Remote Jellyfin/Plex Streaming On Old Server - OK, On New Server - Buffering

[pr0927]

Hi all, I'm a bit of a networking noob but trying to learn! I reused old PC parts and built a (very overkill) OPNsense router for my home network. It'd been working fine for a while with my existing UnRAID server for Plex streaming out on port 32400.

Recently, I built a new server (TrueNAS Scale) and in the hopes of switching over to Jellyfin, I set that up. It works perfectly on the local network - very smooth.

But remotely? Transcoding or direct play - constant buffering. Plex did not do this on the old server. Jellyfin is setup to be reached via reverse proxy (Traefik on TrueNAS Scale - TrueCharts apps getting used).

I am just so confused after weeks and weeks of troubleshooting. I've asked for help on the TrueCharts Discord and Jellyfin forums. Sadly no resolution. The TrueCharts folks seemed somewhat certain it had to do with my networking setup on OPNsense.

Then yesterday, I setup Plex on the new server - same buffering issue. Matched "old Plex" settings nearly identically - only difference being that it is using port 42400, since the old server has the usually-used 32400 taken for "old Plex."

Now the funny thing is, if I try to test a remote stream to my phone or my wife's phone - on data - it does NOT buffer if I toggle a ProtonVPN connection on. In fact, it will stream 4K HDR content via Jellyfin, at full resolution, flawlessly - but only if ProtonVPN is toggled "on" my phone.

This is why I come here - I tested transcoding versus direct play, different versions of the TrueNAS Scale apps, and different clients. I must have something configured wrong, and I'm too much of an amateur to know what. Why is traffic from my UnRAID box being treated fine, but from my TrueNAS server not?

I did also notice that the OPNsense router reports an ever-increasing number of "errors in" on the LAN interface.

Moreover, since streaming works perfectly on the local network on both the TrueNAS and UnRAID builds - but poorly when remote for TrueNAS, this points to some networking-related woes, right?

Relevant info - the TrueNAS Scale server is much beefier. My ISP provides 940Mbps down, and 35Mbps up (Spectrum). Internal networks all use 10Gbps ports and cables. The TrueNAS Scale server has two built-in 10Gbe LAN ports I am not using (they were getting really hot - like 80-90 degrees Celsius doing nothing) so i have a PCIe NIC with an SFP+ port for network connectivity. IPv6 is disabled where possible, and the TrueNAS Scale build is using a "bridged" network adapter setup so that the VMs on there can communicate with the host server (and so one of them, a Home Assistant VM, can receive reverse proxy treatment from Traefik).

I have many more specific details at this thread as to the setup and what I witnessed - this was posted before I found "new Plex" to behaving the same way on the new server:

https://forum.jellyfin.org/t-very-strange-remote-buffering-problem


Would super appreciate any guidance. I have screenshots of my OPNsense setup (and other configurations) that I'm more than happy to provide for assistance.

Today I actually intend to rebuild my router and reinstall OPNsense - I doubt this will fix anything, but who knows!

Thanks in advance for whatever wisdom might be imparted to me!

[RamSense]

Have you tested what happens when you install VPN op your OPNsense (e.g. Wireguard or Openvpn) and connect your Iphone to the VPN on your OPNsense and play something with Jellyfin?
When that also runs smooth I think it has to do with your Jellyfin settings.

I have just installed jellyfin this week and have it only locally available. And when away by connecting to vpn - jellyfin. That all works very good. And with jellyfin only locally available (and with vpn) more secure.

[pr0927]

So funnily enough,  I do have WireGuard setup for me to remotely connect to my home network. I had thought the same thing as you and toggled that on my phone and gave it a whirl - I expected it to work as well as local network streaming or when my phone was routing through ProtonVPN.

To my shock - it had no improvement. Still lots of buffering.

But also, now that this is happening with "new Plex" on the new server too,  it makes me think the settings at fault are not within Jellyfin, but something on the network side of things.

[RamSense]

Have you done a speed test on local wifi on your iphone and than with cellular and vpn to see if you can get somewhat near your ISP speeds and in regards to your cellular connection?
When that is ok also, than maybe it has to do with your networking settings indeed, or your reverse proxy settings?

[pr0927]

Alright, I ran some speed tests on my phone, and here is what I got:

WiFi - 776.80Mbps down
WiFi with ProtonVPN Toggled On - 245.26Mbps down
Mobile Data - 436.95Mbps down
Mobile Data with ProtonVPN Toggled On - 164.14Mbps


It has streamed without issue when on WiFi (with or without ProtonVPN) and when on mobile data (with ProtonVPN). Doesn't seem to be any discernible information from these speeds haha.

[RamSense]

What happens when you set in jellyfin:
Dashboard - network - server adress - lan networks
and add your wireguard ip and lan network

[pr0927]

So, weirdest thing - I was going to try that, but I had already rebuilt my OPNsense router and reinstalled it/set it up from scratch. The WireGuard tunnel was the last thing I was going to set up - before I did, I experimentally gave the Jellyfin server a test run.

It worked, no issues. something was wrong on the old setup. I was super careful in toggling things, and then ironically, had a really hard time getting my old Plex server remotely accessible - the "plex.direct" thing hadn't "taken." Did a lot of random things from forum posts online and after a few things and a reboot, that worked too.

Hilariously, I took down my Plex server the next day, but never really knew exactly what setting got it to work. Not sure why Jellyfin works fine now too on this. Kind of afraid to even breathe on the router, lest I mess it up.

In the end, looks like the culprit was the router - I'd blame the hardware, since I did change out NICs, but presumably that would have caused issues on the old Plex server, while I only had issues on the new Plex and Jellyfin servers (TrueNAS Scale system). Might have been some setting(s) somewhere, improperly made NAT/firewall rules, or maybe just plain old file/configuration corruption?

Who knows. But boy am I glad it works now (knock on wood!).

[RamSense]

 :)glad it is working now and backup the opnsense/router config ;-)