I’ve setup a clean default install of version 1.18.9.2578 this week. I’m able to watch content locally in the browser at http://127.0.0.1:32400.
Can’t connect clients though -such as iPhone, Fire Stick TV 4K.
Firewall on my server (Win10Pro) is disabled.
So when troubleshooting using:
… it leads to "check your device is listed at:
which it is… even shows the recent activity as a few minutes ago.
Further, in that doc, in plex.tv, click my server, and I see “unable to connect securely”
I realize I’m on the web at this point, and probably can’t get through my firewall, so I check:
- but i don’t see any options per the screenshot (it’s out of date) - for “network, secure connections” in the plex.tv app, but I DO find them in the local pc server:
Network-> secure connections is preferred.
That’s as far as the troubleshooting articles go.
So two problems:
1- can’t connect on LAN Server from LAN client-
---- iphone,
---- fire stick TV
both of which are listed as authorized devices
2- seems secure connections isn’t working from my LAN server to the Web client.
What is the underlying mechanism for this, UPnP? or need to do something else that I’ve missed on the docs?
as an update:
I removed some network adapters and software and that helped for the iphone, but not for the firestick.
I’m on the same LAN, and can ping my server from the mobile and mobile from the server.
However, I can’t ping firestick. Is there any special networking issues? I do have expressVPN installed, but not active.
Potentially useful info:
I signed out on my mobile, and signed back in. It says I have more than one media server (I don’t) and when I am presented with the media server(s) - there is only one. Is my account settings somehow messed up?
Hi @MovieFan.Plex never heard that before. Can you share more about why? is there data that it doesn’t work with firewall off?
When you turn off the Windows Firewall, Windows actually goes into this other secured state. It has to do with their “Advanced security” feature. To correctly turn it off you can’t just disable it, you have to do some advanced stuff. https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/previous-versions/windows/it-pro/windows-server-2008-R2-and-2008/cc766337(v=ws.10)?redirectedfrom=MSDN
Hi MovieFan, thanks for the link. However, that was written in 2012, and doesn’t apply to Windows 10. But even if your position is it still applies to win10, the document only explains how to disable the firewall.
I have found nothing in any network literature that says that if the windows firewall (or windows defender firewall, or other versions) is off, that TCP connectivity is blocked by anything in the OS level security.
If you look at microsoft’s windows 10 document on disabling the firewall, you’ll see that it’s just a GUI option. https://support.microsoft.com/en-hk/help/4028544/windows-10-turn-microsoft-defender-firewall-on-or-off
The firewall is on or it’s off and TCP/UDP communications are allowed or blocked.
If it’s off, and you can ping the server (ICMP) or Telnet to a port (TCP) - you can safely establish that communications is working between hosts.
Can you please tell me what Microsoft is doing to block things when firewall is off?
Is this an established position of the developers of Plex, that firewall, if turned off, is somehow still blocking communications?
Oh sorry for the old link. It’s one I’ve used in the past and didn’t realize it was that old. I don’t know exactly why but there is something about turning off the firewall that doesn’t always work. Regardless of the reason or even if I’m wrong, the best option is to enable it and open the ports appropriately.
Ok, thanks @anon18523487, i’ll take it under consideration.
