Plex VPN: Configuration, Details, Routing & Port Forwarding Guide

Plex media server is one of the leading entertainment platform for viewers around the world. It offers access to latest movies, songs, and channels from all over the world.

Where Plex is a great entertainment suite for users, it can often lead to trouble. First world countries including USA, UK, Canada, and even Australia have restricted content access. Anyone who tries to access this restricted content is illegally watching it. So, in order to remain anonymous, users tend to go with VPN servers. VPN servers keep the users anonymous while they watch their favourite shows.

Why we need VPN for Plex?

VPN are necessary for watching Plex from your computer while remaining anonymous. The VPN servers keep the identity anonymous while providing a seamless connection between Plex and your device, providing a enticing entertainment experience with zero restrictions. In short, you can use plex vpn to bypass channel security.

The problem arises when users have to make a choice between various Plex VPN companies. We have tried to help them by providing a detailed comparison of the 5 best VPN for Plex. This will allow the users to watch geo-restricted data safely and anonymously.

Here is the complete list:

Best VPN for Plex Media Server

Plex allows its users to watch content from geo-restricted websites. This content is blocked in other regions and users can easily land themselves in jail for watching the content illegally. However, these best VPNs for Plex media servers are a great way to keep you anonymous at all times.

After selecting VPN out of these, you can watch content from BBC iPlayer, HBO, ESPN, NBC, USTV, and other geo-restricted channels.

1- NordVPN

We have kept NordVPN on top of our list because it is compatible with all geographical regions. The service offers 5000+ servers in more than 62 countries. You can easily watch geo-restricted content from UK, USA, and Australia. It lets users stream all video and audio content available on Plex media center.

2- SurfShark

3- IPVanish

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IPVanish is a simple and fast Plex VPN service. It was essentially developed to cater to the growing need for anonymity in the online world. It has more than 850 servers in over 23 countries. IPVanish is a great choice for anyone looking to stream movies or play games online. The best thing about IPVanish is that it completely removes the hassle of buffering during online streaming.

4- PureVPN

PureVPN offers complete internet freedom to the Plex media server users. Whether they want to watch their favourite show, or just browse the internet in a restriction-less manner, PureVPN service can do that for them. It has over 4000 servers in more than 60 countries. Unlike others, PureVPN offers a complete money back guarantee and is available with a free trial. It also offers plex vpn apk for watching shows on mobile. The VPN service also offers plex vpn invitation code with great discount.

5- ExpressVPN

ExpressVPN offers an unobtrusive way of watching movies and tv shows on Plex home media suite. It does all that while keeping your identity secure from authorities and hackers. The ExpressVPN service offers servers in 94 countries so users can easily select a server of their choice. It is available on Android, iOS, Windows, and Linux. It also offers a 30 day money back guarantee so users can try the service with ease.

Bypass Geo-Blocks on Plex Through VPN

When you tune into any channel on Plex from outside of USA, you will automatically get a prompt saying that ‘This channel is only available to US residents.’ This happens because the channel’s algorithm automatically detects the IP address and bars your entry. But if you are using a VPN, you can instantly watch the tv channel without any additional prompts.

A VPN site did an experiment in which they tried to tune into CBS channel, and they were instantly greeted by the following message.

Then they used a plex VPN server and US IP to connect to the same channel on Plex. They were able to bypass the channel’s restrictions easily.

That’s why it is essential for Plex viewers to get a VPN server to easily access geo-restricted content from their media theatre.

How to use Plex with VPN

Well there are so many benefits of using Plex VPN. Let’s learn how to configure it with Plex entertainment suite.

In our example, we will be using SurfShark with Plex media center. The setup is quite easy. No manual configuration or coding is required in your behalf. Start Plex VPN download and install to your desktop.

• After installation, open SurfShark and click on its settings tab.
• It will ask you to enter your username and password.
• Now select a location of server. It is important that you select United States, if you want to watch US based TV channels or movies.
• Once, done hit enter to connect.
• The connection between the proxy server and your computer will be automatically established, and you can verify that from the SurfShark dashboard.

Plex Remote Access VPN

You can watch Plex remotely without a VPN easily. But once you enable a VPN connection for Plex, remote connection won’t work because most VPN servers are not configured for port forwarding.

So, to remotely access VPN with Plex, here are two options that you can try.

1. Go to your VPN server’s settings and forward the port to ‘32400’, same internal port as Plex Server.
2. Another option is to enable port forwarding by entering the advanced area of your VPN. This setting is only practiced on Private Internet Access (PIA) VPN for Plex. So, test with other VPN servers to make sure that it works.

• After forwarding the port, select a gateway:
• Netherlands
• Switzerland
• Canada
• Romania
• After connecting to one of your chosen gateways, hover mouse over the System Tray or Menu Bar icon. You will see a tooltip displaying the port number. For example: Connected – CA Toronto [Port: 24050].
• Add this to Plex software in the section ‘Manually specify port.’ Now click ‘publish server.’ It will take a few minutes to publish. That’s it.

Use Plex with Open VPN

Here is how to use Plex with OpenVPN. OpenVPN is a networking software that provides end-to-end security and encryption for bridged connections. You can use OpenVPN with your current VPN server.

