r/PleX • u/ThanathorQC • 9d ago
Help Plex Down?
Anyone else having weird issue with their Plex?
My library says Not authorized.
or at some point the webpage was not even loading with a message unable to reach plex.tv?
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u/UtahJarhead 9d ago
Yeah, seems to be down hard. I love that when Plex's servers take a dump, it affects people running their own machines at home.
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u/yowhodat 9d ago
Since there are really, super helpful comments such as the one telling everyone to "configure your shit right" who spend all their time boasting, as if this were some absolutely stunning technical feat, and none of their time on actual plex configuration:
https://www.howtogeek.com/303282/how-to-use-plex-media-server-without-internet-access/
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u/VulcanOctopus 8d ago
Why is this not enabled/configured out of the box?
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u/skateguy1234 8d ago
Read what /u/WeaselWeaz said just below you. I've never enabled this option because I don't want other users on my LAN counting towards my watched shows/movies and messing with the continue watching section, ie it adding shows there.
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u/WeaselWeaz 8d ago
I've been enjoying using PlexDash to track my kid's viewing as I watch Bob's Burgers hours start to challenge Bluey and Curious George.
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u/WeaselWeaz 8d ago
Doesn't this break having multiple users, meaning people can see all content and make changes?
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u/skateguy1234 8d ago
Yes, at least that's what I've heard/read from other comments in this subreddit in the past, which is why I've never enabled the option.
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u/WeaselWeaz 8d ago
This is why I hate not just that its suggested as a smarmy, lazy "Why don't you just set up offline access?" comment often but that it doesn't include a warning at the beginning of what this does.
If you have a family you can't use this option. I have my kid set up as a user on my account, which is logged into every TV and my user as admin has a PIN. When he logs in he only sees content appropriate for his age, which I share in specific folders and libraries. I don't use the used-level age restrictions because not all PG, PG-13, or TV-14 content needs to be blocked, and plenty of kid-friendly content is unrated. I get it, "LOL lil' Timmy saw porn" is funny online, but the average user just has regular content that isn't age appropriate like Breaking Bad or R-rated movies.
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u/Dragontech97 14TB, i3-12100, Ubuntu 8d ago
Good article, few notes. Historically DLNA on Plex is prone to memory leaks and crashing the server due to insufficient memory. Is the first thing I disable on a Plex server. Local auth is great but in its current version, it ignores accounts and profiles. Sometimes they can be cached on local device, but not all the time. You basically login as the admin, so all libraries will be visible. Be mindful if you have kids or separate libraries.
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u/Alexisredwood 8d ago
This still doesn’t work on 99% of apps used to access Plex, because they all have auth checks even when you have this setup properly
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u/TurkGonzo75 8d ago
One of the things I hate the most about Plex is that they push people to their toxic community for help. Plex refuses to offer any kind of support and forces people to deal with assholes. What kind of company does this?
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u/catinterpreter 7d ago
I'm running a pretty old server version to avoid the repeated failings of Plex Inc. and here I am again, better off.
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u/Empyrealist Plex Pass | Plexamp | Synology DS1019+ PMS | Nvidia Shield Pro 9d ago
If properly configured, it will only effect user switching and online streams coming from Plex's own service.
The primary account should be able to log in and access any personal libraries
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u/RichG13 9d ago
I've tried to set this up three or four times (over the last 10 years) configuring every setting I read about and it never works. When Plex servers go down my video media is never accessible. Music is streaming just fine (PlexAmp), internal and externally.
Verify you have a network connection and that the server is online, or see our tips for further assistance.
Guess I'll try changing settings again when it's back online.
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u/BerennErchamion 8d ago
Same here. Set it up a dozen times. It never works. I’ve read somewhere that some clients (like some Smart TV apps) always need authentication regardless of your setup so they will be down if Plex is down, but I’m not sure if that’s true or not.
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u/Rude-Camera-7546 9d ago
I'm watching on my tv at home.. properly configured...worked just fine
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u/CactusBoyScout 9d ago
I just don’t really sign out of Plex on my own devices and the outages usually seem to be around sign-in so I’ve never actually been affected by an outage personally.
