Does plex require internet now?

Plex Media Server Desktops & Laptops
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Server Version#:1.22.1.4228
Player Version#: 1.29.1.1974-a65b3ef3 (all devices really)

I just lost internet at my house due to a storm. I found out that Plex will not work at all, even on the server device without an internet connection. What I am able to do from something like the Windows client, or the android client is see all of the content, it shows my ondeck material, just like everything was fine.

However, when I click/tap on play, nothing happens at all. It doesn’t ask if I want to resume or restart, no visible errors, nothing at all. Once I have a connection to ping Plex? Possibly everything works great.

I’m currently using between 1 and 2 bars of 4G as a hotspot on my phone :expressionless: Not the best.

I found that connecting that hotspot to my desktop or laptop now allows me to watch everything, and I’m watching it over the local IP it would seem.

Does plex really need an internet connection now, or am I just missing something here? This will be an absolute show stopper for me :frowning:

I’ll do my best to watch this tonight but my connection speeds are uhhh, trash :smiley: Hopefully the normal internet will be on soon™

A screenshot of the dashboard showing the local IP, just because. If I disconnect my hotspot everything dies even though both the server and the player are hard wired to the same network (with no internet :’( )
image

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This will NOT even play back on the SERVER machine unless I connect it to the internet as well.

It has worked well in the past with no internet and I had already gone through most of that. Thanks for assuming I’m stupid, I guess? No words, no help, just paste a post from 2 years ago

I’ll also add Again, that I can see all of the content on my server. It refuses to play unless there is an internet connection on the player device, even though the server has no internet connection.

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Does no one have any actual solutions? Has anyone else even tried this to see if this is a bug?

I had a friend complaining of similar issues a few weeks ago and we all thought he was crazy too.

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You’ll need the internet to initially set things.

Server Security - Preferred, not Required or Disabled.
Clients (ALL) - Fallback to insecure on local network only

Once that’s done - with internet - reboot everything and you should be good.
I don’t know if you have some internal network something or other (that’ll tell ya what I know about networking) causing issue, but that’s all I did and ALL my devices work fine without the internet.

Plex Home - may not work.
Changing Users - definitely won’t work - there’s no internet.
Plexweb - won’t work during an outage
PMP/PfW/PfM/Plex HTPC won’t work during an outage
Managed Users - I just don’t know.

With a few caveats the above should take care of ‘most’ users.

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Can’t confirm that. I had an outage yesterday and every player worked. It just took a few additional seconds before the homescreen appeared after the start.
Even the web app works if you tell your browser to not delete the cookies from plex.tv.

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During one of the big Plex.tv outages (and a few local ISP versions of same) PMP (old) or PfW were as dead as Plexweb.

If that changed - that’s good.
I have internet today - can’t test it.

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I already had the server set to preferred and allow fallback on local.

I think the big thing that’s getting looked over here is that I can’t even play anything from 127.0.0.1 on the server machine without internet. Something has changed. This has always worked well for me in the past.

I can connect from all of my devices and see ALL of my content. When I press play nothing happens.

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You can’t set Client Security at the Server. <—except for Plexweb - that’ll be dead anyway, probably.
Each Client Device must be allowed to fallback to insecure on the local. <–in it’s Plex App Client Settings.

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I do have each client set to fall back on an insecure connection. It was already set that way.

If I use the server machine as a player as well through 127.0.0.1 it still refuses to play but will show me my entire library.

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You mean you use a dead Plexweb and it doesn’t work?
I’m not surprised.

Usually during an outage I’m watching something on one of the Rokus… I hardly notice, but if I have to use Plexweb for something - I keep watching the Rokus. Plexweb won’t work at my house during an outage. Period.

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So, you’re telling me that 127.0.0.1 (localhost) requires internet?

I can also use the Windows Clients, or the Android client to see ALL of the content on my server. It’s all there. If I disconnect from the same network, it’s gone so it doesn’t seem to be caching it anywhere.

When I press play, nothing happens.

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At my house Plexweb - the player app that runs in your browser on 127.0.0.1 - is as dead as a doornail during an outage. It is attached at the hip to Plex.tv. Can’t get to Plex.tv - Can’t use Plexweb.

Advanced support has some tips and procedures that may eliminate that condition, but at my house I just don’t try it. I know it’s gonna fail.

ALL my local Devices from Phones to Rokus to FireTVs all work normally on the local network during an outage.

If that’s not happening - Advanced Support is already here so finding him shouldn’t be too hard.

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All of my devices have worked in the PAST but don’t work now. :frowning: Hopefully someone can tell me what’s happening now.

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Hopefully someday someone will actually take the time to look at this instead of just assuming everything is fine and anyone who says this is stupid…

It’s still not working if I take the server offline. No one cares. I’m REALLY glad that I paid for a lifetime plex pass… Now I can play Atari on my computer, just what I always wanted.

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