I have a Plex server on my boat. 99.9% of the time we have no internet. Currently it will work for one person (using no login) in but nobody else can view anything else simultaneously. Is there a way of being able to have multiple clients operate at the same time with no internet? Server is Windows, clients are using the iPad app but I will be using RasPlex on Samsung TVs soon.
Thanks,
Ian
You can have multiple clients, but not multiple plex user accounts.
Meaning, all watched/unwatched markers and playback progress will be the same for all users and on all clients.
Plex’s user logins are always verified against plex.tv. If you have no internet connection, you can’t use any user account features at all.
@ianunderdown said:
Currently it will work for one person (using no login) in but nobody else can view anything else simultaneously.
I’m not sure what you mean by this. If your PMS is not logged in, and the apps are also not logged in but connecting via a local network, there is no limitation on how many clients can connect.
Similarly we have no internet on our boat, and I want the kids to be able to enjoy movies on their own iOS devices, with access permissions per each user to restrict content.
OttoKerner, are you saying this is not possible?
@Duckminster said:
Similarly we have no internet on our boat, and I want the kids to be able to enjoy movies on their own iOS devices, with access permissions per each user to restrict content.
OttoKerner, are you saying this is not possible?
Yes. That’s what I’m saying.
Without internet, there is no user authentication since all that lives on plex.tv.
@OttoKerner said:
- use the ‘manual server configuration’ on your Rasplex clients and put the IP address you assigned to your server in there (there are only a few clients able to work with a manual server configuration. AFAIK the iOS clients are not among them, so you can’t use them without internet. )
The manual server configuration got added to the iOS app recently, so it should work with them as well.
I will try this, thanks.
I had thought that since I’m connecting to my server to add users, that the user accounts were stored on the server. At a minimum I see no reason why they couldn’t be cached there for offline use.
The limitations with users is unfortunate. I invested considerable time and money to create a portable Plex server, and also paid for a lifetime Plex membership specifically to enjoy offline access. To discover that I’m left with a crippled, one-user experience when I cut the cord leaves me thinking that I chose the wrong platform and my time and money has been wasted. My own fault for not researching this further in the beginning.
Anyone know if resolving this user account limitation when Plex is has no internet is on the Plex roadmap?
I would suggest that Plex add a FAQ that describes the limitations of their platform when not connected to the internet so that others like myself won’t be caught in the same situation. I can’t help but think that there are thousands of weekenders like myself with no internet access and who need to bring their movie library with them for the family to enjoy, and who also require the managed restrictions offered via user accounts.
I will not buy subscription just for that reason
@Ed8widge said:
I will not buy subscription just for that reason
Troll
@OttoKerner said:
Yes. That’s what I’m saying.
Without internet, there is no user authentication since all that lives on plex.tv.
I use raspberry pi server with various clients without an Internet connection. I haven’t done anything different to standard setup and it works fine. AFAIK you can use managed users without connection to the Internet.
@Ed8widge said:
I will not buy subscription just for that reason
Wise consumer decision based on research and personal preferences… rare in this day and age - even more rare on this forum.
Be nice guys. His comment could be referring to @Duckminster’s comment about mainly buying a Plex pass for offline access, which is a very legitimate response. Plex pass features do mainly require internet access so having it for offline access is an unusual use case.
For a substantial number of users ‘internet on and available’ is the normal condition, but the other day a truck wiped out a telephone pole carrying a wire that apparently had a lot to do with the way the internet reaches the tent I live in up here in the woods.
The internet went down and with it Plex. I had to jump through a number of flaming hoops to get it to start working again, but my phone app is still freaking out 10 days AFTER the internet came back up. I’m probably going to have to delete/reinstall the app to get it to work right again and I’d say without hesitation that’s a troubleshooting step not in most user’s wheelhouses.
Simply put, it shouldn’t be that hard to design in ways to make Plex work with or without internet… without having to call in The Geek Squad when your internet goes missing to get your Plex system working again… that is only assuming there is a desire to design anything that strays from the way the developers use Plex and to date there has been no real indication of that.
Plex comes in many flavors and you can have any flavor you want - so long as it’s Strawberry.
@Duckminster said:
I will try this, thanks.I had thought that since I’m connecting to my server to add users, that the user accounts were stored on the server. At a minimum I see no reason why they couldn’t be cached there for offline use.
The limitations with users is unfortunate. I invested considerable time and money to create a portable Plex server, and also paid for a lifetime Plex membership specifically to enjoy offline access. To discover that I’m left with a crippled, one-user experience when I cut the cord leaves me thinking that I chose the wrong platform and my time and money has been wasted. My own fault for not researching this further in the beginning.
Anyone know if resolving this user account limitation when Plex is has no internet is on the Plex roadmap?
I would suggest that Plex add a FAQ that describes the limitations of their platform when not connected to the internet so that others like myself won’t be caught in the same situation. I can’t help but think that there are thousands of weekenders like myself with no internet access and who need to bring their movie library with them for the family to enjoy, and who also require the managed restrictions offered via user accounts.
@Duckminster… Fast forward now to March 2018, two years after your comment… I have just purchased the Plex Pass, and I wish I could have read your comment beforehand. The only reason why I got the Plex Pass was to have offline access and user restrictions. I feel your struggle bro, this is such a disappointment!
I am replying to this older post as I was just about to be in the same boat/situation. I have sporadically played with Plex over the last 2 years but not invested in it as my home NAS and boat NAS was not supported. I decided this was the year I was finally going to make the jump. I just purchased a Synology DS918+ for my home. My plan was to store all of my home media on it and stream to my Samsung SmartTV w/Plex and play my MP3’s with Sonos. Once I got that working I wanted to sync to a smaller Synology NAS on my boat that we frequently take offshore, disconnected from the Internet. I was about to post a question regarding to use Sync I see I need a Plex Pass for my server at home, would I also need a Plex Pass for the receiving NAS on my boat? I have a huge repository (for me) of MP3’s and MP4’s of movies and TV episodes that for years I have been manually sync’ing to my boat NAS by bringing it home from time to time and copying everything over. I figured this would be the year I’d upgrade for dynamic sync’ing so when I’m at the dock the boat could sync via the network to my home NAS. I’m seeing all sorts of problems though with using Plex on the boat without an internet connection like in the Bahamas for us but there are work arounds. I would think RV, Boat, Plane owners would be in a similar situation and Plex has not thought of this usecase? IF I’m wrong please educate me…
I'm not streaming/syncing to any mobile devices. I have no interest in streaming
from my home to the boat. I just want an easy way to keep the boat NAS sync’d with my home NAS AND be able to watch shows from the NAS on the boat on upto 3 TV’s while not connected to the Internet.
