Issue connecting devices on a different LAN IP to my Plex Server directly

General Discussions
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Firstly I don’t think this is the usual double NAT scenario as I have that issue resolved. Let me explain my setup before I describe the problem. I have a BT router HH6 that connects to the internet and behaves almost exclusively as a modem. The only other function this provides is WiFi for my wireless devices, using DHCP this provides these devices with a 192.168.1.x range address. Behind that sits my main router a TP-Link TL-WR104N running DD-WRT. This is the router that has all of the hard wired devices plugged into it and this issues a DHCP address on the 192.168.2.x range. I need this router as I have a VPN setup on it that I use for the devices that cannot have a VPN client installed on them eg my PS4 and Smart TV and my BT router does not permit VPN’s on it. My Plex server is on this range. Now this works fine for all of the hard wired devices. They all connect as “nearby” obviously as they are on the same IP range as the server. Remote connectivity is also working fine. I have full remote access whenever I am at a hotel say, with my Amazon firestick hence my thought that this isn’t double NAT. My problem is the wireless devices on the other IP range. they all connect fine, but when I check they all connect remotely. It is annoying as this generally means there is an unnecessary re-encode involved as it thinks its putting it out over the internet. Are there settings I can change to make the server aware that the 192.168.1.x range is local to get it to connect directly? I tried adding it into settings>server>network>LANnetworks (as a general 192.168.0.0/255.255.0.0) but it has made no difference. Anybody have any ideas?

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@ravogd said:
Firstly I don’t think this is the usual double NAT scenario as I have that issue resolved. Let me explain my setup before I describe the problem. I have a BT router HH6 that connects to the internet and behaves almost exclusively as a modem. The only other function this provides is WiFi for my wireless devices, using DHCP this provides these devices with a 192.168.1.x range address. Behind that sits my main router a TP-Link TL-WR104N running DD-WRT. This is the router that has all of the hard wired devices plugged into it and this issues a DHCP address on the 192.168.2.x range. I

  1. This is double NAT. Because the first router performs NAT as well. Otherwise it wouldn’t be able to supply your wireless clients with internet connectivity.

  2. There is no direct connection between your “wired” and your “wireless” possible, because every traffic which goes from your wired devices must pass your “main router”, which performs NAT as well.

Either you reduce your “router count” to 1
or you connect your wireless clients to your “main router”
and switch the BT device into ‘modem’ status (switching off NAT).

3

Thanks for the reply. Looks like I’ll have to live with it. I cannot remove the wired router as I need VPN for my consoles and TV which I cannot put on my BT router and the BT router is modern and supplies great WiFi coverage and speeds compared to the much older VPN router which always buffers Netflix etc over WiFi. Pity, I could have sworn that I had it running “nearby” when I first set it up.