Running Plex in Multiple Vehicles
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@Grey said in Running Plex in Multiple Vehicles:
https://syncthing.net/ should work to sync devices. You could consider a vpn config to the buses and cron the openvpn connections from each pi to be at regular intervals to account for the buses being in places without a signal.
We have cellular in the bus. He wants syncing to occur when they are connected to Wifi which I have to figure out
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@wirestyle22 said in Running Plex in Multiple Vehicles:
@Grey said in Running Plex in Multiple Vehicles:
Set your wifi to have a capture page that directs users to the web page and then there's no need for the plex app, which would require internet access to the apple/google store.
Then they are playing it through a browser. Definitely a worse experience.
But it avoids the app install issue and you can still full-screen the videos. Otherwise, with the app, people have to install (need internet), create accounts on plex, be confused on connecting to a server that's a local network... But, hey, you're in IT and you love tickets, right?
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@Grey said in Running Plex in Multiple Vehicles:
@wirestyle22 said in Running Plex in Multiple Vehicles:
@Grey said in Running Plex in Multiple Vehicles:
Set your wifi to have a capture page that directs users to the web page and then there's no need for the plex app, which would require internet access to the apple/google store.
Then they are playing it through a browser. Definitely a worse experience.
But it avoids the app install issue and you can still full-screen the videos. Otherwise, with the app, people have to install (need internet), create accounts on Plex, be confused on connecting to a server that's a local network... But, hey, you're in IT and you love tickets, right?
They are connected to the mobile router. Shouldn't be a problem to dl it. I'll poll users to see what they prefer though
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@wirestyle22 said in Running Plex in Multiple Vehicles:
@Grey said in Running Plex in Multiple Vehicles:
@wirestyle22 said in Running Plex in Multiple Vehicles:
@Grey said in Running Plex in Multiple Vehicles:
Set your wifi to have a capture page that directs users to the web page and then there's no need for the plex app, which would require internet access to the apple/google store.
Then they are playing it through a browser. Definitely a worse experience.
But it avoids the app install issue and you can still full-screen the videos. Otherwise, with the app, people have to install (need internet), create accounts on Plex, be confused on connecting to a server that's a local network... But, hey, you're in IT and you love tickets, right?
They are connected to the mobile router. Shouldn't be a problem to dl it. I'll poll users to see what they prefer.
Try this: can your average grandma get the video to play? Ask your least competent driver to do some troubleshooting as if you weren't there.
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@Grey said in Running Plex in Multiple Vehicles:
@wirestyle22 said in Running Plex in Multiple Vehicles:
@Grey said in Running Plex in Multiple Vehicles:
@wirestyle22 said in Running Plex in Multiple Vehicles:
@Grey said in Running Plex in Multiple Vehicles:
Set your wifi to have a capture page that directs users to the web page and then there's no need for the plex app, which would require internet access to the apple/google store.
Then they are playing it through a browser. Definitely a worse experience.
But it avoids the app install issue and you can still full-screen the videos. Otherwise, with the app, people have to install (need internet), create accounts on Plex, be confused on connecting to a server that's a local network... But, hey, you're in IT and you love tickets, right?
They are connected to the mobile router. Shouldn't be a problem to dl it. I'll poll users to see what they prefer.
Try this: can your average grandma get the video to play? Ask your least competent driver to do some troubleshooting as if you weren't there.
These buses are being used specifically for college tours so its mostly young kids looking at colleges with their parents
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@wirestyle22 said in Running Plex in Multiple Vehicles:
@Grey said in Running Plex in Multiple Vehicles:
@wirestyle22 said in Running Plex in Multiple Vehicles:
@Grey said in Running Plex in Multiple Vehicles:
@wirestyle22 said in Running Plex in Multiple Vehicles:
@Grey said in Running Plex in Multiple Vehicles:
Set your wifi to have a capture page that directs users to the web page and then there's no need for the plex app, which would require internet access to the apple/google store.
