AppleTV will not function on Hotel Captive Network///Other apps work fine

Plex Players
1

Server Version#: 1.29.1.6260
Player Version#: 7.19.1

AppleTV will not load when on Hotel Captive Network. I recently posted this question on Reddit and others have commented that this is true for them as well. I travel commonly for work and bring with me an AppleTV. The relatively new (tvos 15.4 maybe) captive network login allows me to now use my appletv on hotel captive networks; however Plex will not ever load my home screen.

As an example, of which I have a video if desired, an iPad running iPadOS 16.1 and MacBook Pro (Plex Web) both on the captive network, will load. I understand fully it is not ideal, but having it on my box on a hotel tv, NOT hotspotting, is crucial to not using all hotspot data.

IF I hotspot AppleTV to phone, while clunky and reduced quality it will play. All signs point to a weird inter-failure of AppleTV WHILE ON Captive network. It should be noted that other apps on AppleTV function just fine, such as Youtube capable of streaming at 720p.

Please let me know what I can provide to try to find a solution for our members.

Thanks!

2

This is the ~new feature where it says “Continue on iPhone …” to complete the wifi portal auth process?

Can you share the video? How does it fail? Have you tried waiting LONGER, in case something weird needs to time out?

Are you able to get into the Plex app far enough that you can download Client App logs?

(Sometimes the front desk can just manually add your Apple TV’s MAC address, by the way. That can be easier …)

3

Correct with the ‘continue with iPhone’ part.

Is it acceptable to post the video to a drive and share that way? It’s about 3 minutes. It’s ‘hand taken’ as I am showing how an iPad and MacBook work on the said WiFi, but the tv will not ever work.

I have waited 15 minutes before (not on this video) where ATV goes to screensaver then turns itself off. No errors ever occur.

iPad/Mac (with a reasonable 5 second buffering starts to play, and where the ATV. “Instantly” WILL play other apps. (Netflix/YouTube)

Lastly, I believe it doesn’t download the logins. I say this because IF I select a local managed user, of my server any library that was last downloaded, still exists while it attempts to redownload the library list. It never seems to be able to do this.

I will experiment now with the user list. Details in a moment on a separate comment.

4

Mind blown. It is working at this moment (0500 EST)

What I did was to add a new ‘test user’ to my server and all devices could see the new user, this means of course the connection to the server is functioning enough to get the user list.

All devices INCLUDING the ATV can see it.

I was able to reset defaults which grabbed the server list and libraries. I am now playing on my ATV. So this must point to a network overuse on the hotel wifi.

What this DOESN’T answer is why other apps can play 720p video while the Plex app can’t so much as download a user list during the wifi peak times.

5

So I found the solution. Not the fix. After playing with it this morning, I found that if I restore defaults from the Home, it WILL load the libraries, and then allow the screen to play,. It hangs on bringing the menus in. Video also available. I can share to a google drive if acceptable for MOVs.

Thanks