Subject: Please make local/offline access the default (or a clear toggle)
When my internet goes down, Plex becomes unusable even though my server and clients are on the same LAN. The default requiring plex.tv web auth makes a local media server “fail closed” right when it’s needed (i.e. during a natural disaster, entertainment would be nice while we are locked in or stranded.) This is the whole reason to have an on-site server.
Request:
A built-in “Local Offline Mode” that lets clients connect on LAN without plex.tv.
A server-side toggle that whitelists the LAN by default (e.g., 192.168.0.0/24) or a first-run wizard option.
Ensure common clients still launch and play from cached sessions when offline and/or…
Local clients should authenticate against the local server.
Thanks—this would make Plex far more resilient for real-world outages.
Put your devices on static IP addresses on your router.
On PMS Web Client, go to Settings → Network → List of IP addresses and networks that are allowed without auth
Enter the LAN IP addresses of the devices with a comma separating them.
Save Changes
An alternative, if you want to let all devices on your network to have access without authorization, you could enter the IP/netmask. If your router is at 192.168.1.1, you would enter 192.168.1.0/255.255.255.0 or just 192.168.1.0/24
There’s already an existing suggestion thread focusing on this question.
See response by @darganbright56. This can already be achieved.
Many common clients will already cache session details for periods when Plex‘s backend cannot be reached. It’s probably a different topic for smart tv clients without persistence (e.g. app is reloaded from the internet on each run, authentication is required).
There’s already an existing suggestion addressing this request.
Please comment/vote in those existing threads to help us avoid distracting or cannibalizing votes.
Unless I’m missing some unique aspect of your suggestion, I’ll close this thread.
I did see other threads echoing some of these concerns, but they were quite stale. Bottom line is that I don’t care which thread continues so long as there is some action on it. Internet outages are often extended periods of time where the media on your local Plex server could be the only entertainment available… or rather, should be available. There is no point in maintaining a local server if it can’t be operated locally.
Plex aren’t going to do this… for various reasons but most likely because if it was available many people would use it and then Plex couldn’t do as much data collection which is part of their financial model.
I have setup the offline options for local access but that doesn’t always work right so I have DLNA as backup for those cases (which Plex can support as DLNA server) so I can at least play my content when I want and in some DLNA clients it’s actually not that bad of an experience.
Roku client caches authentication for quite some time so that helps too if outages are really common.
One of the things about servers is they’re great about storing data… so my local plex server can store whatever data they’re trying to collect (and since I pay for the software I consider that spyware) and forward it once back online.
No excuses - it is bare minimum common sense functionality for local clients to authenticate with a local server even if air gapped.
Emby and Jellyfin both work with local authentication and are both very solid products. Plex has some QoL functions that still beat them out for me personally, but it’s up to you to weigh which things are worth the trade (Plex isn’t the juggernaut anymore and competition is a good thing). Jellyfin in particular is popular because of its fully open-source (and free) nature; it definitely is missing some polish but is totally functional and if you like being involved in a project with direct results from your efforts it’s a good community. Personally I like Emby as an alternative because their clients are more complete and the setup is more user friendly while having active and responsive community and company interactions. Jellyfin is an early fork of Emby so they are very comparable. You also have products like Kodi and Infuse which are a bit different type of setup but still work excellently as well.
It’s not that Plex couldn’t do it so much as they don’t have an incentive to do it. It’s part of their business model to not do it. What financial reason is there for them to provide it? It’s been a request for a long long time so it’s not like they haven’t heard all these arguments before or don’t have the technical wherewithal to do it. They point to the same article I linked (and the DLNA option) as the solution already available - which does work even if it’s fiddly and less than ideal for folks that want a true offline option. Until someone makes a solid financial argument for it, it’s not going to happen.
Plus Plex has made it clear that the local media server side of things is a lower priority - it doesn’t profit like their other services.
In many ways the current setup makes things more user friendly for remote\sharing for less tech savvy folks. People appreciate it for how easy it is to setup and share with friends\family and the media management is more forgiving than Emby\Jellyfin too which makes it easier too. Not making excuses for them or defending it, just saying there is a functional benefit for it to be setup the way it is. They get more customers because it’s easier to setup.
Ultimately, my point is that Plex isn’t going to do it because it doesn’t help them as a business. Arguing the benefit as a functionality improvement just isn’t compelling for them and might be good to lower expectations on how much weight Plex gives to community or user opinion.
No argument with that from me either… but when a storm comes through (Katrina victim here) and it takes days or weeks to get internet again… Now I’ve got my house wired with backup systems and can stay off grid for a while. I can also host 20-30 refugees camping out on my floor. Having my local media server accessible to keep the kids entertained is a MAJOR concern. Or I can drag it to my church where we can host dozens to hundreds in the gym and classrooms - and as an emergency center, we get priority electrical repair / FEMA generator and supplies.
I can’t do any of that with Plex that I paid for, but but the Free Jellyfin works great… who am I going to recommend people invest in?