Then they are playing it through a browser. Definitely a worse experience.
But it avoids the app install issue and you can still full-screen the videos. Otherwise, with the app, people have to install (need internet), create accounts on Plex, be confused on connecting to a server that's a local network... But, hey, you're in IT and you love tickets, right?
They are connected to the mobile router. Shouldn't be a problem to dl it. I'll poll users to see what they prefer.
Try this: can your average grandma get the video to play? Ask your least competent driver to do some troubleshooting as if you weren't there.
These buses are being used specifically for college tours so its mostly young kids looking at colleges with their parents
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You definitely do not want to use plex. It is not designed for this.
I don’t have a solution to replace it, but plex is not the right solution.
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@JaredBusch said in Running Plex in Multiple Vehicles:
You definitely do not want to use plex. It is not designed for this.
I don’t have a solution to replace it, but plex is not the right solution.
I agree, it feels like this would be easy on the server side, but really weird and complicated for the end users.
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@scottalanmiller said in Running Plex in Multiple Vehicles:
@JaredBusch said in Running Plex in Multiple Vehicles:
You definitely do not want to use plex. It is not designed for this.
I don’t have a solution to replace it, but plex is not the right solution.
I agree, it feels like this would be easy on the server side, but really weird and complicated for the end users.
Which is why I said you'd have to limit to web browsers, really.
I think, from an ease of use perspective, @op could just have a tomcat server with links to the videos in a player format, buuuuuut he said ....
way to view hundreds to thousands of movies inside of our buses
Soooo... plex would actually work on the guest setting with web browsers and a simple wifi guest portal to redirect.
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Instead of Plex what about using Kodi on a Raspberry Pi device?
https://kodi.tv/
https://kodi.wiki/view/Raspberry_Pi -
@black3dynamite said in Running Plex in Multiple Vehicles:
Instead of Plex what about using Kodi on a Raspberry Pi device?
https://kodi.tv/
https://kodi.wiki/view/Raspberry_PiHow does this solve the problem of multiple people watching one device? That’s not something I’ve ever seen from Kodi.
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@wirestyle22 said in Running Plex in Multiple Vehicles:
We own a license that allows us to redistribute the media that would be streamed to the TV and also any of their mobile devices.
Is this a license that can be subscribed to, like our church uses for hymns and songs? A single license that covers a great deal of material?
What is this license called?
Thanks.
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@black3dynamite said in Running Plex in Multiple Vehicles:
Instead of Plex what about using Kodi on a Raspberry Pi device?
https://kodi.tv/
https://kodi.wiki/view/Raspberry_PiIsn't this essentially the same thing? Also Kodi isn't compatible with as many devices (or even close to as many). Seems to be the worse option of the two unless I am missing something
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@JaredBusch said in Running Plex in Multiple Vehicles:
@black3dynamite said in Running Plex in Multiple Vehicles:
Instead of Plex what about using Kodi on a Raspberry Pi device?
https://kodi.tv/
https://kodi.wiki/view/Raspberry_PiHow does this solve the problem of multiple people watching one device? That’s not something I’ve ever seen from Kodi.
I was thinking of the users accessing Kodi via the web interface to watch movies.
https://kodi.wiki/view/Web_interface -
@black3dynamite said in Running Plex in Multiple Vehicles:
@JaredBusch said in Running Plex in Multiple Vehicles:
@black3dynamite said in Running Plex in Multiple Vehicles:
Instead of Plex what about using Kodi on a Raspberry Pi device?
https://kodi.tv/
https://kodi.wiki/view/Raspberry_PiHow does this solve the problem of multiple people watching one device? That’s not something I’ve ever seen from Kodi.
I was thinking of the users accessing Kodi via the web interface to watch movies.
https://kodi.wiki/view/Web_interfaceThat's no different than using Plex with web browser. And last time I used Kodi, it was just the client, there was no server component. You pointed Kodi at location with your media and it did its thing. Plex has a central server and clients to access it.
