plex-cgnot

A Python script to access Plex behind CGNAT using an ngrok tunnel.
You can use Plex behind CGNAT using an ngrok tunnel regularly, but you'll have to change Plex configuration every time you reboot and open a new tunnel. Given that on a free ngrok plan, you don't get to choose the ngrok IP you're given, I opted to write a simple script to open a tunnel and set the tunnel IP in Plex.
Installation is described for Windows, but should work for other operating systems similarly.

Installation

Plex Media Server Setup

• Get and Setup Plex Media Server from https://www.plex.tv/media-server-downloads/#plex-media-server.
• Make sure you have some media.
• Disable Remote Access.
• Optimally set all quality settings to original.

ngrok Setup

• Sign up for ngrok at https://dashboard.ngrok.com/signup
• Download ngrok for Windows.
• Unzip and run ngrok.exe.
• Connect your ngrok account as described in the ngrok dashboard. (Enter ngrok authtoken XYZ into the cmd window, replace XYZ with your actual authtoken). Close the window.
• Open the ngrok config file (C:\Users\<Your Username>\.ngrok2\ngrok.yml) with notepad and add in the region in a new line as region: us or equivalent as per these codes:
  • us: United States (Default)
  • eu: Europe
  • ap: Asia Pacific
  • au: Australia
  • sa: South Africa
  • jp: Japan
  • in: India
• Relaunch ngrok.exe and type in ngrok tcp 32400. You should see session status information. You may close the window.

Python Setup

• Go to https://www.python.org/downloads/ and install python 3 for your machine. Make sure to add Python to PATH.
• Go to cmd and type in the following:
  • python --version — you should see your python version.
  • pip install --upgrade pip
  • pip install pyngrok
  • pip install plexapi
  • pip list — you should see pyngrok and PlexAPI.
• You may close the window.

The Final Stretch

• Go to any media in your Plex library.
• Go to the Kebab Menu (⋮)
• Click on Get Info
• Click on View XML — a new tab should open up.
• Go to the very end of the URL. You should see a 20 character string after X-Plex-Token=. Copy this string.
• Download plex-ngrok-tunnel.py from this GitHub repository. Right click and Edit with IDLE (or another editor if you're familiar).
• Go to line 6 and replace <your-token-here> with the copied string. (Make sure its in quotes). Save and Close.
• Now, run plex-ngrok-tunnel.py. As long as you keep this window open, you will have a way to Plex Media Server through a CGNAT thanks to an ngrok tunnel. I recommend leaving it open in another desktop.
• Plex should work now outside your network. If you go to Plex settings and then network, turn on advanced settings, you should see a URL in Custom server access URLs.
• If you play from outside your network, you can get original quality, and it shows up as a local connection in Plex Dashboard.

Troubleshooting

• Make sure Plex Media Server is open before running the script.
• Make sure Remote Access is turned off, leaving it on may prevent Plex from making secure connections.
• You can only run one ngrok tunnel at a time with a free account, but there are no bandwidth caps.
• For any other help, do raise an issue in this repository.