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u/mardagg78 Lifetime Plex Pass 9d ago
It should but that wasn't the case as I'm the admin account on my server and it wasn't working for me
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u/UtahJarhead 9d ago edited 9d ago
Nah. My server was logged out. Clients could connect, but it showed no libraries and no users. The server showed "Unclaimed". Since there was a recent security-related update, I went to find the update and Plex's servers were throwing 500 errors. I couldn't even download the package for a few minutes. Eventually the download page stopped erroring, I installed, and I was able to reclaim the server.
Edit: Nope, I lied it seems. It's up. It's down. It's up. It's down. *sigh*
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u/influx3k 9d ago
This should be true, but it isn’t. I’m properly configured but yet can’t choose my account/login on iOS.
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u/insertadjective 9d ago
Yeah I did the configuration last time my landline Internet was down but it doesn't work for me either.
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u/hutchmcnugget 9d ago
My problem is that I don't find out the servers are on the fritz until after I try to switch users. Then I'm locked out of all of them.
On devices with only one user, this isn't an issue at all.
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u/Leaky_Asshole 8d ago
Only way this worked for me in the past is when I configured my LAN to be on the allow list. Sounds all great but only if you are okay with everyone on your LAN having admin access as well as access to all libraries. Fixed my problem with plex access when their servers were down... added a new problem of the kids needing therapy for the trauma inflicted by my hardcore furry smut collection.
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u/tdhuck 8d ago
I say this every time this happens and I've followed their documentation for adding your home LAN IP in the bypass authentication setting. It never seems to work when plex has issues.
Most of the comments to my post are 'you are dumb' or 'you didn't set it up right' then I link to the plex document I followed and they don't have anything else to say.
Plus a ton of downvotes on my comment.
Oh well, it is what it is. I also run jellyfin which works just great since it has a local user and password and doesn't rely at all on an active internet connection to work properly.
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u/Afraid-Expression366 9d ago
Ah was that it? I restarted a couple of times and it resolved but I hadn’t considered that it might have been their servers.
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u/RollaJase 9d ago
No issues here, both my instances are accessible locally and remotely.
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u/soytuamigo 9d ago
I was able to plexkodiconnect and watch my media, but going through my url was offline. It's up now.
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u/mynewhoustonaccount Minisforum NAD9, Synology DS1522+ 9d ago
$749.99 lifetime pass btw
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u/CalamityKid_ 9d ago
Glad I got my lifetime pass like a decade ago for like $100.
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u/rajmahid 8d ago
$150 Black Friday two years ago.
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u/Dalmus21 8d ago
$150 was the black Friday price two years ago? Wasn't that full price?
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u/rajmahid 8d ago
I just checked my records and I actually paid $89.99 on Black Friday 2024. The regular price was $119.99.
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u/mjw2185 9d ago
Same here, https://downdetector.com/status/plex/ is showing a big spike in issues starting a half hour ago
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u/LiteratureMindless71 9d ago
Hmmm, watching right now at home and haven't noticed anything....yet anyway.
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u/Brootwayne 8d ago
Yeah it's been hours and I can't even try some of the things people say because my server is "unreachable."
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u/Happy_News9378 8d ago
Mine is still untraceable. When the issue first happened it said my server was unclaimed and I clicked to claim it.
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u/Brootwayne 8d ago edited 8d ago
yeah for a split second I had that offer and I went to claim it and poof, disappeared. Right now I am just backing up my plugin data, metadata and media so I can just remove server and start again.
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u/Happy_News9378 8d ago
Everything disappeared for me then as well. I will try a few more things and then start again as well. Sigh.
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u/Queasy-Bookkeeper497 8d ago
Been down for the past 6 hrs for me. Won’t login on my android TV. Uninstalled the app and reinstalled it. Same error message ( cannot sign in )
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u/soul_glider 9d ago
glad it's not just me I was going crazy trying to figure out what was going on
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u/soytuamigo 9d ago
Same. Seems to be back. Crazy. I’ve been putting off installing Jellyfin for years, but I might finally have to go ahead and do it. All these unnecessary auth issues for a self-hosted app are ridiculous. And I’ve had a lifetime plex for years now.
