No remote access using Nord VPN meshnet

Plex Media Server Remote Access
5

Here’s a document that may help: The Basics of Remote Access Troubleshooting


Here's some things to check (many mentioned in above document):

IP Addressing

Just to verify, are you using RFC-1918 addressing on the network? The IP addresses should be 192.168.x.y, 172.16.x.y to 172.31.x.y, or 10.x.y.z. The Spectrum router will use those by default, but some people change things.

DNS Settings

If possible, configure the Spectrum router to use a public DNS server such as 1.1.1.1 (Cloudflare), 9.9.9.9 (Quad9), or 8.8.8.8 (Google).
Alternately, configure the Shield running Plex Media Server to use one of those DNS servers (Shield network settings, not a Plex setting).

Local Playback

Disable the VPN on the Plex Media Server, then restart the Shield Pro. Is local playback OK?

Stream something locally, monitor it via Plex Dashboard → Now Playing + Expanded View, and verify the connection is Local. If the connection is Remote or Indirect, then something is wonky.

Local Network

Besides the Spectrum router, are there any other routers, piHoles (ad blocker), etc. on the network?

Port Forward

Can you attach a screenshot of the port forward statement in the Spectrum router?

Just want to make sure it is correctly configured. The field names vary by manufacturer. Here’s the config from an Asus router:

  • Name: Plex (or anything, doesn’t matter)
  • External Port: 32400 (default, can change if desired)
  • Internal Port: 32400 (always)
  • Internal IP Address: The IP address of the Plex Media Server
  • Protocol: TCP
  • Source IP: blank/any/all. You do not want to specify a public IP address. You want to admit all public addresses, since you will not know the IP address of the client.

Plex Media Server Settings → Remote Access

  • Is there any mention of Double NAT?
  • Ensure the Private IP Address matches the Port Forward Internal IP Address
  • Ensure the manually specified port matches the Port Forward External Port.
  • Ensure the checkbox to manually specify public port is checked, even if you are using 32400.
  • From a device on the same network, go to whatismyipaddress.com (or any similar site). Ensure the address matches the Public IP Address in Settings → Remote Access.

If remote access is still not working:

  1. In Settings → server_name → General + Show Advanced, ensure Plex Media Server is configured for debug server logs. Do not enable verbose logs.

  2. Reboot (rolls the log files). Wait 2 - 3 minutes for the server to fully start & log the startup sequence.

  3. Go to Settings → Remote Access and try to enable remote access.

  4. If it fails, pull the server log files (settings → troubleshooting), and attach to the thread.