Continual Remote Access failure & Sonos speakers not appearing in Select Player

Server Version#: 1.28.2.6151
Player Version#: 1.54.2.3267-d35cd36f

Beyond frustrated, convinced to pay for a lifetime Plex Pass by continual promo (sucker!) and yet I still can’t get remote access enabled or cast from Plex to Sonos. I guess this must be due a network issue somewhere, but I don’t know what or where. I have a Virgin Media Hub and everything else on my network appears automatically.

Remote access connects momentarily when restarting the server and then after a few seconds switches to failed

Screenshots shows players available to connect to from Plex on my Mac (same on iPhone & iPad) and then Spotify one shows Den (now playing), Living Room and Bedroom - all Sonos speaker locations. I’ve read everything I can on both issues, which according to the following article seems to indicate remote access needs to be enabled to work Sonos:

https://support.plex.tv/articles/218237558-requirements-for-using-plex-for-sonos/

The following article seems to indicate that I should be able to see Sonos no problem if I am a Plex Pass subscriber:

https://support.plex.tv/articles/control-sonos-playback-with-a-plex-app/

Am at a total loss. Shouldn’t need to be a network engineer to get this working. Spotify has it working seamlessly. Please someone help me regain my sanity :slight_smile:

Thanks

3. Screenshot 2022-09-23 No Sonos in Plex
4. Screenshot 2022-09-23 Sonos in Spotify

Hi - I too was frustrated with this playback issue on Sonos and am still encountering issues playing to Sonos via PlexAmp and the Plex mobile apps. Accessing the Plex Media Server via the browser on the local LAN seemed to be better but would still encounter playback issues casting to Sonos.

Are you able to play Plex Media Server content (music) to your mobile using PlexAmp? That is all I have been able to get working somewhat consistently recently and I am running PMS - 1.29.0.6244 with Plexamp 4.4.0 (Android).

Have you tried removing Authorization for Sonos in your PMS (under your PMS:32400/web/index.html–>Settings (wrench icon top right of main screen)–> menu on left -->Authorized Devices. Click ‘X’ to remove authorization to Sonos and then open Sonos App., -->Music–>select Plex to try and play music through Sonos app. - it will prompt you to ‘Reauthorize’ Sonos.

Try this and hopefully this allows you to see the Sonos speakers (under Select Player icon) and gets playback working via PlexAmp. As for Remote Access…you will need to check and make sure the following is configured in your router (yeah, it sucks having to do this much work in order to take advantage of your ‘premium’ subscription but it doesn’t look like this Remote Access setup has gotten much better in the couple of years I have been trying to use it either:

Refer and make sure all basic port forwarding setup is done in your network here:
https://support.plex.tv/articles/200931138-troubleshooting-remote-access/

For NAT hairpin setup, refer to this:

and this MASQUERADE with DNAT option is available in most router setups as
“Filter WAN NAT Redirection”

Here is what should be configured for your NAT setup to allow stable/working Remote Access (you should not be seeing the Settings–>Remote Access–>
Remote_Access_working

switch from ‘Enabled’ to ‘Not Available’ as this indicates there are NAT firewall issues in your network that prevent stable communication to/from your PMS (regardless of whether you can choose to cast to Sonos).

This is my rule to allow hairpin NAT- substitute below IP with the LAN IP schema in your network that Sonos/PMS are on:
Target Source Destination
MASQUERADE all – 192.168.100.0/24 192.168.100.0/24

and the iptable rule to ACCEPT all external packets destined on port 32400 to my PMS:
iptables -t nat -I POSTROUTING -p tcp -m tcp -s 0.0.0.0/0 -d 192.168.100.XXX --dport 32400 -j ACCEPT

JB

Hi JB

Thanks for the thorough response, much appreciated. Am still not seeing my Sonos speakers displayed in either PMS/Plex MacOS app/Plex Amp (MacOS) or any of the iOS apps when I choose ‘select player’. Really can’t get my head round it.

I actually hadn’t realised there was a MacOS app for Plex Amp, which I am really enjoying. My workaround is selecting the Sonos speaker from the Sound icon in the top Mac toolbar. If I want to extend it to other speakers, I then need to open the Sonos app and group them there. C’est la vie I guess.

I don’t want to tempt fate, but I think I may have finally conquered the remote access issue. My router offers both 2.5 & 5.0ghz signals by default and bounces traffic from devices between the two automatically. I disabled 2.5ghz and rebooted the router, retried the remote access function in Plex and it has remained enabled. Hallelujah… (I hope and pray this remains static!!)

In terms of Sonos speakers displaying in Plex, I’ll have to remain playing the long patient game and hope it gets fixed in time.

Thanks again
B

Bart - Did you try adding Plex to Sonos via the Sonos mobile/iOS app (open the gear icon–>Add a Service and search for Plex) and go through the authorization step (will have you login to your Plex Media Server in browser on your mobile/iOS device to do this step)? Once that is done you should be able to access/play your PMS music from within the Sonos app. Once this step is completed, you should then see Sonos in your PMS Admin screen under Authorized Devices:

and also as a Player under the Player icon (top right of PMS portal):

As for Remote Access to Plex, you will need to make sure NAT hairpin is configured in your network to playback to PlexAmp on your mobile device - it definitely works so try if you haven’t already the articles/steps I posted earlier. Playing to Sonos remotely (mobile carrier or external network) is still not working for me without some hacky steps (connecting via Wifi/Wireguard, connecting to Sonos player, turning off Wifi) but I can still control Sonos volume and mute remotely somehow in PlexAmp really weird!

JB

Hi JB

I have removed Sonos from authorised device list, removed Plex as a service in Sonos and re-added and re-authorised it, but no change, still no Sonos speakers appearing under available players

Mac

iOS

Speakers only appear when I click into airplay option (iOS)

:exploding_head:

B

Burt - thanks for checking that, what shows under the Remote Access option of the Plex Media Server Admin.? Did you try Chrome on your Mac to access the PMS Admin as well?

What about accessing/playing Plex from the Sonos app. in iOS since you have authorized Sonos as a player (don’t use Airplay)?

Tks.

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