Hey all, I’m very new to self-hosting and have no background in anything computer-related. I’ll explain in as much detail as I can. I’m running Plex on a Synology DS220+. I’m using the Plex app, i.e. not using Docker (see note below).

The issue: I can watch Plex on my local network in 4K, but outside my local network it barely makes it to 720p. I thought it was an issue with my upload speed, but I got gigabit last week and it hasn’t fixed the issue. I have remote access enabled in Plex through a manually-specified port. The issue persists with my own account and any friends who have access to my library.

I appreciate any advice, links or questions you can offer!

NOTE: I understand the benefits of Docker and I promise to transition in the future. I spent many hours learning and troubleshooting, and it was even functional at times, but eventually I needed something that just worked.

EDIT: You all have been so helpful and supportive. Thanks for meeting me where I’m at and sharing some potential issues.

  • Avid Amoeba@lemmy.caEnglish
    18·
    4 months ago

    I have three hypotheses.

    • There’s a setting for remote streaming quality. It may be set to 720p.
    • The port isn’t open on your router and Plex streams via a Plex relay server which limits the quality.
    • The CPU might not be fast enough to transcode beyond 720p and Plex might be transcoding for remote streaming.
    • i_am_tired_boss@lemmy.worldEnglish
      7·
      4 months ago

      Even if the port is open, Plex can sometimes use the relay server. You might want to explicitly disable that.

      Also, you can check if the video is being transcoded on-the-fly by going to quality settings and seeing if it’s showing up as transcoded or directplay. Sometimes you might have to force the directplay on your client device (Playback might fail if your device doesn’t support the specific format).

    • triptrapper@lemmy.worldOPEnglish
      4·
      3 months ago

      Thanks for the concise reply!

      -Streaming quality is set to original on every device I use to access Plex.

      -I still get confused about open ports, but I’ll check again and make sure it’s not running through relay.

      -I believe the hardware should be fast enough to transcode at least a couple streams, but I’ll check again.

    • CO5MO ✨@midwest.socialEnglish
      3·
      4 months ago

      The second one! That was also my issue when first setting up Plex. Found some good info on Plex forums & all is well now.

  • funkajunk@lemm.eeEnglish
    7·
    4 months ago

    Sounds like you don’t have port forwarding setup.

    I highly recommend setting up Nginx Proxy Manager and using it as a reverse proxy.

    I have lots of services, but using a reverse proxy means I only have to expose 2 ports (80 & 443) and then I can serve whatever I want, like Plex, over https without a relay.

    • triptrapper@lemmy.worldOPEnglish
      2·
      4 months ago

      Ah, Plex suggested I might be double-natted. Since fiber doesn’t need a modem (from my understanding) I have: fiber cable to box, box Ethernet to router, router ethernet to NAS. Maybe it would be better if I did box directly to NAS? Or would that put it on a separate network? I’ll look into your double-nat solution. Thank you.

  • Decronym@lemmy.decronym.xyzBEnglish
    4·
    3 months ago

    Acronyms, initialisms, abbreviations, contractions, and other phrases which expand to something larger, that I’ve seen in this thread:

    Fewer Letters More Letters
    DNS Domain Name Service/System
    HTTP Hypertext Transfer Protocol, the Web
    IP Internet Protocol
    IoT Internet of Things for device controllers
    NAS Network-Attached Storage
    NAT Network Address Translation
    Plex Brand of media server package
    SSL Secure Sockets Layer, for transparent encryption
    VPN Virtual Private Network
    nginx Popular HTTP server

    [Thread #817 for this sub, first seen 18th Jun 2024, 20:45] [FAQ] [Full list] [Contact] [Source code]

    • triptrapper@lemmy.worldOPEnglish
      2·
      3 months ago

      Remote access is enabled but whether I’m actually able to access the server or library remotely is intermittent. Plex says I may be double-natted but I was pretty sure I’m not. I’ll have to investigate again.