Placeshifter connection problem

[hb4]

Using Placeshifter successfully for years and was trying to watch the football game on Sunday and started having problems with adjusting the timeline and if finally skipped to live (which spoiled the ending!); in the process I tried deleting the comskip files.

So I decided to try and find a substitute for Placeshifter and started to fool around with VLC. Gave up and decided to wait until the game was over and then play it back with PS; but now PS won't connect.

I can see the port using a port scanner, and can 'Teamview' into the server and fire up Sage to verify the Locator and it is OK. Reinstalled PS on the remote PC; no luck. Restarted the server PC; no luck.

(I won't be back to the physical server location for a couple weeks and don't want to re-install Sage remotely).

What else can I do to troubleshoot this? -or work around?

[NetworkGuy]

Originally Posted by hb4

I can see the port using a port scanner, and can 'Teamview' into the server and fire up Sage to verify the Locator and it is OK.

What about using a media player on the server and watching it through "TeamViewer"?

[Fuzzy]

Plex is probably your best bet for remote viewing.

[hb4]

If I could install it! Plex failed needing a file only available by installing MS Visual 2015. MS Visual 2015 stalled during it's installation. Found out I needed a certain Update to install it, but the Update Notification service said one was already running. When I disabled that and re-booted, the Update wouldn't install. Dug up some older version of Plex, but couldn't find documentation. Gave up.

The file was included to add W10 features to Plex.

Tried using Teamviewer with VLC, but it staggered. Perhaps there's some VLC settings that would fix that..... worth a try.

Thanks for the suggestions.

[NetworkGuy]

PS gives you an option to connect using the IP address. Have you tried that?

[hb4]

Just tried connecting with IP address; same result. Confirmed that router passes proper ports. Placeshifter Locator test passes.

[NetworkGuy]

Have you tried using PlaceShifter from a different computer? Maybe it is something on the client side.

Also, what version of SageTV and PlaceShiter are you running? V7 PS will not connect to V9 server.

[hb4]

PS does not connect via another computer. I am using the latest version of PS, and Sage version (latest V7) is on my signature line.

I really think this has something to do with trying to get VLC or Plex to stream. I tried to install: Plex - failed; MS Visual C 2015 - failed; Update to let Visual C install - failed. And updated VLC to the latest. After that, PS stopped connecting.

[Fuzzy]

Originally Posted by NetworkGuy

Have you tried using PlaceShifter from a different computer? Maybe it is something on the client side.

Also, what version of SageTV and PlaceShiter are you running? V7 PS will not connect to V9 server.

Pretty sure v7 PS will connect to a v9 server just fine. That said, I don't think version is an issue. If installing MS patches on the server stopped it working, It's probably firewall related.

[hb4]

Turned Windows Firewall off; no luck. The Placeshifter Connection Test comes back successful. Netstat says 31099 is listening to the server. Router says 31099 is forwarded to the server.

Does the Connection Test actually verify that PS can get through the port and any firewalls?

The Windows Update failed with a message something like: This update doesn't apply to your operating system, so it never got a chance to hose things. VLC streaming is failing with a 'failure to connect' error, so I suspect it's having the same problem, whatever it is.

[Fuzzy]

Originally Posted by hb4

Turned Windows Firewall off; no luck. The Placeshifter Connection Test comes back successful. Netstat says 31099 is listening to the server. Router says 31099 is forwarded to the server.

Does the Connection Test actually verify that PS can get through the port and any firewalls?

The Windows Update failed with a message something like: This update doesn't apply to your operating system, so it never got a chance to hose things. VLC streaming is failing with a 'failure to connect' error, so I suspect it's having the same problem, whatever it is.

It may, then, just be a networking issue between them - something not allowing a non-standard port to connect. I have a reroute on my router to push port 21 (I think) to the server's 31099 port, which allows me to use placeshifter from work (where 31099 outgoing is blocked). You can tell placeshifter to connect to a different port by directing it to IP:Port.

[hb4]

Originally Posted by Fuzzy

I have a reroute on my router to push port 21 (I think) to the server's 31099 port, which allows me to use placeshifter from work (where 31099 outgoing is blocked). You can tell placeshifter to connect to a different port by directing it to IP:Port.

So I'd create a rule for port 21 that changes Lan side port to 31099 per this feature of my Buffalo router?

LAN Side Port

When TCP/UDP is specified as the translation protocol and a single port number is specified, LAN side port number can be changed.
Default value is blank. When blank is set, port number of communication packet is not changed.
You can set port numbers from 1-65535. You cannot specify multiple port numbers at once.

[hb4]

Mea Culpa.....

At some point during the whole VLC/Plex fiasco I must have changed settings on my remote router where I was trying to access PC (not the router where the server is located) from 'minimum security' to 'typical security' (which requires port forwarding for external access). Changed it back and Bob's yer uncle.

Begs the question... what port needs to be opened at the PC end to allow it to stream?

[KarylFStein]

Originally Posted by hb4

Mea Culpa.....

At some point during the whole VLC/Plex fiasco I must have changed settings on my remote router where I was trying to access PC (not the router where the server is located) from 'minimum security' to 'typical security' (which requires port forwarding for external access). Changed it back and Bob's yer uncle.

Begs the question... what port needs to be opened at the PC end to allow it to stream?

I'd try 31099.

[Fuzzy]

31099 is the only port required to be open between Placeshifter and the server.

[hb4]

So if I wanted switch back to 'typical security' setting on my PC end router (which didn't work with just the server end router set to 31099), would I also set the PC end to 31099?

I suspect the answer is 'who knows what the PC end router is doing?. This is a Frontier modem/router with a goofy interface.

[hb4]

Just a follow up....

After getting PS to work, I decided to pursue Fuzzy's suggestion of Plex. It turns out that my W7 server software wouldn't install Plex's newest version because I've stopped accepting Windows updates. I found an earlier version, but the client wouldn't connect (I suspect it's because of a Plex check that the server is running the latest version).

So I installed EMBY and it's working pretty well so far. Good quality, Sage recordings show up in the Library, etc.

So for now, I have the choice of Placeshifter or EMBY. The ideal, of course, would be EMBY quality in Placeshifter; the Sage approach is head and shoulders above the alternatives (I can live without the artwork until I experiment with Phoenix,etc.)

[KarylFStein]

Did you have to do anything special to get Sage recordings to show up in Emby? I never got that to work.

[hb4]

Originally Posted by KarylFStein

Did you have to do anything special to get Sage recordings to show up in Emby? I never got that to work.

Nothing special; just added the folders as "TV Shows'. They'll play in Empy remotely, but I can't cast them to my new Chromecast device. I can pair and start them in Emby but when I cast them nothing happens on the screen. I'm on the road and ran out of Verizon data, so have put the testing on hold for a week.

[KarylFStein]

Originally Posted by hb4

Nothing special; just added the folders as "TV Shows'. They'll play in Empy remotely, but I can't cast them to my new Chromecast device. I can pair and start them in Emby but when I cast them nothing happens on the screen. I'm on the road and ran out of Verizon data, so have put the testing on hold for a week.

OK, I tried again and saw nothing...until I went to the Episodes tab. They were there, but more of a file list view with no real ordering, grouping of shows or metadata. I could watch them, but like you casting did not work.