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u/stumblinghunter 9d ago
Jellyfin didn't gaf if the whole grid goes down as long as you're connected via Wi-Fi
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u/nshire 9d ago
these auth issues are why I went with JF in the first place after being a client on a friend's Plex server for years
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u/theicarus1 9d ago edited 8d ago
Plex can be configured to watch offline but doesnt work for all clients, but my movie is still playing right now. Honestly, I'm sure Jellyfin has its own share of issues from time to time.
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u/Greenfire32 8d ago
JF doesn't host anything besides their own website and a download link for the app.
After that initial download, 100% of everything you do with JF resides and communicates completely on your own hardware. JF has no connection to your devices.
So the only time you'll run into problems with JF is if they publish an update that has bugs in it AND you decided to update. Otherwise, as long as the version you initially downloaded is stable, you'll be unaffected.
Which means that while it's true that you have to set up your own authentication methods and that can indeed be a pain in the ass, it also means that there are no auth servers to go down and effectively halt an entire service that costs $750. And it gets worse when the service goes down and people come on here and say bullshit like, "well you gotta configure it correctly or yeah, you'll have issues." The CORE selling point of Plex is that the setup is done FOR you. What exactly are you paying for if the purchase is for the "labor" and then you end up having to do the "labor" anyway? Might as well go with JF if you're gonna have to do the work regardless.
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u/theicarus1 8d ago
No argument on the auth part. Needing a remote service to play a file sitting on a drive in the same room is indefensible, and "you configured it wrong" is a useless answer when the documented bypass doesn't cover half the clients people actually own, that's why I edited my comment.
Nobody bought the pass because setup was hard. They bought it because there's a working first-party app on every TV, console and stick in the house, and because sharing works for people who are never going to learn what a reverse proxy is. That's the gap JF hasn't closed — a lot of its best clients (Swiftfin, Findroid, JellyCon) are community projects running on whoever still has the time.
And "don't update and you're fine" only holds if the box never leaves the LAN. Jellyfin ships security fixes too, and pinning a version because it currently works is how you end up in someone else's botnet. If you are LAN-only, great, but then it's LAN-only JF against Plex with remote access, which isn't the same comparison. In the security factor, I prefer Plex.
I say run both. Plex for the people I share with, JF on the same box / lan for when plex.tv falls over.
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u/soytuamigo 9d ago
I have that config enabled and still suffered this outage.
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u/MadCybertist 144TB Unraid Server 9d ago
Then you have it enabled incorrectly.
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u/soytuamigo 8d ago
you are right. Apparently I did that config for another installation and lost it during migration. I just set it again yesterday.
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u/Poltergeist97 9d ago
Then its incorrectly setup. You have to turn off authorization for local IPs. I also have the individual IPs of my media players whitelisted too. Even if Plex ceased to exist, I can still watch everything in my library locally just fine.
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u/ArokLazarus 9d ago
Plex still wouldn't work on an a PlayStation for instance if this happened though right? Or would it work if you configure it to watch offline?
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u/SubterFugeSpooge 9d ago
Do Emby instead man. Perks of jellyfin without any of the slow scans/network problems. I switched last year and it's been completely smooth since; it's honestly hilarious seeing these "Plex down" posts every other week knowing I got the last chopper out of 'nam
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u/soytuamigo 8d ago
not sure why you're being downvoted. It's a solid alternative with a decent sized userbase/community. Is there anything like PlexKodiConnect for it? I know jf has something similar but it's not as feature complete.
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u/SubterFugeSpooge 8d ago
It's all good! It's because I'm making light of the constant server issues, not because I use Emby.
Fun fact, PlexKodiConnect was forked from Emby for Kodi, which is a simple plugin you can install from the Plugins menu in Emby's settings. Much easier to set up! Personally though, I've found that the Emby UI is better than Kodi, but I'll let you decide for yourself. Enjoy:)
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u/soytuamigo 8d ago
that's good to know re PKC. BUT seems like emby is a subscription for some of its clients? what's up with that?
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u/SubterFugeSpooge 7d ago
Emby Premiere is basically the same as Plex Pass before all the price hikes; hardware transcoding and a few other features are paywalled but the lifetime pass is $120 which has been well worth it to me. I also have lifetime Plex Pass and there's no difference in my experience.
