Plex Media Server Causing Internet Connectivity Issues

Plex Media Server Desktops & Laptops
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Server Version#: 1.32.4.7195
Player Version#:
Operating System: Windows 11 Pro (Version 22H2) (OS Build 22621.1848) (Windows Feature Experience Pack 1000.22642.1000.0)

Sometime within the past week, Plex Media Server has begun causing internet connectivity issues on my PC. I’ve spent the past day troubleshooting the issue generally to determine its cause, and I have determined with certainty that Plex Media Server is directly involved in the issue. When Plex Media Server.exe is “enabled” as a startup application in the Startup Apps tab within Task Manager, upon start/restart of the machine, internet works for a few moments and then drops out. When Plex Media Server.exe is “disabled” as a startup application in the Startup Apps tab within Task Manager, there is no internet connectivity issue. Below are a few additional observations:

  • For some very odd reason, if I “disable” Plex Media Server as a startup application, as noted above, there is no connectivity issue. However, if I start Plex Media Server manually after starting up with it “disabled” from startup apps, the connectivity issue does not arise. There seems to be something specific about it starting at startup that is causing the problem.

-When I startup with Plex Media Server “enabled”, as noted above, the internet connectivity issue arises. When I then restart the machine, the shutdown/restart process is a bit slower than usual. No idea the meaning of this quirk, but it is consistent under these circumstances.

-Although internet connectivity drops, the internet status icon in the system tray sometimes still shows internet as connected.

-Turning off my LAN/WiFi router and then turning it back on solves the internet connectivity issue as long as the computer stays on. However, if I restart with Plex Media Server “enabled” as a startup app, the issue arises again.

-Given the timing of when this issue arose (within the past few days / week), I believe it either relates to (a) the most recent Plex Media Server version (1.32.4.7195) (released 6/21/2023) or (b) the most recent Windows 11 update (KB5027303) (released 6/27/2023).

Because I have a workaround for avoiding the connectivity issue and still using Plex (i.e., just starting the server a few minutes after startup), I’m not in a rush to find a fix, but I thought I would post this here in case anyone else runs into this issue. If I can provide any additional information to help troubleshoot, please let me know.

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Do you have CenturyLink or FiOS?

Every time I’ve seen a problem like this is has something to do with a security feature

Check your router for any type of “advanced security” that might not like a normal function of Plex

I don’t know if you have to disable it or there’s some way to whitelist Plex

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I do use CenturyLink, so I will give this a look and report back if I find anything useful.

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May help point you in the right direction if you’re having trouble finding what you need

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I just want to chime in that I have been having this problem for several months and also have CenturyLink as my ISP. I disabled the cybersecurity feature as was suggested in this link and am hoping to see my frequent internet disconnections disappear. I will report back after it becomes clear whether this solved the problem or not. Thanks.

4 Days Later: I can confirm that I have not had any connectivity issues since I disabled cybersecurity in the firmware for my CenturyLink router.

1 Like
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Just following up to confirm that this solved the issue. Thanks for your help.

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