This is a weird one… I can access my server just fine from outside of my network. But when attempting to access it from any other device inside my network, I can’t. My desktop and laptop (using fully updated Firefox, Chrome and even Edge simply show the server as offline:
My Fire Stick and Android phone simply give me “An error occurred while attempting to play this video. Please check your connection and try again.”
My Windows computers can of course access everything just fine if I connect straight to the localhost rather than plex.tv, but that doesn’t help me with the other two devices.
Another Plex server shared with me from a relative can be accessed just fine.
I did verify that the option to fallback to insecure connections on local network is enabled.
What is the server version? What is it installed on? Is the server in the same subnet as your other devices?
I ask, because I had an issue when I was making a new server where I used “Bridged” network mode (probably not relevant here, but bear with me). This created a separate subnet network for the server. The routing for traffic in and out of my home for the server worked, but since I didn’t have internal network routing working to this new subnet correct, my devices couldn’t find it directly.
This can happen if the IP address that your server reports back to plex as its “internal network” IP is unreachable by devices in the network. So knowing your network’s subnets/routing can help determine if this is the issue.
Something has to be up. I can access my server fine from my PC and my Roku devices, but all Android devices say my server is offline. It’s a small NAS device, but it’s only my Android devices that aren’t connecting, no matter what version I try or how many times I try to uninstall/re-install. I tried rebooting the server and I get the same issue. I’m at home on WiFi, nothing has changed since I used it either yesterday or the day before. Not sure what’s going on here.
So I followed the First Principal of IT and rebooted my server. I’m now able to connect from my regular desktop and my laptop via web browser at plex.tv and the server shows online, but despite rebooting my Android phone and my Fire Stick, logging out and back into the app (and server), those devices still do not work. Judging by @quadriflax 's statement that he’s experiencing the same thing, I think the reboot might not have actually done anything, but simply a coincidence.
For the record, I am admittedly using a version of the server (Windows 10) that is a few revisions behind. I’m not willing to update the PMS version at this time for various reasons, especially since all clients work fine (including my Android phone) remotely.
I know exactly what you mean, @Divideby0 . However, I only have my cable modem and my router, with only the one IP range.
Like @quadriflax , I watched a movie on my Fire Stick yesterday evening starting at 7pm with no problems. I noticed an issue on my desktop after midnight, but I had been messing with the firewall on that device and thought that was the cause. Evidently not, as that desktop now works fine and I have made no changes to the firewall since last night. I have made no changes to the router since I watched that movie.
Looking back, since I noticed that right after midnight, I wonder if Plex threw some configuration switch that has had unintended consequences?
@FordGuy61: I’m running 1.20.5.3600, which is a slightly older version, but worked fine until now. It’s running on a TerraMaster F220.
@Dalmus: try going into the Android app settings and allowing insecure connections. After looking around, it was suggested by others having similar issues that there is a problem with the certificate. I set my apps to allow insecure connections on my local network (which is the only place I use my server, there is no remote access enabled). This has got it working again. Turning it back to secure connections and it is somehow offline again. I had to reboot the app after making the change before it started working again.
@quadriflax :Thanks. Changing the Plex settings on my Android phone to always allow insecure connection fixed the issue on my phone. The same setting on my Fire Stick had no effect, and I still cannot play content, even though I can browse my entire collection and it even updates the orange play bar below items that are in “continue watching” as the play out in the web browser.
I think you were right in the other thread. Something is up with the certificate.
There is a problem with current Android apps and older PMS releases. The problem first appeared in May. Plex has not released an updated Android client that works with the older versions of PMS.
Updating to a current Plex Media Server release resolves the problem.
The workaround is to disable secure communications in both Plex Media Server and the clients.
Okay, after yet another reboot, I got my fire stick to finally work the same way.
I still don’t understand why everything worked fine last night, and then changed after midnight. I didn’t update or downgrade the app on my Fire Stick, nor did I update or downgrade the PMS version. Nor did I alter any settings on the Fire Stick or PMS server app until this afternoon.
I also don’t understand why the same app and server version work perfectly fine from outside of the network… The certificate should be the same regardless of from what IP you’re accessing it, right?
At the risk of sounding petulant… Since I did not change anything on my end to cause this (no updating/downgrading/settings changes), Plex MUST have done something last night/this morning to cause this.
It could be certificate trickery. If enabling insecure connections gets your apps to work, then it’s quite possible that a certificate had expired. Based on what I’d read up on, the major certificate expiring on 9/30 this year SHOULD have been over with by now, but the sheer amount of certificate issues popping up every day (for issues that started overnight well AFTER that date) makes me think there is either more to the story, or more to certificate workings than I currently know.
As for in-network vs out-network, what devices have you tested it on that worked outside but not inside? Did you haul your computer out to a neighbors to test if remote connections work? If you are talking about how a server shared with you works fine, that’s likely because their server might be more up to date than your own. So don’t use the proof that their “remote” works as evidence that this is a local-network-only issue.
I’m trying to not sound negative here. I have a troubleshooter mindset, so I try not to make assumptions without the data. (I do sometimes jump the gun like here. To avoid playing 20 questions I may offer up a potential solution while waiting on answers from you first, based on what little HAS been provided. If more info comes in that shoots down a theory, I move on).
No worries, I’m a trouble shooter by nature as well.
To answer your question, I tested my phone both on WIFI and on LTE. When I found LTE worked fine, I took the laptop that was showing the PMS as offline on plex.tv, switched it to my LTE hotspot, and plex.tv worked perfectly fine. Then I took my Fire Stick and connected it to my hotspot, and IT worked fine as well… Couldn’t haul my desktop outside the network very easily.
Fantastic troubleshooting. Ok… so that’s interesting. Maybe the router got set (somehow) to make all local network devices invisible to eachother. Also, double check that the wifi and the wired network (is the server wired in?) aren’t somehow in different subnets. It’s possible to have the wifi be a “guest” wifi that doesn’t allow any computer to access any other.
The server is wired. All clients are wireless. I did confirm that no router changes have occurred. Wired and wireless are on the same subnet. I didn’t get a chance to actually try using the 2.4g radio vs the 5g radio, but all the settings indicate there are no restrictions.
After having everything working last night (setting the PMS to secured connections “preferred”, I came home from work this afternoon to the Fire Stick once again being unable to play items. I switched to my hotspot, and the items played. I switched back to my house wifi, and items played still.
So now I’m back to wondering if somehow the Plex authentication servers are unhappy with my IP sporadically. I now switched my PMS to secured connections “disabled”… we’ll see what happens over the next day or two.