Let’s see how it can be configured for Plex.

Find default gateway

If you are on Windows, then find default gateway.

Go to CMD and enter the following command.

ipconfig | find “Default Gateway”

Note the IP address shown.

Find all PLEX IP addresses

Similarly, you can will have to find the Plex IP address. Again, open CMD and type the following command.

nslookup my.plexapp.com

Note all addresses that appear in the CMD.

Now add custom routes to OpenVPN configurations.

Adding Custom Routes to OVPN

Here are some dummy addresses that we found by running the above command. Our Plex configuration pointed to the following servers.

184.72.32.81

184.169.183.121

50.18.115.47

184.72.61.129

50.18.176.149

50.18.182.212

Change Format of Plex IP

You need to turn the IP addresses into the following format:

route [plexaddresses] 255.255.255.255 [yourgateway]

Here, we have turned the default gateway in the following format. Below is the result.

route 184.169.183.121 255.255.255.255 10.10.10.1

route 50.18.182.212 255.255.255.255 10.10.10.1

route 50.18.176.149 255.255.255.255 10.10.10.1

route 50.18.115.47 255.255.255.255 10.10.10.1

route 184.72.32.81 255.255.255.255 10.10.10.1

route 184.72.61.129 255.255.255.255 10.10.10.1

Now add these to your OVPN configuration file and then try to connect to Plex for remote access.

Please note: You will need to add 32400 port number within Plex port settings.

How to add channels on Plex

• Choose a channel in the sidebar and click install
• You may need to select a category before installing the channel
• Confirm the installation selection
• It will appear in the Channels list after installation

If you are using an unsupported App store, you can watch many more channels. Here is how to add App store to Plex.

• First of all download WebTools software from GitHub.
• Unzip WebTools.bundle.
• Add the extracted files to Plex Plugins folder.
• On Windows, go to %LOCALAPPDATA%\Plex Media Server\Plug-ins\ and add the files.
• Now, go to Plex > Channels > Unsupported AppStore.
• Open the URL available in App store in your browser.
• Now, log in with your Plex credentials and install a channel of your choice.

Plex VPN Mac Installation Process

You can also install Plex VPN on Mac to watch TV, movies, shows and more. Here is how to do that.

• Download and run the Plex installer.
• It will launch a browser and ask you to sign in to your account
• After accepting terms and conditions, a setup wizard will start to install Plex on your Mac.
• Once done, open Plex media server and start browsing. It is this simple!

VPN bypass for Plex media server

One problem associated with Plex VPN is that sometimes it gets difficult to route data through the VPN’s IP address. This problem was solved by a Plex user who created a script so Plex uses the VPN’s IP address instead of the PCs IP address. You can use the same script for your system.

Here is how to do it:

First download the file from Plex forums. Now follow the following steps if you are on Windows 7 or a higher version:

Launch run in windows and then type ‘Taskschd.msc.’ Create a task and give it some name. Click Ok and go to ‘triggers’ tab. Click on ‘New.’

Go to ‘Begin the task’ and select ‘At startup.’ Also check the box ‘Repeat task every 1 hour’ and set the duration to ‘Indefinitely.’

Now move over to the ‘Action’ tab and select ‘New.’ Now, browse the script you downloaded from the above link. Select it from the browser menu and hit ‘Ok.’ Click ‘Ok’ again once the file is available under ‘Actions’ tab.

This will allow you to access Plex media server easily through a VPN.

Plex Server Static IP

Plex can work just fine on a dynamic IP address. But if you want a static IP, you can get it from your ISP. The Static IP can be assigned to Plex from SETTING>SERVER>CONNECT. But that isn’t necessary as Plex searches for an IP address every 10 minutes.

You can find the IP address of Plex server from desktop, as is described here.

Type http://server.local.ip.address:32400/web into the address bar (e.g “http://192.168.1.5:32400/web”).

Plex VPN: How to Forward Port?

Plex Home Media Theatre works well with a static IP address or a direct internet connection. When using a VPN, the IP address changes and so does the port number. So, in order to forward port to the Plex’s specific port, watch this video.

The video shows how you can forward a port number 50000 to internet port in Plex 32400 from your Cisco router. However, it will work the same for your router but the layout will be a little different.

Forwarding a port is essential if you experience frequent disconnectivity while using Plex entertainment center with a VPN and would like to avoid that in future. We have already discussed how you can change the port by using a certain script. So if this way doesn’t work you can try that one or vice versa.

VPN with Plex and XfinityTV

You can use Plex with XfinityTV to watch streaming content and movies available. XfinityTV is a web based TV channel that offers latest movies and TV shows for $50 per month. However, if you are using Plex, you can get a plugin to install XfinityTV on your connected device.

The configuration requires that you are on your home network because without it you can’t watch Xfinity TV movies and shows. So, to get to your home network, you need a VPN.

The video provides complete details on how you can connect to your home network using a VPN server.

Bottom-line:

Plex is one of the best home theater for watching movies, game shows, and tune into channels that are available not available in your country. Use the best VPN for Plex to easily connect your computer and watch unlimited shown anonymously.