Can't setup external server

[goner 3]

I have tried everything that is in the instructions that I know how to.  I not very versed in the ip address infrastructure so I don't know how to add all of the things to make it work from outside of my local network.  I am moving from plex because it does not play my content in 5.1, nor does it see all of my content.  Emby does both.  I would very much like to view my content on my ipad from outside my home.  Please help.  Thanks

[Abobader 3464]

Hello goner,

** This is an auto reply **

Please wait for someone from staff support or our members to reply to you.

It's recommended to provide more info, as it explain in this thread:

Thank you.

Emby Team

[Luke 42078]

Hi there, what exactly have you done so far?

[goner 3]

I have tried to open ports in my modem/ router.  It is an att fiber modem and I am pretty sure that I didin't do it right.  I have gone into my firewall on windows and verified that ports are open.  I have also made sure that everything is on in the Emby setup for external viewing.  In the setup it says that my server is running on both that local (LAN) and the external (WAN) access.

I still have the Plex server running for now.  I assumed that Emby would work the same way as Plex.

Edited April 29, 2025 by goner

[pwhodges 2012]

2 hours ago, goner said:

I assumed that Emby would work the same way as Plex.

You can't assume this.  In the possible case that your ISP is using cgNAT, that would prevent direct external connections.  Plex can work around that by streaming your data through their servers, but you have to find other solutions for Emby.

So, as well as checking the fibre modem settings, try also to determine whether you are behind cgNAT.

Paul

[goner 3]

Thank you the response Paul, but how do i do that.  If that is the case what can I do to make this happen?  Also, how do I check my fiber settings?

 

 

Edited April 29, 2025 by goner

[pwhodges 2012]

In the first instance start by going through:

https://emby.media/support/articles/Connectivity.html

If there is anything you are uncertain about, like the router settings, post a screenshot here and we will try to verify them for you.  If cgNAT is an issue, we can make a number of suggestions.

Paul

[Luke 42078]

18 hours ago, goner said:

I assumed that Emby would work the same way as Plex.

Their relay service is probably kicking in where they route everything through their own servers when a direct connection isn't possible. But from a privacy standpoint, do you really want that?

[goner 3]

[seanbuff 1316]

Looks like you may have opened up a range between 8096 and 8920, I would recommend that you only open specific ports, and not an entire range.

i.e. add a service for only 8096, and another for 8920 if you are using TLS

I assume "Wesley" is the host device that has your Emby Server installed on it?

[goner 3]

I have no idea how to do that though.  I don't want to mess anything else up so that nothing else works either.  Can you explain to me how I would do such a thing?  Thank you everyone for your replies.  It is great to have people that want to help us lost souls, lol.

 

 

[goner 3]

[goner 3]

I hope that this is what you were talking about seanbuff.  BTW, what is TLS and what is it utilized for?  Also, How do I check to see if cgNAT is my issue?  Yes Wesley is my device.

 

Edited May 1, 2025 by goner

[seanbuff 1316]

1 hour ago, goner said:

I hope that this is what you were talking about seanbuff.

Looking better, one port per service. Not sure what UDP port 7359 would be used for though?

The device you have specified, is that really pointing at a PlayStation 5? The "Device" field needs to point to the host machine on your network where your Emby Server is installed, usually a Windows PC or NAS.

 

1 hour ago, goner said:

what is TLS and what is it utilized for?  Also, How do I check to see if cgNAT is my issue?

TLS is used to secure your remote connections to your Emby Server over HTTPS.
TLS and cgNAT are all explained in more detail here: Connecting from Client Apps and Secure Your Server

[goner 3]

This is now what I have set up.  Not sure if I need the http and the https ports. 

[seanbuff 1316]

1 hour ago, goner said:

This is now what I have set up.  Not sure if I need the http and the https ports.

This is looking better, although you don't need ports 80 and 443 forwarded unless you're running some kind of Reverse Proxy on 'Wesley' -- i would remove those if not.

So with port 8096 now forwarded to Wesley (Emby Server) -- what is the experience from outside your local network?

[goner 3]

I still get the same thing.  It seems as though it is looking for a few minutes and then it tells me that the server can't be reached.

 

[Luke 42078]

6 hours ago, goner said:

I still get the same thing.  It seems as though it is looking for a few minutes and then it tells me that the server can't be reached.

 

What exactly happens?

[goner 3]

The little spinner spins and then I get the message.  That is all that happens.  I type in the ip address without the http or https.  I am not running a domain so I am just tryning to reach my server through the emby app on my ipad or Roku

 

 

Edited May 5, 2025 by goner

[seanbuff 1316]

50 minutes ago, goner said:

The little spinner spins and then I get the message.  That is all that happens. 

Did you confirm you are not behind cgNAT?

https://emby.media/support/articles/Connectivity.html#cgnat-double-nat

 

Also, what of machine is your Emby Server running on?

[goner 3]

I am running it on a Windows Workstation.  I just did an ipconfig and it doesn't show an ip address that is in that range.  I also did tracert and none of the returns came back being blocked by my isp either.  When I checked What is my IP address and also can you see my IP it comes back with the ip that is shown in the Emby server dashboard.

Edited May 5, 2025 by goner

[seanbuff 1316]

9 hours ago, goner said:

I just did an ipconfig and it doesn't show an ip address that is in that range.

You'll need to check a site like https://whatismyipaddress.com/ to see your Public IP to see if it falls in that range,  ipconfig will typically only show you your local IP address on that host.

 

9 hours ago, goner said:

I am running it on a Windows Workstation.

Can you check that your network profile is set to 'Private' and not Public?
Right-click the Network or Wi-Fi icon on the taskbar, then select 'Network and Internet settings'

[goner 3]

Thanks for all the help.  I think that I got it.  I went into my NAT settings again and this time I just set up the forwarded ports as TCP only and not TCP/UDP.  As soon as I did that it worked like a charm.  Thanks for leading me in the right direction seanbuff.

[marriedman 85]

4 hours ago, goner said:

Thanks for leading me in the right direction seanbuff.

I have nothing to contribute, but I would recommend that you mark seanbuff's post as the solution. This will help with future new users who may have this issue as well. I think it also helps with his reputation score.