The plex client no longer allows access to local server without signing in. This stops me

General Discussions
1

Hi everyone, I live in a place where we have no internet service. I have used plex for a long time and loved the flexibility is has offered until I updated. Now it looks like I am forced to sign in when I can’t meaning my plex server can no longer serve our family.

I am hoping very much that I am wrong that this feature was removed on purpose and that it’s not about what I think it is.

If I am wrong, please tell me, if I’m not wrong please tell me why this critical feature was removed (There’s no way it could be for security or other reason such as that if it’s on the local LAN).

Thanks.

2

which client are you talking about

3

The Windows (The new media player) and newer Samsung TV clients.

4

Plex Media Player , if that is what you mean, and our SmartTV app, ( on Samsung or other brand) have always required sign in

5

No it hasn’t, I’m have been watching an older Samsung TV for the last 3 years that has worked perfectly without forced sign in.

6

In other words, it sounds like Plex is unwilling to state that this functionality has been removed on purpose and that folks in my situation are not able to rely on Plex because they’ve moved to a forced sign in method? I have to ask, why remove such useful functionality? I can understand to need to fund operations, but I am having trouble understanding why user-choice is being removed.

7

@s2210678@mvrht.net said:
No it hasn’t, I’m have been watching an older Samsung TV for the last 3 years that has worked perfectly without forced sign in.

Older Samsung’s use a 3rd party client, it is not the same as the one on newer Samsung devices. Nothing has been removed.

8

The plex version that I have which allows very nice local server access with no sign in is a samsung TV UN40H5203 from 2014. This has been the best working Plex Client ever. No forced sign in and works well. The problem is that the power supply is failing and we tried a newer Samsung TV which has a forced sign in Plex app and when tried at a friends house, does not offer a detailed folder list view, rather only this weird and use-less icon view. I really don’t understand why Plex, who had such a great product has removed user-choice.

9

Good to know. The third party client works very very well.

10

Thank you for responding. I feel screwed by Plex in this case.

11

if by “older” samsung you mean on made prior to 2016. that app for Samsung Smart Hub is made by a third pary dev named Orca, not us. he has been making it and still does, but only for Smart Hub models afaik, which is 2015 models and earlier. The app forum can be found here https://forums.plex.tv/categories/samsung-smart-hub

We didn’t make a dedicated smart tv app till 2016 and it has always required sign in on Samsung and other brands. it has also has always required internet at all times due to the way it works. the forum for our app can be found here https://forums.plex.tv/categories/smart-tvs

12

@s2210678@mvrht.net said:
Thank you for responding. I feel screwed by Plex in this case.

you shouldnt, they are pretty clear about it → https://support.plex.tv/hc/en-us/articles/200484903-Internet-and-Network-Requirements

13

It may be stated, but the older samsung client is very nice to use. It just works, doesn’t push you to sign in for your local server. Why would plex not allow the ability to use your local server with out signing in? Can anyone answer this?

14

I would also know why Plex won’t work on the local network without an internet connection. It shouldn’t need that, yet it does.

Is there a setting somewhere that I’m missing?

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15

what? plex now requires internet connection in order to use it LOCALLY?
why?

16

The apps running on certain platform are unable to discover the Plex server on their own. To be able to do that, they need to be allowed to open a ‘port’ and listen on it.
Some platforms simply don’t allow that for 3rd party apps.

17

There has been an increased push from Plex to run “authenticated”. The last releases of PMP are full of bugs which mostly prevent using it unauthenticated, even on the same machine as the server, even if theoretically it should work - but for now the web interface (in a browser) works. I have been using Plex for years with server and client unauthenticated, but I am now forced to do it. I reported it in this forum, but obviously no-one cares…

[edit] I have been able to setup local fully unauthenticated (PMS and PMP on the same machine) by adding 127.0.0.1 to the list of authorised unauthenticated networks, in the advanced network settings - it was not needed in older server builds but seems to be now. But there are bugs in the latest PMP which makes the TV UI unusable (it does not find libraries content).

18

What does require the internet can be found here https://support.plex.tv/articles/200484903-internet-and-network-requirements/

20

Thanks. The question is then “Why do you force PMP/PMS to work authenticated?” (which is not totally true in fact).
When on a local network and you don’t have PlexPass, it has no advantage whatsoever - except I guess for Plex, Inc to get usage stats (and hopefully not more - I voluntarily look paranoiac, but as I see no technical reason, I can only imagine others…). Using SSL/TLS for the connection is not important in this case.
You should add a clear option to do it. And remember that there are cases where no Internet connection is available. You should always!

21

This is a real problem for me, in one of the ways in which I intended to use Plex when I bought the Pass. I wanted to use a Plex server on my boat, which has no internet connection away from port. It never dawned on me that each device would need to connect to the internet to work with Plex on a small local network, because why would it?? This is extremely disappointing.

1 Like