Question about Emby Connect Process

[Magic815 18]

So up until now, I've only used User Profiles to separate different household users. But now, I'm starting to allow others to connect into my server, and Emby Connect seems like the preferred way of doing so.

 

Based on what I'm reading, the following looks like the process via Emby Connect (I haven't actually run through this yet with a user, so let me know if I have anything incorrect):

 

1. Ask the user to create an online account at: https://emby.media/connect.html

2. Go into the Emby dashboard as Admin, and click 'Users'

3. Add a Guest, and type in the Username/Email that the user just signed up with

4. The user now gets an email invitation, that lets them connect to the server

5. The Admin then manually creates a User Profile for that user, and links in the Emby Connect username to that profile

6. The User then connects into the server on that profile, and then has to set their own (second) password for it

 

 

To me, it seems a little cumbersome to have the user effectively set two passwords, and have the admin need to do more work after sending the invite. Is there a reason you all didn't have the process work this way?:

 

1. Ask the user to create an online account at: https://emby.media/connect.html

2. Go into the Emby dashboard as Admin, and click 'Users'

3. Add a Guest, and type in the Username/Email that the user just signed up with

4. The user now gets an email invitation, that lets them connect to the server

5. On the first connect by the user, Emby asks them to create a User Profile name

6. Once created, Emby automatically links the Emby Connect email/password to that User Profile just created

7. This will allow for each User to have their own online account, and then they only need to create one password. Additionally, the admin doesn't need to manually make any further changes after the user has been invited

 

Thoughts?

 

Edit:
Or better yet, if the Users '+add' button allowed for an invite to send out at the time of creation, it would allow the Admin to create the User Profile how they want it to show, then they can set the library access, add in the Emby Connect username/email that the user just signed up with, and then the invite gets sent out from there. Then, when the user accepts, they already have a linked User Profile for that server, and then they would just be able to log in with the Emby Connect password they already created.

Edited June 30, 2017 by Magic815

[mastrmind11 722]

So up until now, I've only used User Profiles to separate different household users. But now, I'm starting to allow others to connect into my server, and Emby Connect seems like the preferred way of doing so.

 

Based on what I'm reading, the following looks like the process via Emby Connect (I haven't actually run through this yet with a user, so let me know if I have anything incorrect):

 

1. Ask the user to create an online account at: https://emby.media/connect.html

2. Go into the Emby dashboard as Admin, and click 'Users'

3. Add a Guest, and type in the Username/Email that the user just signed up with

4. The user now gets an email invitation, that lets them connect to the server

5. The Admin then manually creates a User Profile for that user, and links in the Emby Connect username to that profile

6. The User then connects into the server on that profile, and then has to set their own (second) password for it

 

 

To me, it seems a little cumbersome to have the user effectively set two passwords, and have the admin need to do more work after sending the invite. Is there a reason you all didn't have the process work this way?:

 

1. Ask the user to create an online account at: https://emby.media/connect.html

2. Go into the Emby dashboard as Admin, and click 'Users'

3. Add a Guest, and type in the Username/Email that the user just signed up with

4. The user now gets an email invitation, that lets them connect to the server

5. On the first connect by the user, Emby asks them to create a User Profile name

6. Once created, Emby automatically links the Emby Connect email/password to that User Profile just created

7. This will allow for each User to have their own online account, and then they only need to create one password. Additionally, the admin doesn't need to manually make any further changes after the user has been invited

 

Thoughts?

 

Edit:

Or better yet, if the Users '+add' button allowed for an invite to send out at the time of creation, it would allow the Admin to create the User Profile how they want it to show, then they can set the library access, add in the Emby Connect username/email that the user just signed up with, and then the invite gets sent out from there. Then, when the user accepts, they already have a linked User Profile for that server, and then they would just be able to log in with the Emby Connect password they already created.

I think you're complicating the process by creating a Guest account in order to generate the invite.  You should simply create a new User (*not* Guest), enter the email address they used to sign up, and save it.  They'll get an invitation to connect to the server, where they use their new Connect credentials.  Thats it.  You're essentially creating 2 accounts for the same person, and the Guest account is the extra password step.  Check the wiki for the step by step:  https://github.com/MediaBrowser/Wiki/wiki/Emby%20Connect

Edited June 30, 2017 by mastrmind11

[Magic815 18]

Ah, so that is basically what I was hoping for. I think it was just the difference of a Guest account asking for a Emby Connect username/email and the User Profile not doing that same that confused me.