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I haven't tried these steps but this is what have so far.
Bus1-plex
- Install ZeroTier
- Install Syncthing
- Install Plex
Bus2-plex
- Install ZeroTier
- Install Syncthing
- Install Plex
Bus3-plex
- Install ZeroTier
- Install Syncthing
- Install Plex
Bus4-plex
- Install ZeroTier
- Install Syncthing
- Install Plex
Setup ZeroTier and make sure each bus plex server can talk to each other.
Use Syncthing to sync the movies between Bus1, Bus2, Bus3 and Bus4 plex server.
Create a generic plex account with a valid email address. Share your libraries to that generic account.
And maybe setup nginx reverse proxy on each server and some how pass the authentication using token within the URL to auto login.
https://support.plex.tv/articles/204059436-finding-an-authentication-token-x-plex-token/
https://forums.plex.tv/t/how-to-request-a-x-plex-token-token-for-your-app/84551 -
For the most part it looks like a solid plan / fun project. I'd see about a platform that's got strong built-in browser support and video focus. I've never used plex and can't speak to Kodi's web-interface but had come across jellyfin when looking at media server options (jellyfin.org) They've got a demo instance you can play with and it looks reasonably slick. As far as making it dummy-proof, my first instinct would be to add a simple dns entry and configure guest / unauthorized access (your access control is already managed by whether or not the person / device is allowed to access the bus' wifi, so additional authentication seems excessive).
Syncthing is what came to mind for keeping the content up to date across the fleet, although I'd add a central node at the garage where you'd have the main/master copy of the library as a send-only node.
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@notverypunny said in Running Plex in Multiple Vehicles:
For the most part it looks like a solid plan / fun project. I'd see about a platform that's got strong built-in browser support and video focus. I've never used plex and can't speak to Kodi's web-interface but had come across jellyfin when looking at media server options (jellyfin.org) They've got a demo instance you can play with and it looks reasonably slick. As far as making it dummy-proof, my first instinct would be to add a simple dns entry and configure guest / unauthorized access (your access control is already managed by whether or not the person / device is allowed to access the bus' wifi, so additional authentication seems excessive).
Syncthing is what came to mind for keeping the content up to date across the fleet, although I'd add a central node at the garage where you'd have the main/master copy of the library as a send-only node.
Jellyfin is a fork of Emby, main competitor of Plex. It's nice, but it's really lacking in device support, and imho has a very low "wife approval factor". Plex is just more mature, polished, well supported product.
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@marcinozga Good to know, I was just looking at the web interface, so device support wasn't even something that I'd looked at. WAF is one of those things that I've yet to figure out... but I don't think anyone has a line on a solution for it
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@black3dynamite said in Running Plex in Multiple Vehicles:
I haven't tried these steps but this is what have so far.
Bus1-plex
- Install ZeroTier
- Install Syncthing
- Install Plex
Bus2-plex
- Install ZeroTier
- Install Syncthing
- Install Plex
Bus3-plex
- Install ZeroTier
- Install Syncthing
- Install Plex
Bus4-plex
- Install ZeroTier
- Install Syncthing
- Install Plex
Setup ZeroTier and make sure each bus plex server can talk to each other.
Use Syncthing to sync the movies between Bus1, Bus2, Bus3 and Bus4 plex server.
Create a generic plex account with a valid email address. Share your libraries to that generic account.
And maybe setup nginx reverse proxy on each server and some how pass the authentication using token within the URL to auto login.
https://support.plex.tv/articles/204059436-finding-an-authentication-token-x-plex-token/
https://forums.plex.tv/t/how-to-request-a-x-plex-token-token-for-your-app/84551Zerotier would use cellular in this case. They want to keep this self-contained and just have a script run to copy new files to each bus when they connect to the wifi at HQ when the bus is no longer in use.
