Here we go again… (I know that you must be sick and tired of these posts)
I’ve spent the past two days attempting to get my Plex Media Server to remain open but I am not having any success. I have nowhere else to turn but you.
I am located in Germany and connected to a 250mbps Vodafone DSL connection using a Fritzbox 7530 router. There are no other devices between my server and my ISP. My connection is cabled (ethernet) and according to my ISP tech support there are no weird NAT settings or anything else on their end that would prevent me from hosting my own media server. They claim it has to be internal, on my end.
So far I’ve tried:
Enabling PPPoE
Resetting UPnP settings in router
Port forwarding (32400, other ports, exposed host)
Port check websites claim my ports are open and my WAN IP matches the WAN IP that my plex remote access page shows. My computers own LAN IP is also correct (and static).
Turning off Windows Defender firewall
Manually forwarding ports in windows defender firewall
Turning off IPv6
Nothing seems to have done the trick. The server keeps saying it is accessible and then after 30 seconds to a minute it loses connection to the outside world.
Anyone else have any ideas? Am I missing something? Help greatly appreciated!
Standard question #1: is remote access actually off or could it simply be an issue with the remote access status indicator not catching up?
Your previous troubleshooting seems to be all over the place – even in some weird(er) places. If you have issues, go with a manual port forward and an IP reservation to ensure the device running your PMS always gets the same local IP address inside your home network (and don’t forget to configure Plex to use that public port you configured in your port forward).
If the port is visibly open from the outside but remote access is indeed not working, the issue is likely between your router and the computer running your Plex Media Server (both endpoints included).
I doubt that Vodafone does actually assign their customers a publicly reachable IPv4 address. And this is crucial for Plex remote access.
You may want to use canyouseeme.org or a similar service to test for the function of your port forwarding.
“exposed host” a.k.a. “DMZ” is a bad idea. Don’t use it.
This is all done, computer has a static IP within my home network, it’s shown on Plex as the correct one. Ports are manually forwarded both within Windows 10 on server computer and via the router. I tried both 32400 and random ports, configured them correctly in Plex and checked all IP’s, port forwarding websites correctly list the ports as open and plex STILL says i’m not available outside of my network after 30-60 seconds of showing that it is available every time i click retry.
Is it true that PMS needs a static public ipv4 address? Are there any things you can think of that might be blocking the connection between the PC and the router? This is a relatively new install of windows, I have tested it with firewalls on and off to no success.
I’ve checked my ports via canyouseeme and co, they are always shown as open. I read a publicly reachable IPv4 isn’t necessary, are you 100% certain that it is? After calling my ISP they did claim nothing should be stopping me, but I also know that Vodafone doesn’t offer static addresses to non-business customers (my last option as the switch is available to me and apparently not any more expensive than what i’m currently paying).
Exposed host was only turned on to test and see if it would alleviate the issue…
Any further help would be much appreciated, thank you!
The problem seemingly magically resolved itself. I changed nothing, but after a day of letting it idle the green checkmark is here to stay. Not quite sure what to say, just hoping it won’t falter again. Thanks for the help for now!
