I am posting a long-running Plex Remote Access problem that has persisted across multiple complete environment changes and after extensive troubleshooting.
Problem summary
My Plex server intermittently reports Remote Access as available/unavailable, but actual direct remote connectivity is unreliable.
Confirmed behavior:
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When Remote Access is red, direct remote access fails.
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When Relay is enabled, my phone on cellular can still reach the server and play media.
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When Relay is disabled, my phone on cellular cannot reach the server.
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Even when Plex shows green, an outside port test can still time out.
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So in my case, the green indicator is not a reliable proof of real direct public reachability.
This is a real direct-access failure, not just a cosmetic UI issue.
Environment summary
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Plex Media Server on a new Windows machine
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Manual port forwarding configured on the router
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Plex set to use a manually specified public port
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Wired Ethernet connection
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Secure connections set to Preferred
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Preferred network interface set correctly
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Custom server access URL blank
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Relay behavior matches expectations exactly:
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enabled = phone can still access when direct path fails
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disabled = phone cannot access when direct path fails
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What I have already ruled out
Network / path
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Double NAT ruled out by matching router WAN IP to the public IP shown externally
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Correct public-facing WAN confirmed
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Manual router forward is present and correctly shaped
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Alternate external port was also tested with the same failure
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Outside port test timed out even while Plex showed green
Host / Windows
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Plex is listening locally on TCP 32400
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Windows firewall allows Plex inbound traffic
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Jumbo frames are disabled
Plex UI / normal settings
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Preferred network interface set correctly
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Secure connections is Preferred
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Custom server access URLs blank
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Relay can be toggled and behaves exactly as expected
What makes this unusual
This problem has persisted across:
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old Plex server and brand-new Plex server
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old network equipment and new network equipment
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previous ISP and current ISP
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default external Plex port and alternate external test port
So this does not appear to be:
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one bad router
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one bad server
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one bad ISP
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one simple Windows firewall mistake
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one simple port-forward typo
Registry / hidden settings checked
I examined the Plex Media Server registry settings on Windows.
Relevant findings:
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ManualPortMappingMode was present
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ManualPortMappingPort was initially missing
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I manually added ManualPortMappingPort as DWORD 32400
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Current values are:
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ManualPortMappingMode = 1
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ManualPortMappingPort = 32400
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LastAutomaticMappedPort = 29974
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Important result:
Correcting the missing ManualPortMappingPort did not resolve the direct Remote Access failure.
Logs checked and findings
I checked the Plex logs we collected, including the main Plex Media Server logs and crash/uploader bundle.
What the logs showed:
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Plex discovers the router and public endpoint information correctly
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Plex publishes the expected public endpoint to plex.tv
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Plex then receives a failed reachability result
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Mapping state moves into a not-reachable state
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At one stage, Plex was clearly still interacting with UPnP/automatic mapping logic and remembered an old automatically mapped port
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In the fresher logs, the key recurring pattern was:
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local service normal
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public endpoint known
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publish succeeds
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connectivity result comes back failed / not reachable
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In other words:
Plex appears to know the correct public endpoint, but direct reachability validation still fails afterward.
What I observed with real-world testing
The most important practical results were:
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Earlier, when Relay was enabled, the phone app on cellular could still access media even while direct access was failing
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After disabling Relay, the phone app on cellular could no longer access the server
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An outside port test timed out while Plex was green
That strongly suggests:
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Relay was masking the direct-connect failure
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the remaining problem is specifically direct Remote Access, not total remote availability
What I am asking
I would like someone knowledgeable to review this as a likely Plex Remote Access direct-connect / reachability issue rather than a basic setup error.
Specific questions:
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Why can Plex show green while real external TCP reachability still times out?
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Why does Plex appear to publish the correct endpoint and then still mark it not reachable?
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Could remembered automatic-mapping state still be affecting current manual-mode behavior?
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Does this match any known direct Remote Access bug or validation issue?
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What exact additional log signatures or diagnostics should be captured next during a green-to-red transition?
Summary
This is a persistent direct Remote Access failure that survives:
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multiple ISPs
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multiple router/switch environments
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multiple Plex server machines
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manual port correction in hidden settings
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alternate external port testing
Relay works as fallback. Direct access remains unreliable or unavailable.
I have already reviewed the logs and they show successful publish followed by failed reachability / not-reachable state.