 

Also, the wiki page you link says to invite users you have to use the Guests +add feature. You're sure that linking an existing Emby Connect profile to a User Profile will automatically send out an invitation?

Edited June 30, 2017 by Magic815

[Luke 42085]

In your first list above, #5 is not needed because the guest function will handle that for you. Does that help?

[Luke 42085]

As far as guest vs linking, you can do either way but the guest process sounds like what you need and requires less clicks on your part.

[Magic815 18]

So I think I'm still confused on why the Emby Connect / Guest option would be best for me. To give further info, I currently reverse proxy to Emby. So right now all I would have to tell people to go to is: https://emby.domain.com:10443

(The ':10443' bit is unfortunate, but is because of me running my server behind a VPN 24/7, so I have the reverse proxy of https go through 10443, instead of 443. I'm currently moving the VPN to the router level, so that I'll be able to get rid of the ':10443' soon).

 

I can quickly create a user profile for them (with the right access), and then I just have them log in and create themselves a password.

 

I guess the one tricky part is when they are using an Emby app besides the web player in a browser. But it seems like every app gives the option to put in a host (emby.domain.com) and port (10443), so they would just need to put that in once, and then they'll always see the login screen they can select their user profile from. 

 

With the Emby Connect / Guest method, they have to create a forum account with an associated email. I've found that users are more used to the Netflix approach. Go to a website, click on a User Profile, and then type in the password to login.

 

Are there any other benefits I'm missing by not using Emby Connect? Just trying to trade the options based on what will make it the easiest for my users.

Edited July 3, 2017 by Magic815

[Luke 42085]

If that method is working for you then that is fine too. One major benefit of Emby Connect on TV apps would be that they get to use a nice and easy pin code login process, whereas entering a domain, followed by a username and password can often be cumbersome with a TV remote.

[Magic815 18]

Good point about the pin on TV. So I just wiped all the user profiles (besides my Admin one) and then had a user create an Emby Connect/Forum account. I then added them as a guest, which sent them the invite link.

 

Upon acceptance, I went into that guest user settings and unchecked 'hide from login page', which allowed their emby connect username to show up as a user on the login page.

 

However now when they goto my reverse proxy url (https://emby.domain.com) and click their username, it says 'incorrect username/password' even though it never gave them a chance to enter in a password.

 

Thoughts?

[ebr 16190]

However now when they goto my reverse proxy url (https://emby.domain.com) and click their username, it says 'incorrect username/password' even though it never gave them a chance to enter in a password.

 

That's not how you use connect.  They don't go to your address and use the normal login screen.

 

They hit the button in the app that says "Login with Emby Connect".  That then gives them a PIN on the screen to go and enter in a web page using something like their phone.  Then their app is just automatically connected to the proper user on your server.  Very similar to how Netflix works on TV devices.

[Magic815 18]

Ah, so then the web app with emby connect can only be the app.emby.media site?

 

I use Organizr as my HTPC services front end, which requires https on all services.

 

Where on the road map is https for the web app? Or could the main emby login page get a button added that let's people login with Emby Connect?

Edited July 4, 2017 by Magic815

[ebr 16190]

https works now.  You just have to have the proper certificate setup for some devices.

[Magic815 18]

I see. So I think I'm slowly understanding how this all works. Do you know what the purpose of having the 'Hide this user from login screens' is for these Emby Connect guest accounts then? It seems like keeping it on continues to hide the user from the login page, but unchecking it simply shows a user profile that is not able to login through that method. Would it make more sense to change that setting for Emby Connect guests to instead say "Create User Profile Icon for this guest account on the login page"? It could be unchecked as default, but when checked would allow an Emby Connect account to login through the login screen (using their Emby connect username and password). This would allow users to still sign in with all the standard Emby Connect methods currently out there, but gives them one more option in the case of a reverse proxied web app. Just a thought.

[Luke 42085]

Guests can only login with Emby connect. That can't login using the normal local login process.