Server Version#:1.27.2.5929(smb)
Player Version#:9.4.1.33413
Simple question that I am simply confirming - when port forwarding and asking for the IP address, I am using the IP address of my NVIDIA Shield Pro, correct?
Plex Docs
→ Server Settings → Remote Access
→ Remote Access & Server Sharing
Plex Forum Tips & Tricks → The Basics of Remote Access Troubleshooting
External IP Address: Blank/All
Internal IP Address: IP address of the Plex Media Server
Protocol: TCP
Internal Port: Always 32400
External Port: 32400 is default. Change if desired. Must match Manually specify public port in Plex server Remote Access settings.
Example: Asus RT-AC68U
The PMS is on my Nvidia Shield Pro, so that would be the internal IP address of the Shield. Question - Does the external Port change with my router using UPnP?
Correct.
Yes. Plex Media Server and the router will negotiate a port number whenever PMS starts. The port number may change every time PMS starts or you disable/enable remote access.
I have the ORBI 750 router/satellite. I turned off UPnP and turned it back on as suggested in the support pages. When I turned UPnP back on, all the values were gone from the table, which was showing me my external port. Now that I turned it back on, it erased all the value. I’ve tried to refresh the table and went back into Port Forwarding and reset that back up. I’m on the phone now with Netgear’s technical support trying to find out how to see my values, especially in the external port again. I’m speaking with a tech rep that doesn’t know what she’s talking about. Getting a bit frustrated. Hopefully she will have a solution and I can put the external port address into the Plex web application and have a valid external port. Sorry for the book, just what I’m in the middle of.
Yikes. No fun.
FYI: When you enable Remote Access in Plex settings, it may show green for a few seconds, then change to red. If this happens, then remote access never worked. Plex shows green while trying to enable remote access. If successful, it stays green. If not, it changes to red.
Question: What does Plex display for the Public IP address in the Remote Access settings?
Is it your real public IP address (whatismyip.com) or a private IP address, like 192.168.x.x?
If the latter, then you might be in a double-NAT situation, where both the ISP modem/router and the Orbi are both acting as routers.
If you are in a double-NAT situation, see the Common Problems section of Troubleshooting Remote Access.
If you are not in a double-NAT situation:
If the Orbi supports it, go with port forwarding, not UPnP. You configure the port forwarding statement in the router and Plex and that’s it. I’ve been using port forwarding for 2+ years and never had a problem.
If you use UPnP for Plex, the Plex Remote Access settings screen will show you what port is negotiated with the router. It will be next to your public IP address.
If you turn UPnP off in the router, then it will release the port that was negotiated with Plex. If you re-enable UPnP, then you will need to disable/re-enable remote access in Plex to force a re-negotiation. The the router and Plex should display the same port number.
My check mark has been green for a few hours now. What you share is interesting as all the articles suggested using UPnP. So, if I turn it off, with my router acting up, how will I know what the external port truly is? But, you suggest turning UPnP off??
If it is working then leave it alone (If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!).
Many people use UPnP without issue. And not just for Plex. Other apps, such as games, use UPnP to open ports.
My personal experience is that manual port forwarding is more reliable than UPnP.
UPnP relies on negotiation between Plex Media Server and the router to open the port. The port number is negotiated whenever Plex is restarted, the router is restarted, or Remote Access is disabled/re-enabled.
Manual port forwarding has no negotiation. If the router is online, the port is forwarded. You decide the port number. It never changes.
Both UPnP and manual port forwarding are supported by Plex. Use whichever works best for you.
OK, so I turned of UPnP, how do I find out what my public port is? Remote access is red now
I like the sound of working for 2 years and it being stable
When using manual port forwarding, you pick the port number. The default is 32400. Leave it at 32400 to start (just easier). You can change it later if desired.
- The Shield needs a fixed (static) IP address.
- Option 1: Configure the router to always assign the same IP address to the Shield. Asus calls it “Manually Assigned IP.” It should be something similar on your router.
- Option 2: Configure a fixed IP address on the Shield itself. You’ll do this in the Shield network settings.
- Either option is OK.
-
Configure a port forwarding (not port triggering) statement in your router. See the example from my router in my first reply.
-
Configure Plex to use manual port forwarding. Go to Settings → Remote Access, Check the box next to
Manually specify public port. Set the port number to 32400. Click Apply and Save Changes.
Check, check and check. I’ll just have to go into my Shield and assign a static IP address. I’ve never looked into that, but I’ll poke around and see what I can do. Not sure how I would assign the IP address in the router. I did see something about reserving an IP address, but I’ve yet to do that either. BTW, thanks for all of your input and assistance today!!
HHHMMMM…UPnP is off in the router, Port forwarding is active on my router, IP address is static on the Shield, In the plex web app, under remote access private and public ports are 32400. Remote access stays red. Any thoughts??
So, I turned UPnP back on and I’m back to green…crazy
When I set up the Nvidia Shield Pro’s static IP address, they ask for the Network Prefix Length. It defaults to 24, but I have no idea of this is correct. I scoured the router setting of the RBR750 and didn’t see anything. I also Googled it and NADA. I called Nvidia and they didn’t know (that kills me) Does anyone know what the Network Prefix Length may be?
Network prefix length is usually 24 on home networks. However, it can be different.
Two ways to check:
In the Orbi config menus, there should be a page to configure the IP addresses it assigns. Many devices use 192.168.0.x or 192.168.1.x. The same page should also list a netmask. If the netmask is 255.255.255.0 then the prefix length is 24. 255.255.0.0 = 16.
Another way is to check a laptop, etc on the same network.
On a Windows PC, bring up a command/dos window and use the ipconfig command:
c:\ipconfig
Ethernet adapter Ethernet:
Connection-specific DNS Suffix . :
IPv4 Address. . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.1.55
Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . . : 255.255.255.0
Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.1.1
Android Phone (Android 12):
Settings → Network & Internet → Internet
Tap the name of the WiFi network to which the phone is connected.
Scroll down. You’ll see IP address, gateway, subnet mask, DNS, etc.
I found a PDF manual for the RBR 750:
On page 59, it says:
The router is preconfigured to use private IP addresses on the LAN side and to act as
a DHCP server. The router’s default LAN IP configuration is as follows:
• LAN IP address. 192.168.1.1
• Subnet mask. 255.255.255.0
So, prefix length = 24.
OH - so it applies to the first 3 of the subnet mask and first 3 of the gateway? That makes sense then. 24 is indeed correct then. I also found the PDF and have in on my product manuals folder - thank you for sharing it. Well that clears up that mystery - you are THE MAN. BTW, been green all day - WOO-HOO!!!
Green is good! 
A couple helpful sites:
canyouseeme.org: Checks that the remote access port is open.
Go to the site from a PC, etc on your network. You should see your public IP listed. Change “port to check” to your remote access port. It will return “Success” if it can see your server.
UptimeRobot: uptimerobot.com
Checks availability every 5 minutes. Sends you an e-mail if it cannot see the server. Will also notify you on phone if you install their app. Free & paid. Free is fine for checking PMS status.
Screenshot from Android app:
I used 32400 on canyouseeme.org, but it says it didn’t see it. But my friends are using Plex with no problems.
