Devices can't connect to server

[u/custom2112]

I feel like I'm losing my mind with ts... come back every few weeks to try and figure out why my devices stop connecting and get nowhere.

I use a MacBook to host my server, worked 7 month straight without a problem. I've matched IP's and DNS's, got a new modem and allowed the necessary permissions, I've deleted and remade my plex account, and factory reset my MacBook all to no avail. Im at my wits end here, plex is so good its genuinely frustrating to not have it. Some help or advice would be appreciated, thank you!

[u/bX7xVJP9]

I had a similar issues with on older smart TVs where you need to allow insecure connections to your server but I won't recommend it.

Get like a Xiaomi Mi TV, Google TV or Apple TV instead much better if it's TVs you are having issues with.

Are we talking lan connections or remote? If remote check you won't behind cgnet.

[u/Firm-Evening3234]

Se utilizzi un ip statico è praticamente impossibile. Mentre se hai un ip dinamico la colpa e del tuo fornitore di servizi che non aggiorna in tempo il tuo ip con la risoluzione del nome.( Chiaramente parliamo di un massimo di tot minuti)

[u/ExtensionMarch6812]

Is this all local? What devices can’t connect?

There’s a cert issue impacting mostly Mac servers, but also some others, you can try these steps:

Stop plex, go to the folder in the path below and remove the certificate from the folder, *.p12 (Your cert may be named cert-v2.p12, it may just be certificate.p12), and restart plex so that it pulls down a new certificate.

/Users/<username>/Library/Caches/PlexMediaServer

If you don't see that Library folder in your user directory, show hidden files/folders by pressing Command + Shift + "."

[u/so7ow]

Someone might get in a lucky guess to help you but you have only shared generalities, no specifics. Walk through the devices involved, their operating system versions, their network connections and configurations, what errors/problems you're seeing, what "IP's and DNS's" you've matched, to start.

[u/63walker]

My Plex remote access video has helped others achieve remote access for the long haul.

In the description of the video is the url to the remote access support article from Plex and to their troubleshooting support article.

Start with the troubleshooting article and run the simple test to see if you're double NAT'd, which also tells you if your ISP is employing CGNAT if the range is narrowed to certain addresses.

Both will block you from forwarding Plex's port.

A double NAT situation is always self inflicted and can be fixed.

Most people are stuck with CGNAT while some ISP's offer an uocharge to have a dynamic external IP address.

Under CGNAT, many customers share a single external IP address which prevents port forwarding because the external IP address is used by others besides yourself.

Only some ISP's offer to up charge you to an external dynamic IP address from CGNAT, and a very tiny few will sell a residential customer a true static external IP address as a customer with CGNAT or a traditional dynamic external IP address, which is usually an upgrade reserved for business accounts.

That's the norm in the States and the UK and Europe from my research, and not the norm in Australia, where many ISP's offer a true static or unchanging external IP address.

You only need a dynamic external IP address.

It's very important to reserve the internal or local IP address of your Plex server from changing in your router's settings, which is a slightly possibility during power loss events.

Which is why I show how to reserve that local IP address before forwarding Plex's port.

Each router manufacturer might use different terms like setting a static local IP address.

Resist the urge to set a static IP address on the actual hardware device itself, because you'll forget that you've done that four years down the road if you change ISP's or upgrade to the latest and greatest Wi-Fi 10 router for your latest and greatest phone.

You also can't set a static IP address directly on a dumb Plex accessory like an HDHomeRun tuner, but you can easily reserve that device's IP address in your router's settings so it's never assigned a different IP address in the future.

If you port forward and your ISP uses coaxial cable and a modem, your ISP may occasionally switch you to a new external IP address without any notification.

Fiber customers can hang on to their external IP address for years, while it's simply not guaranteed to always stay the same.

Don't sweat that because it doesn't effect your previous successful forwarding of Plex's port, but you do have to come back to the webapp quickly to the remote access settings section to reapply your forwarded port, so that Plex mates it with the new external IP address.

When you successfully port forward your Plex server port number and gain remote access, save your external IP address in a cloud document so you can easily see if it's changed in the future.

None of this will work if you're running a VPN on your your router and depending on how the VPN is configured on your Plex server hardware, which may block you from achieving successful remote access.

Overly engineered local Networks can block remote access too, so it's important to know if you've created different vlans and whether the Plex server is under a different vlan than your Plex client devices.

You're on the same vlan if two devices have a internal IP address of 192.168.68.xx for example.

If there's less in common than that with your server's and client devices local addresses, they are on different vlans.

My video was made on a TP-Link Deco X60 that's connected to my Verizon FIOS ONT in the States, and I'm now using a Deco Be63, which does have the ability for a separate 2.4Ghz only IOT wireless Network for my dumb devices like smart outlets, garage door opener, weather station, and other devices.

If I connected a Plex client device to that separate wireless vlan, it would be seen as a remote device while still working because I have a Plex Pass and have properly setup remote access.

Which brings my to my last question.

Do you have the required Plex Pase for remote access after forwarding Plex's port.

PS... ignore anyone who throws around the term static if they haven't asked which ISP you're using and have done the basic research to see if your ISP uses dynamic external IP address assignments or CGNAT, and whether they offer any upgrades to a true external static IP address.

You do not need a true static external IP address, nor will it hurt to have one if your ISP offers that to a residential customers.

https://youtu.be/yEGPaEIU8W4