Remote-access Guide

plex remote access status

by Melissa Satterfield I Published 2 years ago Updated 2 years ago
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Full Answer

How to enable remote access on Plex Media Server?

Remote Access

  • Quick Guide. If Remote Access is currently disabled, then use the Enable Remote Access button to trigger your server to try to configure a connection.
  • Normal Settings. The information displayed by default will depend on the current state of the Plex Media Server. ...
  • Advanced Settings. ...

Do you need Plex Pass for remote access?

However, the perception is that you need a premium Plex Pass to watch remotely. 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.

Do I need a VPN for Plex remote access?

· 4y You shouldn't need a VPN to share via Plex, assuming you are sending the content over SSL which is the vast majority of use cases. Just to speak generally, if you were to send data to someone over the VPN it would be the people on the other end receiving the data in an unencrypted format.

How to access Your Plex library from a remote computer?

  • Set a static IP address on your Plex server
  • Enable remote access in the Plex web console
  • Take note of the IP address and port (32400) that the Plex server uses
  • Enable forwarding on your router to the appropriate IP address and port
  • Access your Plex server through the correct public IP address and port number

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Is Plex down at the moment?

Plex Status. Uptime over the past 30 days. View historical uptime. No downtime recorded on this day.

How do I check Plex server status?

At the top of the Dashboard, you can see media that's currently being played from the server in the Now Playing area at the top. If the user is signed in to their Plex account, you'll see their name on the Now Playing entry. This includes playback both locally and from shared users.

Why does Plex Remote Access stop working?

IPs Being Blocked In some cases, you may have a firewall or something else on your computer/network that may be blocking a network connection that's required for Plex and your server to test whether Remote Access is working correctly for you.

Is Plex offline?

Your local Plex server will stay open for business even without an active internet connection to phone home.

Why is Plex server offline?

Ensure that Plex Media Server is actually actively running. Verify that your Server is listed on your Devices page. Disable any VPN on your computer or router. Disable any proxies being used on your computer or router.

Is Plex legal?

Plex is perfectly legal whenever you're streaming from their server or whenever you upload personal media that was acquired and reproduced legally.

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.

Can Plex work without port forwarding?

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.

Does Plex need a static IP?

A Public Static IP is not needed, largely because the AT&T "dynamic" address changes so infrequently that Plex will have no trouble tracking you down.

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.

Is there a better alternative to Plex?

The best alternative is Emby, which is free. Other great apps like Plex are Jellyfin, Stremio, Universal Media Server and Serviio. Plex alternatives are mainly Media Servers but may also be Media Centers or Music Streaming Services.

How do you ensure that Plex Media Server is actually actively running?

Ensure that Plex Media Server is actually actively running. Verify that your Server is listed on your Devices page. Disable any VPN on your computer or router. Disable any proxies being used on your computer or router.

How do I run a Plex server as a service?

To start Plex from AlwaysUp choose Application > Start "Plex Media Server"....If you do need to interact with Plex — to add media or change settings — you should:Stop Plex in AlwaysUp.Start Plex normally on your desktop. ... Make your changes.Exit Plex.Restart Plex under AlwaysUp, to resume 24x7 operation.

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 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)

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.

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.

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.

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.

How to find my router's IPv4 address?

Find and note down your router’s External IPv4 address/WAN. You can easily find this in the status page present in your router settings.

How to check IPconfig status?

You can check the status of ipconfig in a Command Prompt, or head to System Preferences > Network on a Mac.

What happens if you don't have a stable internet connection?

The same scenario also applies to the requesting computer; if you do not have a stable internet connection, you will not be able to request and stream media efficiently. First, you should check the number of devices running on your network (both the server and requesting computer).

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!

Who else is worried Plex will abandon its original purpose eventually?

As a pessimist, I'm fairly certain sooner or later they are going to drop the ability to host our own content to share with friends and family.

Does Plexamp fully replace music streaming services for you?

If so, what’s your method of finding and listening to new music? Do you ever run into trouble finding a song you want to listen to?

Inexpensive hardware transcoder?

My "server" used to be a beast. And I used to be in better shape. Enough with facts that are no longer relevant (or true, even).

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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