Remote Access Stopped Working and Work Arounds Aren't Solving the Problem Anymore

[jphare 0]

Apologies in advance, my issue is probably common. But, I searched the forums and didn't find a solution.

I installed Emby a month ago and was using it remotely without any problems. Then after a couple of weeks working great,  remote access stopped.  Any attempts to access it remotely result in connection errors (i.e. "This site can't be reached.).  FWIW, I can access the sever perfectly from inside my network.  

The first few times this happened, I was able to restore functionality with limited success. I tried the following:
1.) restarting the server (sudo service emby-server restart)
2.) disabling the firewall (sudo ufw disable)
3.) rebooting all hardware (including all network routers: main WAN router and internal switch)

Now, none of these "work arounds" are solving the problem.

In anticipation of questions, here is some background info:

1.) Yes, I opened up my firewall on my Linux box (Ubuntu).

2.) Yes, I've set up port forwarding on my Verizon router. I have a standard ISP router, and I've been using port forwarding for years. I currently have several devices that work properly when accessed remotely.  In fact the Emby server was working great for about a week or two when I first installed it. Everything still works fine inside my class C private network (192.168.1.X), so I know the server is running.

3.) Yes, I updated/upgraded all software packages:  ( sudo apt update, sudo apt upgraded, sudo apt full-upgrade.)

4.) Yes, I rebooted all hardware (WAN router, internal routers, servers, clients, etc.) And I confirmed that the latest firmware was being used on all networking devices. 

5.) I've reviewed the Emby logs, but nothing jumps out at me as a problem. I'm hesitant to post my log file here, but I'm happy to share it privately.

6.) Based on Google research I've toggled the "Enable automatic port mapping" funtion; it didn't help.

Any ideas??  I really like Emby and hope to use it moving forward. But remote access is required.

Please teach me to fish!

 

[tollgate 8]

Do you have a static external IP address?