Remote-access Guide

how to allow plex remote access without port forwarding

by Mr. Clyde Runolfsdottir DDS Published 2 years ago Updated 1 year ago
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Please, make Plex Remote Access more secure by default without need to opening ports and playing with routers and VPNs. You can already enable remote access without opening ports. Just turn off the manual setting and let UPnP do it for you. This is no more or less secure than using port forwarding. You don’t need a VPN.

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 10. x.x.x or 192.168. x.x ), choose 32400 for the Port Restriction, and click “Add Resource”. Congrats!Feb 9, 2022

Full Answer

How do I connect to Plex from outside my network?

In order to have a direct connection from outside your network to Plex, you may need to forward a port in your router. After you forward a port in your router, you will then need to specify the port forward in Plex. In order to specify the port forward in your Plex server, you will need to access the port forwarding settings.

Why is my Plex remote access not working?

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. Using port forwarding also exposes an open port to your home network that can potentially be exploited.

Do I need a VPN for Plex remote access?

Please, make Plex Remote Access more secure by default without need to opening ports and playing with routers and VPNs. You can already enable remote access without opening ports. Just turn off the manual setting and let UPnP do it for you. This is no more or less secure than using port forwarding. You don’t need a VPN.

How do I set up port forwarding in Plex?

After you forward a port in your router, you will then need to specify the port forward in Plex. In order to specify the port forward in your Plex server, you will need to access the port forwarding settings. First, click on the Plex icon in your browser menu bar.

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How do I enable remote access on Plex?

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.

How do I enable Plex through VPN?

It's a simple process. Once you've successfully configured your Plex server, go to Settings, click Remote Access, and then hit the Enable Remote Access button. The server will use NAT-PMP or UPnP to automatically configure a connection via your router.

Does Plex pass require 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.

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.

Which VPN works with Plex?

ExpressVPN – among the most popular & advanced VPNs With 1500 servers in 94 different countries across the globe, ExpressVPN gives you a wide range of locations to access Plex from, plus bonus features like the speed test tool that helps you find the fastest server so as to access HD content with no lags.

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.

How do I connect to Plex directly to server?

0:578:09How to access your plex media server on your local network - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipWithout authentication. So basically what is saying that you need to list out ip addresses on yourMoreWithout authentication. So basically what is saying that you need to list out ip addresses on your network that will have access to plex. So you can go ahead and list individual ip addresses.

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.

How do I get Plex through NordVPN?

To make this possible, you'd need to set up NordVPN on a supported router. Once you have NordVPN running on your router, you can connect the device with your Plex server setup to the router, and any traffic transferred over the connection will be behind a NordVPN server.

Does ExpressVPN work with Plex?

ExpressVPN has apps in both the Amazon Appstore and the Google Play Store. This is perfect for Plex, because it allows you to easily install Fire TV, Android TV, and Nvidia Shield. ExpressVPN is a perfect choice for video streaming and comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Can you bypass VPN?

You can often bypass a VPN block by switching servers or going to a different VPN provider. The organization blocking your access may have focused on only the more popular VPNs when choosing what to block, so you may be able to gain access using a less popular service.

What is Plex relay?

So, your Plex Media Server basically “relays” the media stream through our server so that your app can access it since the app can't connect with your server directly.

What is a PMS in plex?

With Plex, your PMS is what monitors that open port and responds when something comes in. PMS will use a secure connection, so unless the request coming through the internet is authorized (i.e. a Plex client that is signed into your Plex account), nothing happens.

What is port 32400?

Forwarding port 32400 makes PMS web interface available to everyone. There are free Movies & Shows, Live TV, etc. that are accessible without need to log in. If someone watches these free movies or live TV will this use up my data allocation?

Does Plex use bandwidth?

I answered in your other thread. Those content does not come from your server, they come directly from Plex. It will use your bandwidth if you are watching from inside your network. But if your you access your local Plex Web from say your work location, it uses a little bit of bandwidth to load the app but when streaming, it does not go through your server.

Does Plex have a relay?

Plex offers the same thing with our Relay feature. If you want to use it, enable remote access and set a manual port using a port that isn’t actually open. This will force any connections from the client to fail and get redirected through Plex’s Relay server. certuna July 31, 2019, 10:55pm #15.

Is portmapping wrong with IPv6?

There’s nothing wrong with portmapping (or in the case of IPv6, firewall rules) either manually or UPNP/NAT-PMP/PCP, server applications have had it for decades.

Can you use a 3rd party to authenticate a Plex connection?

Using a 3rd party to authenticate the connection does the same thing but instead of 1 single secured connection between the client and server, it’s 2 secured connections, client to the cloud and cloud back to the server. Plex offers the same thing with our Relay feature. If you want to use it, enable remote access and set a manual port using a port that isn’t actually open. This will force any connections from the client to fail and get redirected through Plex’s Relay server.

Does Plex use static IP?

(By the way, Plex does precisely what you’re talking about, you sign into plex.tv via your chosen app/platform, it then has communication with your server, and makes the connection. This is why you don’t have to use a static IP public IP or Domain to connect to it, nor do you have to give that information to your plex users outside your network).

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. Using port forwarding also exposes an open port to your home network that can potentially be exploited.

Prerequisites

The rest of this guide assumes that you have some components already installed. 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 device. This Connector enables remote access for any device or service on your home network (called a “Resource” in Twingate). For now, we’re just interested in enabling access to Plex, so we need to add it as a Resource.

Download the Twingate client

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

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

What to do if your internet connection does not support port forwarding?

If your type of internet connection (or simply your ISP) does not support port forwarding, the simplest solution is using a VPN Service and port forward from there.

What is the final address for plex TV?

Final address to your server should be https://app.plex.tv/web/app

Does WAN port forwarding work?

If the WAN address is anything other than the IPs above, you have an external IP and port forwarding should work for you. I know you said you tried, but maybe something isn't right.

Does Plex work on Android?

Plex relays my connection off-network but it only does it on Android and its limited to 2mbps. On my internal network it works just like normal.

Can we get Discord rich notification support for Plexamp?

Spotify already has it , seems like it'd be a nice touch. Something like this:

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).

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.

What happens if you don't set up a static IP address?

If you don’t do this every time your router assigns a new internal address to the media server it will break your port forwarding rule. If you need more information on setting up a static IP address you can search for documentation for your specific router and read up on static IP addresses here.

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.

What does it mean when a server says "Not available outside network"?

If your server is currently not configured for remote access, it will say “Not available outside your network” as seen above. Click the large orange button that reads “Enable Remote Access”.

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)

How to connect to Plex from outside?

In order to have a direct connection from outside your network to Plex you may need to forward a port in your router. After you forward a port in your router, you will then need to specify the port forward in Plex.

What is the default port for plex?

Make sure the number is correct. The default Plex port is 32400. Click the Apply button.

Where is the wrench on plex?

Next, click on the wrench which you will find on the navigation bar at the top of the screen. This will take you to the Plex settings menu.

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