Remote-access Guide

setup plex for remote access

by Dr. Kaley Kautzer Published 2 years ago Updated 1 year ago
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Full Answer

How do I access Plex server remotely?

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. ...

How to fix Plex remote access not working?

What causes Plex Remote Access not to Work?

  • Solution 1: Updating to the Latest Version. ...
  • Solution 2: Power cycling for Glitch Resolution. ...
  • Solution 3: Fixing Slow Internet Connection. ...
  • Solution 4: Disabling Advanced Firewalls. ...
  • Solution 5: Checking the Automatic Configuration. ...
  • Solution 6: Manually Forwarding Port. ...
  • Solution 7: Manually Port Forwarding Multiple Servers. ...

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How to port forward Plex?

Troubleshooting Your Firewall

  • Start > Control Panel > System Security (or type to search: firewall).
  • Click Advanced Settings.
  • Turn off your firewalls under Domain, Private and Public Profiles.
  • Log back into your Plex Web App settings to retry your port connection.
  • If it now works, then the issue was your firewall. ...
  • Go back to Advanced Settings > Inbound Rules.
  • Click New Rule.

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How to set up a Plex server?

Setting up the server

  • Download the Plex Media Server from the official website.
  • Install the software on your host device. ...
  • Launch the software and complete the setup wizard. ...
  • Important: Make sure pick the right media folders because Plex will be looking in them to find your media.
  • After the wizard setup ends, your Plex Media Server is now online.

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How do I set up remote access for Plex?

To do so: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.More items...•

Is Plex remote access free?

Our mobile apps (Android and iOS) can be used for free, but have limitations. Until the mobile app is unlocked (through an in-app purchase or a Plex Pass subscription), video and music streamed from a Plex Media Server has a 1 minute limit, and photos will be watermarked.

How do I give someone access to my plex?

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.

How do I access my media server remotely?

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.

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.

Does Plex have to be on the same network?

Remote streams allowed per user You can set the maximum number of simultaneous streams each user is allowed to have, when not on the same network as the Plex Media Server (the “local” network).

Does remote access require Plex Pass?

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 you share Plex live TV?

You can share "Live TV" with members of your Plex Home, including managed users.

How do I access my Plex server from anywhere?

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.

Does Plex stream over the internet?

The Plex Media Server generally assumes you will have an active internet connection when using it. While most things will still work fine if you temporarily don't have a connection, some things do require an active connection.

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 .

What is Plex remote access?

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.

Is remote access 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.

What does plex premium give you?

For example, Plex Pass subscribers get Premium Photos and Music options, including auto-tagging and automatic lyrics, support for Live TV via an antenna and tuner, and offline mobile syncing. Plex Pass also features multiuser support, a Timeline organizational view, and early access to new Plex features.

Is Plex server private?

Plex retains personal information you provide to create your account for as long as you maintain an account with us. Personal information used to provide the services to you will be kept long enough to provide you with the service, including in archives and logs used to maintain and develop the service.

How to check if Plex is remote?

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. Then, from the left hand navigation pane, select “Remote ...

Does Plex Media Server work?

Plex Media Server generally works, by the magic of UPnP, right out of the box. But in those rare instances it doesn’t, it’s just a matter of applying a few simple tweaks to get your media server back online. READ NEXT.

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)

Does Plex automatically handle connection data?

The Plex system automatically handles all the connection data as long as you are logged into the same Plex account on your media server and all your client devices. If you’re having issues, however, don’t worry–in the next section we’ll look at the most common issues and how to solve them.

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

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. 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!

Finding a workaround

A friend of mine recently ran into this issue when he tried to set up remote access for his Plex Media Server. He happens to be a Dual-Stack/DS Lite customer, so he only had IPv6 to work with. We found some solutions that rely on third parties to proxy incoming connections.

Adding DynDNS-like behavior

We wanted to avoid having to manually change the config over and over again. So, we mimicked DynDNS’s behavior in order to automate the config update. I wrote a DynDNS-like bash script that we set up to run every 5 minutes.

How to connect to Plex while using VPN?

Integrated kill-switch. To connect to your Plex server while PrivateVPN is activated, connect to a VPN server and note the port number that appears in the client under the disconnect button. Then, enter the port number into your Plex program.

What is plex streaming?

Plex is a free streaming service that allows customers to access live TV. The service offers access to over 130 channels and over 20,000 movies and television shows from MGM, Lionsgate, Crackle, Warner Brothers, and more for free. Plex also offers the option to upgrade to Plex ultimate to watch and record local television shows, sports, ...

What is the best VPN for Plex?

Here are some of the best VPNs for streaming Plex safely. 1. ExpressVPN. ExpressVPN is arguably the best VPN service for Plex on the market in 2021.

How many servers does Plex have?

Once installed, the VPN for Plex boasts one of the largest networks of servers on the market, with more than 7000 servers across over 90 countries around the world. This means that you’ll have endless choices when you need to connect to an overseas server to gain access to geo-restricted or censored streaming content.

What is private internet access?

Private Internet Access is a reliable option for Plex customers. PIA delivers port forwarding support, allowing you to remotely connect to your Plex server and stream your favorite content no matter where you are.

What payment options does VPN use?

The VPN offers a decent range of payment options, including credit cards, gift cards, bank transfers, and cryptocurrencies. If you are looking to remain completely anonymous online, we would recommend paying with a cryptocurrency such as Bitcoin.

Which is better Plex or PrivateVPN?

PrivateVPN is one of the best Plex VPNs thanks to its support for port forwarding, which means that you can connect to your Plex server while enjoying the protection of a VPN.

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”.

Can you share a library on a server?

For each server you can select whether you wish to share all your libraries or some of them. If you uncheck “All Libraries” in the “Share” section, you’ll be able to individually select which libraries are shared. Unless you have a pressing reason to not share a library, it’s easiest just to leave them all shared.

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.

Does Plex scan your library?

The Plex search function will scan both your own library and all the libraries shared with you.

Can you share a Plex server with a Plex server?

If they have their own Plex Media Server and can turn right around and share their server with you, that’s great. If they don’t have a Plex Media Server, no big deal : their primary libraries will simply default to the libraries you share with them. They can sign up for their free account here.

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