Plex Linux server wasn't reachable on local network and had to be manually directed

Plex Media Server
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Server Version#:1.41.6.9685-d301f511a-ls264 (free account)
Player Version#:Webplayer, Playstation App WEBMAFFv3.1.6-0-g98e23f25

I just want to note I’m not a high powered computer user so my apologies if documentation, description understanding is lacking.

I had a friend help me set up a plex server on my linux machine the other day with the goal in mind to simplify steaming my media to a PS4 in my living room from a computer. Initially the client on the PS4 would connect, but the quality was terrible as it was being routed through the “Relay”. I immediately switched the relay off, and then found that none of the other devices in my LAN could find the server. This then took the better part of three evenings to solve.

Here is my fix. I have to direct all the devices in my house to the server by manually entering the servers IP address in the search bar or in the PS4 case through the settings, found under manual servers option. Which is just astonishing when I could go to work just remote in from an entire city away sweat free. I feel incredibly stupid not finding this 6-9 hours earlier, but my expectation is that the plex clients in my house should be able to find my server easily enough through the local network, without user intervention, and I still suspect that’s how it works.

I believe my “fix” is a work around and that there is a real problem that isn’t solved here.

Thanks

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Sounds like there might be something about your home network setup that could be throwing Plex off.
Are all devices in the same subnet and sharing the same first three octets of their local IP addresses?
Sometimes, users have accidentally or on purpose segregated their network and Plex treats the different subnets as separate networks.

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All the Ethernet connected devices were 192.168.1.___ IP addresses. I did look into if I was facing a double NAT scenario but the WAN IP address was public so I concluded it can’t be that. However that was all under IPV4 tab in my modem. There was a number of devices under IPV6 and I have yet to determine the address for the PS4 or my smart TV. I can confidently say my Wife’s computer is on the same network which I was connecting to my server by searching the IP Address. I Don’t know if the MOCA device my wife’s and my server computer is on would cause issues but from a simple perspective the MOCA created a subnetwork my server and her computer are both fed from the MOCA.

I don’t know if this is relevant but I think its worth mentioning. I pay for the house but my Landlord (family friend) has home assistant and many home automation devices that give me a hefty list of devices to search through when finding connected devices. If I had it my way home automation would have its own network with my newly acquired knowledge.