In-car mobile Plex server

General Discussions
1

I know some of you guys have tackled this before, and before I dive right in I’m hopeful that you’ll share some wisdom. Plex Sync is extremely useful, but having a number of iOS/android devices with relatively tiny memory’s, I’m wondering if a Mobile server would be worthwhile.

At the moment I’m torn between a mobile server that can be easily removed/transferred between locations (such as cars) or integrating one into a car in a more permanent way.

For it’s combination of simplicity, function and cost, I’m favouring the mobile option. Yet again I’m thinking about an old, 12-13inch ex-business Windows laptop, small internal SSD for the OS, a hefty external SSD and USB powered travel router. This could then be stored under the passengers seat or in the boot, and has the advantage of being powerful enough to transcode for 2 mobile devices and still work if the power supply is cut - for a little while at least. On it, I’d run a second Plex server with it’s own, separate library stored on the external SSD.

My only concern is powering it on and off. Is there any reason that I wouldn’t be able to use WOL, assuming of course that it has the capability and it’s connected to a power supply?

Is there anything else I should be considering, whether that’s potential problems or alternative equipment? Are there any wireless hard drive and tablet combinations out there that negate the need for a server and transcoding?

2

Personally, I think it’s a lot of effort for very little reward. You’re still using only a subset of what would be available on a normal Plex library due to storage constraints. For something like this, I would honestly just pick a bunch of movies for a given road trip, throw them on a flash drive and go. If you’re really after the library interface, I would say it’s probably best to use Kodi/XBMC on that laptop of yours. This is because it lacks a server-client modal and is designed for a single device (Plex was originally forked from this project and introduced that server-client model). I know it’s not the answer you want, but it’s my best advice.

3

Not at all Mike, any constructive feedback is always welcome.

I agree, that the amount of reward does seem disproportional to the amount of work/cost, but at the same time I know it’ll do everything we want it to. It’ll dependably provide a good selection of media to any of our various devices, will be simple to set up and maintain, and be quite inexpensive. If the devices we’re using had expandable memories then I probably wouldn’t even need to consider it and could instead just sync everything, assuming that Plex can store synced data on an alternate drive.

The thinking is, we’d use it in the car for day to day journeys and also while on holiday. The upload speed from our server is poor (3-4mbps), and the typical download speed at the hotels we stay at is even worse(1-2mbps), so we’ve tried a few alternatives when away from home, and they’ve all proved a bit too faffy. Loading files onto a laptop is what we’ve settled on, but the large, bright flashing screen is enough to disturb the girls sleep, which usually means no TV after 9:00pm. A mobile server, while not completely eliminating faff, negates the need to think in advance about ‘who uses what device to watch which programs’, if you follow my meaning, and load each device with a selection of the appropriate programs.

It’s a sledgehammer to crack a nut. But it will definitely crack the nut.

4

You could build a simple NAS or even a 1u half depth server.
http://www.supermicro.com/products/nfo/chassis_short_depth.cfm

Those are simple to remove and reinstall, for this kind of install SSD is the only option, vibration from the road will destroy normal had drives.

You could combined this with an SMB option such as you can move data it easily over wifi or cabled network when you are home.

5

How much of a benefit would a NAS device be to a tablet/phone? I’m not aware of it being possible to store synced data on NAS, but then, there’s an awful lot I’m not aware of.

A short depth server is an idea I’ll explore, though aside from the potential for customisation and additional server power and geek-chic status, I’m unclear on the advantages. Powering it may be an issue, as it’ll need a backup battery and to be able to run off 12V. My initial thoughts are that it may be a bit much, both in terms of cost, work and power, but perhaps there’s more to it.

6

Talk to PA guys, I know people have have more stereo than car now, eg 10-20,000 Watts in their cars.
The way they do it is by a extra battery.

Both Drobo, Synology WD and many more does support plex in a NAS. sadly they have a crppy cpu most of them so not much transcoding.

7

So, I picked up an extremely cheap and basic Windows tablet (Archos Cesium 90) to have a play about with, and it’s proved a revelation. I never for one second thought a Windows tablet would be the same OS as the PC, and had expected it to be more akin to the OS on Windows phones - Microsoft really needs to re-think their OS naming to make a clearer differentiation.

Despite it’s meagre Atom Z3735 processor and irrespective of it’s reputation, XBMC has no problems at all with transcoding anything I can throw at it. It doesn’t need to reproduce a 4K picture or DTS-HD MA, and functions flawlessly with PleXBMC when in range of Wifi.

