How to Setup Remote Viewing (when traveling)

Hi, Can you inform me on how to setup the server so I can watch all my channels remotely? I assume I need to install the app on the remote TV? Can I also watch recorded movies at the remote site? Also, I have server on a Synology NAS. Do I need to change remote access settings on it as well? All settings, permissions, and special hints would be appreciated!

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Tailscale, brother. Just download, install, sign-up or login and done.

I agree. My server runs on a windows machine and I can easily remote in via tailscale. Tailscale is safer because you dont have to open any ports on your router.

If you connect your Channels DVR computer/system to Tailscale, can you still access it on your LAN with local clients?

Yes, absolutely.

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But do the clients have to be logged in to your tailnet too? (that's really what I meant in my question and forgot to mention it) :wink:

Yes the remote clients do. Or any clients that want to use the tailnet IP

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My apologies... I'm having trouble expressing myself today.

It's clear to me that remote clients need to be on your tailnet in order to connect to a Channels DVR server that is using Tailscale.

Let me rephrase my original question...

If I have local clients on my LAN that are not connected to the tailnet, can they still access the local server directly if the server is connected to the tailnet?
Or, in other words, does Tailscale cut off the access on the LAN?

Am I making sense? :grin:

No it doesn't impact your LAN

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Great. Thank you for confirming.

I installed Tailscale on NAS. What's next? So do I need to also install Tailscale on the client (phone, PC, or other TV)? Any other steps?

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It’s in the documentation linked above.

Talescale will need to be installed on any device that will be using the Tailnet to access yoru resources.
Tv, computer, phone.
When you setup the channels app to connect, you will choose connect at home and enter the ip address provided by talescale for the device hosting the channels server.
if all goes right, channels will remember the address and any time you have Talescale enabled on the client device, it wil connect.

I have the feature enabled on my Channels server and it works great.

Thanks for all the help.

Also, if I have Tailscale on a device, like a phone, does that mean the phone goes through the VPN Tailscale for all apps and uses, or just for the Channels app?

No, the tailscale connection is only used to access devices that are on your tailscale network through the special tailscale IPs or MagicDNS device names.

All other network traffic is unaffected.

It is not a VPN like Nord that all your traffic routes through one of their servers.

As I type this message, members of my family are watching a TV show from a remote location and it's going through Tailscale. First time using it.

The remote client is a TiVo Stream 4K. I installed the Tailscale app on it yesterday and I logged in to the tailnet.
I also configured Channels DVR to use Tailscale, obviously.

On first try today, got a call from my wife because she got the "connection failed" screen at first.
I double checked and I could see all devices on the tailnet.

To get it working, she had to choose connect at home but auto discovery did not work. The IP address of the server on the tailnet had to be entered manually. Well, technically, thanks to MagicDNS, I told her to enter "dvr-server" instead of the actual IP address and it worked! :slightly_smiling_face:

I then proceeded to delete the port forwarding rule in my router. Now my router is not exposed.

What's cool now is that I can see on the server that they are watching and it shows up as if it was local. It shows the name of the device instead of the remote IP address.

1000012212

Nice! :smiley:

This is the proper way for a VPN as it is a local connection.

Autodiscovery will only work on a local network.

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Hum...I use open port 8089 and my iMac IP address so now you have me worried, should I not do that? Is Tailscale hard to setup?

It is fine to do it that way. Some people think that opening a port is like leaving your car running with the keys in it at the gas station while you run inside. It’s not like that, just keep your iMac up to date and you’ll be fine. A better comparison would be opening a port is like leaving your car locked and going inside with the keys in your pocket. Ports closed is like locking your car and putting one of those club steering wheel lock things on and going inside with the keys in your pocket. Both are pretty safe but if someone really really wants to steal your car and they have the right skills, they will find a way to steal your car. Do you put a club on your steering wheel every time you leave your car? Ironically it’s the people that don’t have a car and ride the subway that are the first to tell you to use a club at all times.

The channels team has developed remote access via opening a port to be safe. They have also developed using Tailscale with channels to be safe. Tailscale was a way for customers with services like T-Mobile internet to use remotely because using the open port way can’t work with cgnat.