Emby App doesn't connect to Emby Server from outside

[Menelmar 1]

Hi there!

I'm an Emby Premiere user for 3 past months, and I continue to encounter the same problem:

When I'm trying to connect to my Emby Server from outside of my network, neither android app or web interface work. 

I.e. Android app trying to suggest manual choice of server, and of course connection fails, because of the local IP set in. Login through Emby Connect doesn't work at all - I submit my credentials in app prompt, and it returns me to server choice screen without an error message.

BUT!! If I choose and ENTER my server in Emby app being inside home network, and the switch to other network (i.e mobile) not exiting the app - then it works for some time (day or two) even if I close app and then open it again.

Seems like there is some timeout, which passes and cancels the connection.

[Menelmar 1]

Ok, seems like I've found the root of the problem: i have an ISP with dynamic public IPs provided - so my external IP adress changes every time I reboot my router or every time it reconnects the WAN port.

Seems like when Emby App connects to the server successfuly, server tells the app what external IP to use - and it uses it until the IP changes.

Is it possible somehow to make workaround for it? Isn't Emby Connect service made for that feature (I mean to tell the actual external IP from Server settings to the client app without mandatory login through home network).

[Luke 42077]

Hi, yes this is what Emby connect can help with, although it won’t always reach immediately to changes. For the frequency you’re looking at you may want to just use a ddns so that you have a predictable remote address.

[Menelmar 1]

Yep, my router manufacturer offers proprietary cloud dns service for its users (KeenDNS), it provides a subdomain, and if I forward 8096 port and enter a subdomain name into emby app, it apparently would work, BUT! Won't it be a bottleneck for emby traffic? Not to mention privacy issues (however it concerns all dns providers)

Edited January 22, 2025 by Menelmar

[Menelmar 1]

8 minutes ago, Luke said:

Hi, yes this is what Emby connect can help with, although it won’t always reach immediately to changes. For the frequency you’re looking at you may want to just use a ddns so that you have a predictable remote address.

Could you please provide an ideal user case UX scenario, how Emby Connect should work after login? Seems like it doesn't work properly for me on android app, or even from the web interface. After entering right credentials (and if they are not right, it instantly get an error message) I'm just being redirected to "choose your server" screen where I got an "add server" and "enby connect" buttons. If I click on Emby Connect again, it just recourses previous behaviour

[Luke 42077]

1 minute ago, Menelmar said:

Could you please provide an ideal user case UX scenario, how Emby Connect should work after login? Seems like it doesn't work properly for me on android app, or even from the web interface. After entering right credentials (and if they are not right, it instantly get an error message) I'm just being redirected to "choose your server" screen where I got an "add server" and "enby connect" buttons. If I click on Emby Connect again, it just recourses previous behaviour

If your address changes while using an Emby app, it takes time to get that info to Emby Connect. And even when that happens, Emby apps will still be trying to connect with the old address until you go through the connection process again. So generally that means restarting the app. So that part of it is not as seamless as a ddns would be.

[Menelmar 1]

On 1/22/2025 at 3:00 PM, Luke said:

If your address changes while using an Emby app, it takes time to get that info to Emby Connect. And even when that happens, Emby apps will still be trying to connect with the old address until you go through the connection process again. So generally that means restarting the app. So that part of it is not as seamless as a ddns would be.

Hi, Luke!

I've tried my router manufacturer dns service (KeenDNS) for external access to Emby server and it works perfectly fine.. from web. When I trying to enter domain name into emby android app, it refuses to connect (Tried several variants: just domain name, domain name with "https://" prefix and so on). Defualt emby port is forwarded.

Again, everything works fine from web, I don't know, how to make workaround in android app (maybe it leaves logs somewhere, when encounters a login error?)

[Menelmar 1]

29 minutes ago, Menelmar said:

Hi, Luke!

I've tried my router manufacturer dns service (KeenDNS) for external access to Emby server and it works perfectly fine.. from web. When I trying to enter domain name into emby android app, it refuses to connect (Tried several variants: just domain name, domain name with "https://" prefix and so on). Defualt emby port is forwarded.

Again, everything works fine from web, I don't know, how to make workaround in android app (maybe it leaves logs somewhere, when encounters a login error?)

Sorry, my bad - figured out that only several ports are supported by dns service, so I forwarded to the necessary one, filled it in the app and it worked

Edited January 27, 2025 by Menelmar

[CAMILLO 2]

Hi Luke,

Please can you help me to solve this situation? I'm on Plex now and all works good from inside and outside. Now I want come back to Emby but from inside my net nothing problem but using android app outside I'm not able to connect in my server, I'm with Vodafone modem and tplink router, I have already open the door 8096 and create a tplink dns but no chance, please any help

[Luke 42077]

32 minutes ago, CAMILLO said:

Hi Luke,

Please can you help me to solve this situation? I'm on Plex now and all works good from inside and outside. Now I want come back to Emby but from inside my net nothing problem but using android app outside I'm not able to connect in my server, I'm with Vodafone modem and tplink router, I have already open the door 8096 and create a tplink dns but no chance, please any help

Hi, plex has a relay service where they can send everything through their servers when a direct connection isn’t possible. Are you sure you want that? I wouldn’t. Anyway, did you setup port forwarding in your router?

