Remote-access Guide

plex what does enabling remote access do

by Beryl Heller Published 3 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

Full Answer

How do you setup Plex?

Setting Up and Installing the Plex Media Server

  • Choosing a Server—the Server Requirements. Plex Media Server can run on Windows, Mac, or Linux computers—some people use their every-day computer, others have a dedicated computer.
  • Plex Media Server Performance Considerations. ...
  • Downloading the Plex Media Server. ...
  • Installing and Running the Plex Media Server. ...

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

How do you enable remote desktop access?

To enable remote connections on Windows 10, use these steps:

  • Open Control Panel.
  • Click on System and Security.
  • Under the “System” section, click the Allow remote access option ...
  • Click the Remote tab.
  • Under the “Remote Desktop” section, check the Allow remote connections to this computer option.

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Is it safe to enable Plex remote access?

For Plex, security really does appear to be a top priority. 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.

Is Plex remote access free?

All of our non-mobile, public apps are free (with the exception of Plex Labs apps). These include Amazon Fire TV, Android TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, Plex HTPC, Roku, Smart TVs, Windows & macOS computers and game consoles (PlayStation and Xbox).

Can other people see my Plex library?

Enter the username or email address of the person you want to share your library with, and click on the user when it pops up. In the next window, choose which libraries you share with others. To share all of them, select your server and click Save. Or select only the libraries you want to share, then click Save.

What port should I use for Plex remote access?

WAN/External Port: Port 32400 (TCP) is default, but you can generally use any available port in the 20,000 to 50,000 range. LAN/Internal Port: This will always be 32400. IP Address: The local IP Address of the computer running the Plex Media Server.

How do I access someone else's 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 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 sharing Plex legal?

Through its evolution, Plex has remained legal in every country in which it does business, has attracted millions and millions of users worldwide, and is a leading global media streaming service.

Is sharing Plex safe?

Plex has teamed up with Let's Encrypt to provide our users with high-quality secure certificates for your media servers, at no cost to you. There's no need to set up VPNs and no need to create and install your own certs. You can safely and securely connect to your media no matter where you are.

How do I share Plex with someone?

2:4510:09How to share your Plex Media Server with family and friends - step by stepYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipI cover a lot of things guys that will help you get your plex media server up and running so log inMoreI cover a lot of things guys that will help you get your plex media server up and running so log in to our main account so what you need to do once you get into main account you want to go to your

Should I open port Plex?

Warning!: For security, we very strongly recommend that you do not allow any of these “additional” ports through the firewall or to be forwarded in your router, in cases specifically where your Plex Media Server is running on a machine with a public/WAN IP address.

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.

What ports should I block on my firewall?

Which Ports Should You Block On Your Firewall?ServicePort TypePort NumberNetBIOS/IPTCP, UDP137-139SMB/IPTCP445Trivial File Transfer Protocol (TFTP)UDP69SyslogUDP5143 more rows•Oct 25, 2021

How much does Plex TV cost?

Plex PassPlex Pass planPriceMonthly$4.99/mo.Annual$39.99/yr.Lifetime$199.99Learn moreView PlansJun 15, 2021

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.

Is Plex free on Roku?

The Plex software is free to use, although the paid-for Plex Pass gets you more features and access to the company's various apps. The Roku app is available for free to Plex Pass subscribers or can be had for a one-time fee of $4.99 after a 30-day free trial.

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 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.

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).

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.

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.

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!

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