What’s more is that it has a full size USB, as well as a Micro SD, so I’ve ordered a tiny 128GB flash drive and a micro SD to test. 200-300GB of faff free, portable media would mean that the biggest part of the problem is solved as far as I’m concerned, and so cheaply that there’s enough money left in the budget to buy another one and a small, mobile NAS if needs be - we’ll see how it goes.

Many thanks to those who responded.

8

Plex mobile media server.

9

But what hassle to get Plex running on a Pi? Would be nice if Plex would support the Pi as an official build.

1 Like
10

At present I like the slimline Yogi notebook/tablets for this type of thing. It can run Plex server as well as PMP. Has HDMI and USB3 ports as well as ear phone jacks.

It runs a normal version of Windows 10 so you can have all your normal programs with you if needed. You can set it up as a virtual WIFI with DHCP support so other wifi devices can connect directly to it eliminating the need for a router. You can use it to share an Ethernet or wifi hotel connection as well.

I simply set up a couple of libraries on the server. One is for movies stored directly on the Yogi (gotta always have with you movies) and another library for the WD external USB 3 drive. This way I can use it with or without the USB drive attached. I have everything setup to run with either 12 volt DC or 110 AC power as well as a 12 volt power brick (camping).

I really like this setup because it has a small form factor. Can run on it’s own batteries, can be used in a vehicle or hotel room, saves the need for an external wifi router. Best of all it’s it’s own player with screen/keyboard as well. With an hdmi cable or chromecast you can feed the hotel TV as well with it. You can use your mobile phone to cast to PMP so you have an easy to use remote in the hotel as well.

Of course with external HDDs getting bigger and cheaper all the time it’s super easy to take a large library on the road with you. Obviously since the USB3 drive can be plugged into any computer on your network it makes transferring movies/shows very easy. You can even use btsync or similar to automate this as well.

Thus far this has been the best “mobile” system I’ve put together and used thus far for Plex/Emby/Kodi use.

Carlo

11

@cayars said:
At present I like the slimline Yogi notebook/tablets for this type of thing. It can run Plex server as well as PMP. Has HDMI and USB3 ports as well as ear phone jacks.

It runs a normal version of Windows 10 so you can have all your normal programs with you if needed. You can set it up as a virtual WIFI with DHCP support so other wifi devices can connect directly to it eliminating the need for a router. You can use it to share an Ethernet or wifi hotel connection as well.

I simply set up a couple of libraries on the server. One is for movies stored directly on the Yogi (gotta always have with you movies) and another library for the WD external USB 3 drive. This way I can use it with or without the USB drive attached. I have everything setup to run with either 12 volt DC or 110 AC power as well as a 12 volt power brick (camping).

I really like this setup because it has a small form factor. Can run on it’s own batteries, can be used in a vehicle or hotel room, saves the need for an external wifi router. Best of all it’s it’s own player with screen/keyboard as well. With an hdmi cable or chromecast you can feed the hotel TV as well with it. You can use your mobile phone to cast to PMP so you have an easy to use remote in the hotel as well.

Of course with external HDDs getting bigger and cheaper all the time it’s super easy to take a large library on the road with you. Obviously since the USB3 drive can be plugged into any computer on your network it makes transferring movies/shows very easy. You can even use btsync or similar to automate this as well.

Thus far this has been the best “mobile” system I’ve put together and used thus far for Plex/Emby/Kodi use.

Carlo

Can I ask how you are going about the virtual WiFi and DHCP part, I have setup the exact same thing on an old laptop but the part I am struggling to work is the WiFi connections, I want an always on connection so that as soon as the laptop comes out of range of the home the wireless devices will auto connect without me having to constantly setup.

12

There are different ways to do this. I personally do it from the command line and adjust routing tables, etc.

But here are the easy ways to do this: https://www.howtogeek.com/214080/how-to-turn-your-windows-pc-into-a-wi-fi-hotspot/

Here’s another: https://structure.io/support/how-do-i-use-uplink-without-public-wifirouter

There are also a few shareware/commercial apps to help you achieve this as well. Play around and you’ll find the best way to fit your environment.

Carlo

13

@cayars said:
At present I like the slimline Yogi notebook/tablets for this type of thing. It can run Plex server as well as PMP. Has HDMI and USB3 ports as well as ear phone jacks.

It runs a normal version of Windows 10 so you can have all your normal programs with you if needed. You can set it up as a virtual WIFI with DHCP support so other wifi devices can connect directly to it eliminating the need for a router. You can use it to share an Ethernet or wifi hotel connection as well.