Remote Setup

[CAMILLO 2]

Hi Luke,

Thank you for your pront reply. Yes the services got the flag, the doors are open in Vodafone Modem and Tp Link router and I have create a dns by tp link but no chance with it

[Luke 42077]

Can you show us how exactly you've configured port forwarding?

[CAMILLO 2]

Hi Luke,

Thank you for your support, the first image is the router Tp Link the second is the modem Vodafone station.

Tp Link offer a dynamic DNS but it doesn't too.

I used some internet site to test my opened door but no lucky

[CAMILLO 2]

Hi Luke,

An update, I was connected now in WIFI directly Vodafone Station and Emby works, so the problem is TP Link router but the door look like open but not usefull

[Neminem 1518]

If you use both routers you have a double nat issue.

That's why it works over wifi, on your first router.

Edited January 29, 2025 by Neminem

[CAMILLO 2]

10 minutes ago, Neminem said:

If you use both routers you have a double nat issue.

That's why it works over wifi, on your first router.

Hi Neminem,

The first Vodafone modem is connected to fiber then I have a router Tp Link connected by cable to moden with WIFI active. So do you think it's impossible to open port on router to permit Emby to works? 

[Neminem 1518]

Does you TP link have wifi, then use wifi on the TP link.

Can you set your Vodafone Modem/router in bridge mode.

And connect it to your TP link wan port.

That way it should just act as a modem and not a router.

 

Edited January 29, 2025 by Neminem

[Lessaj 467]

While a double NAT is not always ideal there's really nothing wrong with it, I'm using it in my environment just fine. What I can't tell from your vodafone screenshot is where it's sending the traffic that it's receiving on the ports you defined. In the case of my environment I have a pfSense device behind my ISP gateway so when I forward the port I tell it to send the traffic to my pfSense, and then on that device I have additional firewall rules/NAT that continue to send the traffic down the line.

[pwhodges 2012]

The only thing wrong with double NAT is the confusion that it often results in; for that reason it is pragmatic to check whether it can be avoided.

Paul

[CAMILLO 2]

2 hours ago, Lessaj said:

While a double NAT is not always ideal there's really nothing wrong with it, I'm using it in my environment just fine. What I can't tell from your vodafone screenshot is where it's sending the traffic that it's receiving on the ports you defined. In the case of my environment I have a pfSense device behind my ISP gateway so when I forward the port I tell it to send the traffic to my pfSense, and then on that device I have additional firewall rules/NAT that continue to send the traffic down the line.

Hi Lessaj,

are you telling that's better to use only TCP protocol instead of TCP/UDP protocol? I have used the same approach then PLEX and it works normally, but now I would like to use EMBY because it looks like more complete than PLEX

[CAMILLO 2]

1 hour ago, pwhodges said:

The only thing wrong with double NAT is the confusion that it often results in; for that reason it is pragmatic to check whether it can be avoided.

Paul

Hi Paul,

I use this system because the Vodafone Station WIFI is terrible so I bought a TP Link router to use WIFI for smartworking and during the day I don't have any disconnection.

[Lessaj 467]

1 minute ago, CAMILLO said:

Hi Lessaj,

are you telling that's better to use only TCP protocol instead of TCP/UDP protocol? I have used the same approach then PLEX and it works normally, but now I would like to use EMBY because it looks like more complete than PLEX

You can restrict it to just TCP if you want, all the traffic is TCP anyway, but it shouldn't hurt to have it set for both. You can't necessarily compare with Plex because they have relay servers or something so even if it's not actually open it still works - but this means they see everything.

[Lessaj 467]

Just now, CAMILLO said:

Hi Paul,

I use this system because the Vodafone Station WIFI is terrible so I bought a TP Link router to use WIFI for smartworking and during the day I don't have any disconnection.

You don't need to use the TP Link as a router then, you can set it up as a WAP instead, or basically a switch and a wireless access point. This will enable the Vodafone Station to handle DHCP and DNS for all the clients connected either directly to it or connected through the TP Link device (either ethernet or wireless) and you only need to port forward on that device.

[CAMILLO 2]

10 minutes ago, Lessaj said:

Non hai bisogno di usare il TP Link come router, puoi impostarlo come WAP, o fondamentalmente come switch e punto di accesso wireless. Questo consentirà alla Vodafone Station di gestire DHCP e DNS per tutti i client connessi direttamente ad essa o tramite il dispositivo TP Link (ethernet o wireless) e devi solo effettuare il port forwarding su quel dispositivo.

Try to be more clear, do you know TP Link products? Mine is Archer AX3000, so how I have to set it?

[Lessaj 467]

Sorry I don't know anything about TP Link products, you'll have to research that a little on your own, but that would be my recommendation to make it a WAP, otherwise yes it's a double NAT situation and you have to forward the traffic to the TP Link and then you have to set another rule on the TP Link to forward to your emby server.

Edited January 29, 2025 by Lessaj