How to Add Remote Access Users Using Domain URL?

[JulesC 48]

In preparation for providing remote access for my family securely, with the awesome help of this forum, I’ve setup a Domain, SSL & Reverse Proxy. Thanks to all that assisted me.

 

@@cayars

 

Now I’m trying to figure out the right way to add my family as remote users.

 

What are the steps for remote users accessing my sever via a Domain URL (the attached image is a screenshot of what they will see)? Do I still need to use Emby Connect and then create local users?

 

I’m also planning on using Google Drive plug-in and Sync to place my movies in the cloud to minimize impact on my server and upload bandwidth. Are there any considerations when adding Remote Users that I should factor into my plans to ensure they’re routed to Google Drive for playing their selected movies?

 

Any other considerations?

 

Thanks in advance for any assistance.

Edited May 24, 2020 by Luke

[JulesC 48]

UPDATE: As the Emby Administrator, I added a Test User account via the Dashboard/Users. An email link was sent to the account for the Test User requesting to click a link to confirm the account. I clicked on the link and received the following error message:

 

==========

 

“Logo

Media Sharing Invitation Invalid

 

We're sorry, but something has gone wrong. The invitation you attempted to accept is no longer valid. Perhaps the requester revoked it or it simply expired. Please contact them to issue a new invitation.

 

Thanks,

The Emby Team

Emby is the premier solution for all of your media viewing.

https://emby.media”

 

==========

 

Should I have the Test User fill out the “Emby Connect Request” first? If not, what is the correct process? Thank you

Edited May 24, 2020 by JulesC

[Carlo 4477]

That sounds like you setup the user using Emby Connect.

Try setting up a user and leave the Emby Connect username empty.  You will create the username and set a password as well as give them proper access to libraries.  You can then call them, email them or however you communicate with users to give them their credentials.  They can change their own password at that point if they wish.

 

The user will then need to know your domain name and port as well as their username and password.

 

As far as syncing content to the cloud, go slow and take note of what users play.  Don't try to sync your whole libraries as that is usually a fools errand.  What you want to do is sync movies or show that you know will be popular and get multiple playback.  For example hit movies in the box office will be good candidates as would popular TC shows (think Game of Thrones).

[JulesC 48]

That sounds like you setup the user using Emby Connect.

Try setting up a user and leave the Emby Connect username empty.  You will create the username and set a password as well as give them proper access to libraries.  You can then call them, email them or however you communicate with users to give them their credentials.  They can change their own password at that point if they wish.

 

The user will then need to know your domain name and port as well as their username and password.

 

As far as syncing content to the cloud, go slow and take note of what users play.  Don't try to sync your whole libraries as that is usually a fools errand.  What you want to do is sync movies or show that you know will be popular and get multiple playback.  For example hit movies in the box office will be good candidates as would popular TC shows (think Game of Thrones).

Thank you @@cayars. I’m bypassing Emby Connect all together. As you suggested, I’m setting up a Emby user account & will inform my family members of the URL, their account and password. I just tested it and it works!

 

I’ve created a Family Share folder under my Movie library. In the user accounts for my family members, I will only provide them with access to this folder. This is the same folder I plan to Sync to Google Drive. I only plan on adding movies here that are new or ones they request.

 

In a different post regarding Google Drive, you mentioned that “once the folder synced Emby server will track this (since it's managing the syncing) and will serve up the external version to external clients and will use local versions for local users (home users). If there is a problem with the synced content, Emby will fall back to using the local version.” This is exactly what I’m looking for. Is there a way I can verify that my family members are playing movies from Google Drive vs my Emby Server?

 

Thank you again for your help

[Carlo 4477]

Glad you got things working well.

 

Yes on the syncing. To get a feel for this, after you have your first movie synced have a family member play that movie from outside your house and look at the dashboard, the history and logs to see how this looks compared to a movie that only exists on your system and not synced.

[JulesC 48]

@@cayars Thanks again for all your help

[JulesC 48]

@@cayars and others leveraging or thinking about using Google Drive/Sync to offload the impact on your server & bandwidth, have you seen this post: https://emby.media/community/index.php?/topic/75763-app-not-pulling-video-directly-from-google-drive-sync-location/

 

Here is the post from @@ebr:

“The issue is that, with an app delivered by one of the major stores (Google, Apple, Amazon) those platforms have the ability to monitor every url that the app requests. That means that they can monitor for apps that stream from "suspicious" locations and shut them down. So, when one of the store apps sees that you are playing a remote url (something that is not a part of your server's network) then we run this through the server because there is no way for us to guarantee that that url is not going to be seen by the platform provider as "suspicious" and flag our app as a pirating platform.”

 

Before I move forward with this solution, I had a couple questions and comments:

1. Are others having this same experience?

2. If not, what are you doing different?

3. Are you “forced” to have your remote users use the Emby Theatre Web App (hope not) or are they able to use the Emby client apps (i.e. Windows, Android, Firestick, etc?

4. If my remote users are “forced” to use the Emby Theatre Web App it “appears” they have to login via Emby Connect. Is this right? If so, as I mentioned in my above posts, my remote users will be accessing my sever via a Domain URL, account ID & password (not Emby Connect). I tried testing the Web App with my remote ID & password and it didn’t work.

 

Any suggestions on how I can make Google Drive/Sync work as expected using Emby client apps would be greatly appreciated.

 

If my remote users have to use Emby Web App, how can I make the login process work for my setup?

 

@@Luke With what @@ebr stated about leveraging the Emby Web App to successfully get around Google, Amazon & Apple blocking movies played via Emby client apps, shouldn’t the Emby wiki documentation be updated to reflect this? Do you have any other thoughts on how to make this work with Emby client apps.

 

Thanks for any help you can offer.

[Carlo 4477]

None of the Emby client apps require the use of Emby Connect.  They can all login directly to your server.

 

I'll let @@ebr or @@Luke comment on the sync portion of your question and how cloud sync content i affected on "store installed clients"

[JulesC 48]

None of the Emby client apps require the use of Emby Connect.  They can all login directly to your server.

@@cayars I totally agree. It’s the Emby Web App I was referring to where it directs users to Emby Connect: https://tv.emby.media

[Carlo 4477]

Yes, if you direct them to https://tv.emby.media  

 

Instead direct them to https://yourdomain.ext or https://yourdomain.ext:8096

I use port 443 on my server which is the common SSL port so my users just enter my domain and don't need to worry about a different port.

 

Either way they get the login for my server this way and not the Emby Connect login (but still available).