Hey there, I just started having this problem. Running Plex server 1.26.2.5797 on a QNAP NAS (Intel) running firmware 5.0.0.1986. My ISP is Comcast/XFinitity, connecting via a Nighthawk 6800 router and Netgear cable model.
Everything was running fine until a few days ago when I started getting the “Remote Access Not Available Outside Your Network” message. I had made no changes to the configuration. I just got word from my wife that she was not able to access Plex content via her iOS Plex app, when it had been working fine the previous day.
I went through the troubleshooting steps in the document, including implementing manual port forwarding, disabling platform security (firewall, VPN, etc.), refreshing the firmware on my router, updating/rolling back Plex and QNAP software, and checking for double NAT. Perhaps my ISP implemented some kind of new policy overnight, but short of that, I’m at a loss. Any advice/guidance appreciated.
Yes, I was able to ping my router IP external address, which appears to be routable (e.g., not a 192.168.1.x address). I do not know how to check whether port 32400 is viewable.
One other detail to report. When I disable then re-enable Remote Access from Plex, the connection shows green for 2-3 seconds before disconnecting. I don’t know if this is important or just a glitch.
You can use a service like canyouseeme.org
When doing so, check if the public ip it shows is the same as the one seen by your own router and the Plex remote access settings.
That’s based on how Plex verifies if remote access is working. Not a symptom.
Thanks again. So… canyouseeme reports that it can see port 32400 on my router’s IP address. If Plex is communicating on that port, and the port is being forwarded through my router, and traffic is not being blocked by the ISP, what does that leave?
UPDATE I just noticed that the public IP address listed by Plex in the Remote Access control panel is different from my router’s public IP address. Does that suggest a Double NAT problem, and if so, how do I fix?
The part you can check yourself is to verify there’s no accidental segmentation of your home network (e.g. the main router has a port forward but your server is connected to a different router / access point inside your home network). If so, make sure to either forward the the requests through every segment of your home network (public-facing router → PMS) or configure those additional layers into bridge mode (meaning they no longer create a subnet of their own but rely on your main router to manage the local IP address assignment).
However, usually this implies you’re indeed in a CGNAT setup where your ISP only assigns you a private IP address… as for that: what’s the 1st to sections of your router’s public IP address?
OK… the NAS usually connects via a VPN (NordVPN); this is enabled through the NAS itself, not through the router. The IP address that Plex saw was the VPN address, not the router’s public IP. I disconnected the VPN, stopped the Plex server on the NAS, reconnected the VPN, then restarted the Plex service. Although I had done this before earlier today (possibly in a different order), this time it worked: I’m currently showing an active Plex Server Remote Connection, and have verified I can connect outside my private network.
I don’t know why the previous connection dropped, since the VPN is always on, but it’s back now. And I don’t know how Plex became confused about which IP was the real public IP, but it seems to be running fine even though both the Private and Public network boxes on the Plex Remote Access screen are showing “Unknown IP.”
Tom, thanks again for your help and patience. I hope this thread serves some benefit for the similarly perPLEXed.
Like many others, my server was failing to communicate outside my network someone on or around the last update. I managed to fix this by adjusting the firewall settings on my Xfinity X1 router. I’m not sure if Plex made a change that changed how it appeared to my router/firewall, or if Xfinity made a change that impacted Plex. Not sure I’ll ever know.
Nevertheless, if you’re having the same problem and you have Xfinity for your ISP, you can log into the router and adjust the firewall settings in there and Plex will again function.
And… it fell over again for no apparent reason. I just tried rolling back to a previous version of Plex Server, to no avail. I don’t use an Xfinity Cable Modem - I have my own (Netgear CM1150v) that does not seem to have a firewall feature. I checked my external IP address and it is not a 100.x.x.x, either with the firewall active or not.
This is very frustrating. I consider myself a fairly well-informed and capable consumer, but I’m not a network engineer and this level of fussing with the settings is at the outer limits of my tech competence. Plex, you’re offering a consumer technology here. Please make it work without forcing your customers to muck around in the bowels of our networking equipment to enable one of the top features of your software!
You mentioned you had been reading the troubleshooting guide. So I was under the impression you had understood that this involves quite a number of stakeholders. Simply blaming Plex seems premature.
As you explained the publicly visible IP address of your router/setup is different from the one of your own router. This implies there’s some level of disconnect – either in your network setup (e.g. if you’re using multiple routers/switches/access points) or with your ISP. If a VPN gets involved, things will always be more complicated. It’s yet another player who messes with your connection.
You don’t blame the car dealer for a collapsed bridge or potholes…
So here’s the thing: I have diligently run through the troubleshooter. I have disabled the VPN and firewall(s) at every point to eliminate that as a possible issue, and toggled various settings. I have tried different software versions of every relevant OS and firmware. It appears there are no other network connectivity issues with any other software or service on my system. I have confirmed that port 32400 is visible on public networks. I have ascertained that I can see and play the underlying media files on the NAS over the Internet using QNAP’s software, so there is nothing on the ISP side is blocking media access through a software other than PLEX. And… my previous configuration worked fine for MONTHS until it didn’t. Then I got it working. Then it stopped working hours later, and the steps I took to get it working before no longer work.
So, yes, it’s complicated. It could be gremlins. It could be some guy at Xfinity flipping switches on and off to screw with me. But as far as I can tell, the only thing that is not working here is PLEX’s Remote Access function. And reading the forums, I can see I’m not the only one having this issue.
Perhaps rather than trying to blame customers for being frustrated and expecting their product to just work, Plex could work up a troubleshooter app that at least identifies the point of failure so we have a place to start. My Samsung SmartTV has something like this built into the OS, where it tests the network relay end-to-end. So does the VPN software. Instead, customers are wasting time poking around at stuff they can’t really be expected to understand terribly well, with no repeatable path to success. If you can’t make this feature bulletproof, at least make it easier to figure out why it doesn’t work.
I’m a fan of Plex. I’ve used their software for years, and seen them make great improvements. Unfortunately, that’s elevated my expectations to the point where this kind of problem is hard to fathom. No need to be defensive. Just do better please.
Same issues here, used a different port for Plex, and it kept having this issue. After about 4 hours of trial and error, I could not fix it on this port. I decided to just specify the default port, 32400, and then bam it worked. The other port, as well as any other port I tried to change it to, and add to my firewall could not be seen through any port checking website, this is on a Cox network, so I had to use the website to do any port forwarding and firewall configs.
Please disable Settings > [Server Name] > General > Enable Plex Media Server verbose logging, restart the server, go to the remote access settings and retry the connection – then wait 1-2 minutes and re-download your logs. Verbose logs are spammed with messages you usually only need to pin down super specific issues (and make it hard to find anything else).
OK, this is weird. I did that, restarted the server, went to the Remote Access page, and as far as I can tell, there is now an active connection, through the VPN no less. At least, it is showing green. Attaching the log and hoping a strong wind doesn’t come along to knock this down.
If there is anything you can determine from the log about why it’s working now when it didn’t work before, that would be great. But working > not working.
I run the VPN on the NAS to maintain the privacy of other connections and applications I have running, not for Plex per se. In the past, and, at least for the time being, the VPN connection has not posed a problem for Plex Remote Access, which is why I don’t think it has anything to do with the issues I was experiencing. Also, I don’t think I’m the only one who does this. Clearly something got mixed up somewhere though. And even as I’m typing this, the connection died again.