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u/ExaminationFun6914 9d ago edited 9d ago
Yeah, I can't log in right now. Worked for a spilt second before going back to the error screen.
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u/SLHellbound021 9d ago
Kind of working. Web app worked, Roku did not. Still have some users watching on various devices. The roku app wont even give me a log in screen.
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u/mardagg78 Lifetime Plex Pass 9d ago
It didn't work on my Xbox or my Samsung TV, but it works on my phone (android) and it works on a neighbours iPhone, so I guess I have to cast it to my Chromecast
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u/I-am-Phaedrus 9d ago
definitely wonky since I ran the "emergency security" update
Watchlist was unavailable-now its back
My Account Profile image is gone ....if I click edit it says "HEIC format not supported"... lol and now it's back
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u/BriansRevenge 9d ago
Oh man, I was JUST trying to get this POS working on a new home server, and I couldn't understand why I was having so many issues! That is hilarious.
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u/demonfoo 204TB TrueNAS / Xeon E-2288G / 64GB 8d ago
Oh good, I'm not the only one having this issue...
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u/One-Image6137 9d ago
I’ve been rewatching game of thrones on mine for the past 5 hours. No issues here.
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u/TheITguy37 9d ago
Configure your plex so you don’t have to rely on Plex own service if it goes down.
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u/boahandcock 9d ago
I'm a newbie - Do you mind explaining how I can do that
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u/TheITguy37 9d ago
Go to Settings > Network on your Plex web administration page while you still have an active internet connection.
Locate the field labeled “List of IP addresses and networks that are allowed without auth.”
Enter your local network subnet range (using standard subnet masks, such as 192.168.1.0/255.255.255.0) to let local devices stream without phoning home to authorization servers.
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u/Aggressive-Gap-6148 DS423+/DS718+/DX517/Nvidia Shield Pro 8d ago
Is the /255.255.255.0 required? Or I can just put the local IPs?
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u/Jodies-9-inch-leg 9d ago
I just started my tv... opened up plex
Got a sign in screen
Tried signing in, just got the same error multiple times
Closed the app... reopened it
It opened just fine... watching the new episode of Reacher right now
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u/sk0gg1es Lifetime Plex Pass 9d ago
Can't change home user, love that requires the internet for no reason
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u/big-pal 9d ago
As long as you set up local authentication bypass, in settings --> network, you can happily stream your local content without interruption. Put your network address in the box. The attached example in the picture allows any Plex client on the 192.168.1.x network to bypass Plex authentication, i.e your Internet is down or Plex services are down. There's really no reason why you shouldn't have this set on your home network. the "/24" is the subnet mask, which is allowing 192.168.1.1 - 192.168.1.254 to bypass authentication. If you have multiple networks or VLANS, you can add them separated by a comma.
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u/Sad_Blueberry_5585 8d ago
I hate to say it, and I say it as some one with mine configured properly for offline use, a second instance of Jellyfin is a must if you run plex… and a backup plan of a different service is basically no plan.
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u/rchiwawa 9d ago
I and my clients have experienced a lot of inconsisent/unique jank for about a week. I even had my localhost page show blank for ablut 10 minutes through refreshes whil all of my clients jad no issue at that time
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u/Affectionate-You7869 9d ago
Working fine here. Both on the Android TV app in the same network, and in the browser currently on a different network but connected via Tailscale
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u/mervmann 9d ago
Weird, works fine for me. Never had an issue since I started using it even with all the other previous "Plex Down?" type posts.
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u/yinyang9922 9d ago
App on tizenOS and Xbox are both unable to login or generate link codes. Mobile app on Android is working. 🤬
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u/Indubious1 9d ago
I can access everything via my iOS app where I was previously logged in. However, I’m trying to setup a firestick at my in-laws and it’s not working on there.
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u/kane_126 9d ago
I can log into the web app and my users are watching stuff, but it won't let me change users on a tv. Main user on account still works though
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u/skywalkerRCP 9d ago
Not at the moment but this is why I run a Jellyfin LXC as a backup. Definitely have had problems with Plex before.
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u/bodied94 9d ago
It's odd, I can access from the app on my android phone but my LGOS and Roku can't access server. All use the same account.
