Running PLEX when away from home

General Discussions
1

How do I run media & channels from PLEX when I am away from my home WIFI to an iPHone? I have a Plex server already & am hoping to run it from other WIFI areas when away from home.
Is it as simple as purchasing the app & being able to access my videos, pictures & music?

2

A first test you can conduct with a simple web browser.
Sign in your plex server to plex.tv & enable remote access
https://support.plex.tv/hc/en-us/articles/200484543-Enabling-Remote-Access-for-a-Server

Wait a moment then surf to plex.tv with the web browser on your client device and ‘Sign In’.
Click on ‘Launch’.
Your client device must not be connected to your home WiFi, of course, but to a different network which provides internet connectivity.

You can also take the Plex iOS app for a test drive. Playback though is limited to 1 minute without buying it. But this should be enough to test if its working or not.

If it is not working: The remote access capability of Plex server depends largely on your internet connection at home.

  1. your server must be running (and not hibernating)
  2. your internet access at home must have a public IPv4 address (and not just a IPv6 address)
  3. your ISP must not use ‘corporate NAT’ to save on public IPv4 addresses
  4. the upload bitrate of your internet connection must be high enough to allow a sensible use
  5. your ISP must not try to block Plex
  6. the ISPs or public WiFi providers from where you are accessing must not try and block Plex
  7. the cpu in your Plex server must be fast enough to transcode video in real-time downwards to a lower quality. Because you won’t always have a connection fast enough to play your files in original quality.
3

If all these points are true:

  • Your server is on
  • Remote access is activated (no need for Plex Pass)
  • You have enough upload bandwidth
  • Your media is in the right format for your client or your server can transcode
  • You have a network access away from home

then you can just run the app, log in with your plex credentials and connect to your server to stream from home to wherever you are.

Alternatively you can sync some movies for offline consumptions, transferring them on your device, but you need Plex Pass to activate this

Third option, if you have a small, portable server (like a NUC or similar micro-PC) you can bring it with you and different options arises:

1 - install a client on that (like OpenPHT) and connect it to a TV
2 - Configure the server as hotspot and connect to it with your iPhone or other client, you would not be able to connect to your plex account but it will work
3 - Use your iPhone as wifi hotspot plus 4G connectivity, in this way your server and client will see the network through 4G qand will be able to log you in your account, but the movie will be streamed through wifi.
4 - Connect both to the local wifi if it’s available.

4

Thank You for your input - when I get a little time I will see if I can connect. Will keep you posted