I simply set up a couple of libraries on the server. One is for movies stored directly on the Yogi (gotta always have with you movies) and another library for the WD external USB 3 drive. This way I can use it with or without the USB drive attached. I have everything setup to run with either 12 volt DC or 110 AC power as well as a 12 volt power brick (camping).

I really like this setup because it has a small form factor. Can run on it’s own batteries, can be used in a vehicle or hotel room, saves the need for an external wifi router. Best of all it’s it’s own player with screen/keyboard as well. With an hdmi cable or chromecast you can feed the hotel TV as well with it. You can use your mobile phone to cast to PMP so you have an easy to use remote in the hotel as well.

Of course with external HDDs getting bigger and cheaper all the time it’s super easy to take a large library on the road with you. Obviously since the USB3 drive can be plugged into any computer on your network it makes transferring movies/shows very easy. You can even use btsync or similar to automate this as well.

Thus far this has been the best “mobile” system I’ve put together and used thus far for Plex/Emby/Kodi use.

Carlo

Coincidetally, in the time that has elapsed between the my last post and now I’ve done exactly this with a Yoga 510, and would also highly recommend it.

Just to emphsise an advantage you touched on, a big one for me was the inclusion of a full sized hard drive, giving the option to swap it out for a larger capacity ssd or to quickly swap the drive for a clone should the need arise.

To anyone considering this, if it’s to be used outdoors (including the car) I’d highly recommend a matte screen protector, as with most touch screens all but the most vain will tire of staring at themselves after a while.

The archos, though functional initially, unveiled some reliability issues that I was unable to overcome (predominantly power related), and given it’s meagre hardware and lack of product support I decided not invest too much time into it, and instead to relegate it to the duties of a photo frame. I don’t regret it.

PS. @cayars after 3 hard days I finally finished a thread that you featured heavily in
https://forums.plex.tv/discussion/243872/starting-to-understand-the-teams-priorities
Congrats on your Ninja status, clearly you’re already improving things. But after battling through 30 pages, shouldn’t I have unlocked a trophy or achievement? :wink:

14

@SPROCKETSITE you get two trophies in my book. One for the working car entertainment system and one for making it through that thread which is a roller coaster ride itself. :slight_smile:

Yes, the Yoga or any things similar to this makes for a good traveling Plex system. I think the most tricky part for many people is to get the WIFI working without the need for an external wifi hub. Did you get this working?

Carlo

15

@cayars said:

Yes, the Yoga or any things similar to this makes for a good traveling Plex system. I think the most tricky part for many people is to get the WIFI working without the need for an external wifi hub. Did you get this working?

That’s a sore subject. It worked long enough for me to rejoice in the satisfaction of having enhanced our media capabilities (in my eyes), then when a use developed for it, it somewhat predictably stopped working, and I haven’t been able to get it to since. I thought the process was pretty straight forward initially, but whatever I did the first time around I haven’t been able to replicate in numerous subsequent attempts. For whatever reason when I try to connect a mobile device to it they fail to determine the IP address.

I’m now working my way through the available hotspot programs in the hope that they’ll prove more reliable, but while I can establish a connection with them, so far I’ve been unable to get Plex working while offline. I had at least managed that using the CMD route, albeit briefly.

This is all new to me, so if you have any tips or advice on getting it set up it would be very much appreciated. I haven’t been able to find any guide’s specific to this on the forum, but it’s such a niche use that I don’t expect to. My hope is that once it’s set up correctly it’ll be simple, reliable and pain free as viewing Plex on the home network. Is that likely to be the case, or are there more hurdles to come (range, throughput, etc)?

16

On the Yoga itself can you connect to Plex and play movies?
Are you getting an address on the other devices when you connect directly to the Yoga?

17

If I’d managed to get it working without resorting to the use of another program I was going to write up the steps I took for others to follow, but after hours of battling (depressing to think of it that way) this proved too much for me in the end. I’d get it running, then restart the server and have to start again, only to receive a different problem. Deselecting and then reselection the same option to get a shared internet connection to work after a couple of hours of head scratching was the blow that finished me.

My advice to anyone considering this method who isn’t already extremely knowledgable in this area is to not bother. Download Connectify (buy it if necessary) spend the 2 mins it takes to set it up, and spend the hours of time you’ll have saved enjoying your new mobile Plex server instead.

18

@ucjb said:
Plex mobile media server.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qnhh3kuhYrY&ab_channel=JimmyKimo

Love what you did and looking to do a similar build. Can you share any resources used for configuring the hotspot piece? Thanks!