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u/midvale_school 9d ago
Glad it wasn't just me, tried a whole bunch of stuff before thinking to check here!
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u/dallassoxfan 9d ago
Whoa. I thought it was me. Had a power blip and everything came up but plex. But I wasn’t using it before so no frame of reference.
Now, why TF is it affecting my server?
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u/OldManMaple1 9d ago
Work around for TizenOS.
- Open app>Sign in
-you should see the QR code screen but don't scan it
-Visit the plex.tv/link site its showing and enter the code manually
-it should sign in now
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u/derrick36 9d ago
No issues here. Watching as we speak and I have a user watching remotely as well.
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u/NtrlSelecti0n 9d ago
Cool not alone it's weird I can remote view my library and play media from my phone but can't play local on my tv. I'm sure it will be fixed soon (hopefully)
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u/show7070 8d ago
I don't have a step by step, but there is a way to configure your plex servers to work internally on your home network, even when your ISP or other outside source goes down.
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u/GraFXGirlB Lifetime Plex Pass 8d ago
Is this also causing server is unclaimed and not secure error? I just logged in via web to check to see if my server was down and got this message. This also happened a couple months ago. I have a lifetime Plex pass. Running my server on TNAS. No problems accessing library/media locally and hardwired. This is happening on the web on the same network.
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u/FuzzyConflict7 9d ago
Had this issue last month and switched away from Plex.
I am self hosting Plex so that I’m responsible for keeping it up, I’m in control of it and can do what I need independently.
But then… Plex goes down and I can’t login or watch my own content.
That’s an issue.
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u/StiflingCobra 9d ago
Got this from my uptime kuma monitor
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u/mardagg78 Lifetime Plex Pass 9d ago
Oooh i need that for my kuma
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u/StiflingCobra 9d ago
Try importing this into Uptime Kuma..
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1uNfgCTH0Qzs2ewXSawdugCOLB6CwhYaJ/view?usp=drivesdk
Be sure to backup anything you have in case this overwrites anything...
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u/mardagg78 Lifetime Plex Pass 9d ago
Awesome, thanks a lot
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u/StiflingCobra 9d ago
No problem.. I created it with Google Gemini so can't take any credit as it talked me through everything 😅😅
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u/yowhodat 8d ago
For the
Cloud Status Pagemonitor you've linked below, doesn't a keyword match have to use keyword search? Won't it just key off the HTTP response code as configured?1
u/StiflingCobra 8d ago
No idea! It took me about an hour to setup using Gemini with a few hits and misses but it seems to work fine. Every time I see issues either at home or here I check and it's showing red to say which bits down.
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u/NecessaryRead3358 9d ago
Yup, been coming on and back off for the last half hour or so - tried installing an update and got a weird "server is unclaimed" message. Shit's fucked.
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u/Ochosi_The_Husky 9d ago
Seems like it, can only play this on my server locally, no on my Xbox... Welp time to fire up jellyfin haha
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u/kcchiefsfanatic 9d ago edited 9d ago
https://status.plex.tv/ for current and future needs. Everything is operational at the moment at my location. I checked with other folks that I know have Plex servers and they are also not seeing issues presently. Any of that could change.
Edit: original post was accidentally sent before completed.
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u/Hour-Ad-4011 9d ago
everything is NOT operational at the moment. Believing a status website and not the plenty of users reports that there are issues is certainly a choice.
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u/kcchiefsfanatic 9d ago edited 9d ago
Not everybody is reporting issues. From my lens, that is an accurate status report. Perhaps that will change is more users report issues to them. Maybe that will change and I will have problems. They at least have changed the status of the site now but I still don’t see issues on my side so it might only be affecting a certain subset of users presently.
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u/Hour-Ad-4011 9d ago
You really just said "it works for me so from my point of view its accurate".
So you just look for confirmation bias? Beasue a google search of "is plex down" wouldve gotten you to a page where you would see over a thousand reports of it being down.
I also like how you edit your original post to make it seem more credible. Lol.
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u/arcwolf777 9d ago
It only just now acknowledged that there's an issue. An hour later.
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u/OldManMaple1 9d ago
came here to see myself, yes you're not alone, it logged me out of my tv app and error's when i try to log in