feature is really for or how it improves to, for example, storing videos directly in a memory.

Plex remote access not working?

Plex offers a remote access feature that relies on port forwarding, but the configuration may not always work or there may be other common issues like Double-NAT, resulting in an error like the screenshot below.

Prerequisites

The rest of this guide assumes that you have some components already installed. If you’ve already installed Plex, WSL, and Docker on your Windows PC, skip ahead to “Sign up for Twingate” below. If not, please following these instructions first.

Sign up for Twingate

Twingate Starter is a new free plan that is designed for home and personal use. If you don’t have an account already, please click here and follow the simple steps to sign up for a Starter account and begin the initial setup.

Add a Connector

After completing the steps above, you should now have a Starter account with a Remote Network set up. The next step is to deploy a Twingate Connector, which is a piece of software that allows for secure access to your remote network and the devices connected to it.

Add a Resource

You’ve now set up a Connector on your Windows PC, which enables remote access to Plex, or other services that you’re running on your computer (called a “Resource” in Twingate).

Download the Twingate client

All that’s left to do now is to install Twingate on your devices (we support Windows, Mac, Linux and have apps for iOS and Android) and access your Plex Media Server from anywhere. As an example, let’s walk through setting things up on iOS.

Sharing is Caring

Do you want to share access with a family member? You can easily do this from the Twingate web UI. Just go to the Team tab and click “Invite User” to send an email invitation. The recipient would simply follow the same steps to download the Twingate client, join your network, and get access to Plex, or any other resource you set up!

What is plex media?

Plex is a client-server media stream and software suite. It has a Plex Media Server desktop application which is available on Windows, Ubuntu, and macOS. This applications allows you to organize different media files in your computer and allows players over the internet to access them if given the correct credentials.

Why is Plex not working?

There are many instances where several bugs are induced into the Plex application which causes it not to work as expected. Software all around us get updates every once in a while and sometimes these updates are not compatible with Plex. Hence its engineers roll out an update targeting this issue solely.

Why does Plex Media Server buffer?

This scenario usually occurs when your internet connection is not sound which forces the server to use less bandwidth in order to provide access to the media.

Why is Plex server error?

This usually occurs because Plex is a heavy application with numerous parameters going on simultaneously. If any one of these gets into an error state or load a bad configuration, it might be unusable.

How to run ncpa.cpl?

Press Windows + R, type “ ncpa.cpl ” in the dialogue box and press Enter.

Does a plex router need NAT?

If these are not enabled or have different configurations set than required, Plex Remote Access will not work.

Does Plex update itself?

Normally, Plex’s web application updates itself over time as you use it. The case is different in case of Ubuntu or other platforms where Plex is running. Below is the method on how to update Plex on an Ubuntu machine. You can easily google other methods for updating if you have it running on another platform.

How to invite someone to plex?

In the invitation box that pops up, enter the email address your friend used to register for Plex. If they have not yet registered for Plex, you can send it to their primary email address (they’ll be prompted to create a Plex account when they accept your invitation via email). Click “Next” once you’ve entered their email.

How to add friends on Plex?

To get started log into your Plex account and look for the profile icon in the upper right corner. Click on it and select “Users”. On the left hand side of the resulting menu, select “Friends”.

What happens when someone shares a Plex library?

When someone shares a library with you, you receive both an email notification as well as a notification within your Plex dashboard. Let’s look at two scenarios, one where the Plex library shared with you is your only library and one where the Plex library shared with you exists alongside your own library.

What happens if you accept a Plex invite?

Once the invitation is accepted, if you return to the main Plex screen you’ll see that J’s library has defaulted to our library and his previously empty dashboard is populated with media from our server.

Where is the server selection menu in Plex?

While logged into your Plex Media Server control panel or using any Plex Media Server app (like Plex for iOS), you just click on the server selection menu, seen below and located in the upper left corner of the web control panel , and pick from the other available servers.

Can you use Plex Media Server outside of home?

Advertisement. Second, you need to ensure your Plex Media Server is accessible outside your home network. While its practically impossible to set up Plex so you can’t access it within your home network, sometimes you need to do a little troubleshooting to ensure you can access it when you’re away from home.

Can you switch between Plex servers?

Although switching between the two servers is great if you’re in the mood for some aimless browsing, it’s not even a necessary step. The Plex search function will scan both your own library and all the libraries shared with you. If we search for the term “war”, for example, you can see that the first search result is located on our server but the next three results are located on our friend’s server:

What is plex media server?

The Plex Media Server is smart software that makes playing Movies, TV Shows and other media on your computer simple.

Is remote access global?

If you have remote access enabled, it's global. It will work for them if they make an account.

What is a managed user on Plex?

Managed Users. The administrator for a Plex Home has the ability to create Managed Users within that home. These are often used by parents to create an account for their children. Note: In order to actually use a Managed User, you need to first sign into the Plex app as a regular/full member of the Home. Once you do so, you can then switch ...

Can you set restrictions on Plex?

Just like you can for a regular Plex account, you can set restrictions for a Managed User, and if you have a Plex Media Server you can share libraries. Plex Pass users will be able to set custom restrictions based on label or content ratings.

Which iPhone is good for plex?

Apple iPhone (X and Xs): An excellent mobile platform for Plex. Basically every file-type I have tried to stream from Plex streams using direct play. Plex does not have perform any transcoding (file conversions) because the iPhone essentially can play everything. ------.

Why is the risk not the open port itself but the program which is listening on the port?

The risk is not the open port itself but the program which is listening on the port because the program is what enables security holes.

Does Plex use SSL?

Plex uses their own certificate to create an SSL connection to the plex server. This is a good thing so the communication between the client and the server is encrypted and not even your ISP is able to look into your traffic if they want to.

Does Plex take forever to load?

At least for me, for some reason on regular Plex apps such as the Windows 10 app, the iPhone app, or the web app, it always takes forever for search results and library pages to load but actually streaming a show doesn't take much time to load at all .

Is plex secure?

IMO, you are already pretty secure what plex natively provides. You can set the "secure connections" to "required" but then you will not be able to access the server with an IP address in your own network.

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