NEW: DVR Server + Tailscale integration, for easier Away from Home access (Experimental)

I put Tailscale on a Chromecast with GTV device and the Tailscale connection didn't stay active a day later. Does it not stay active all the time?

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Windows and Linux computers, yes Tailscale will be persistent.

Phones, tablets and streaming sticks, no. On Android and iOS devices, restarts require re-enabling Tailscale.

With a streaming stick, as long as there's power to it (typically recommended), and there are no OS updates, you can go for long periods with Tailscale remaining connected.

That's probably the issue. I will see what I can do to figure that out. Thanks!

One request. Would it be possible for the client to store one or more ip addresses so that one could either select from stored ip addresses or enter a new one?

The reason is that the (android) client can sometimes be balky at connecting and each time through one has to enter an ip address. On some of my clients that means an on screen keyboard...

Yeah, we’ve added this to the iOS/tvOS app. I’ll look at what it would take to do it on Android too.

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Latest beta should have that for you.

You guys set the standard for both technical support and responsiveness to customer input. I can't think of anything I use that even comes close.

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Hi,

I have Channels DVR set up using the raspberry pi image and Tailscale enabled. Accessing over Tailscale using the channels apps is all happy and working.

What I don’t seem to have had any joy with is SMB over Tailscale. Can do it fine over local network.

I wonder if having Tailscale Serve as an option for the media directory could work? Alternatively if there is anything else to look out for, some pointers would be appreciated.

Could you elaborate on this a bit? Are you trying to use a remote SMB server as a source for Channels DVR?

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Is there a way to upgrade the Tailscale Client on the QNAP system...?
I'm away from this machine and can only access it through Tailscale - - so an upgrade through the QNAP App Store would be great... any ideas?

This built-in Tailscale client is part of Channels DVR, and is upgraded by the devs (when needed) as part of upgrades to the DVR server.

If you want to control upgrades yourself, you should switch to installing Tailscale on your QNAP, and discontinue using the built-in.

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...as you can see in the screen grab - the upward arrow/circle shows that an upgrade is needed - hence my question - Thank You!!

Sorry, missed this.

Set up is:

  • Channels DVR on RPi at home
  • MacBook (either home or away)

Desired outcome is to download recordings onto the mac using SMB (instead of e.g. using a channels client to watch)

On the local network I can do that using finder > connect to server.

On the Tailnet it doesn’t seem to want to connect - just times out.

You would need to SSH in and setup tailscale on the actual RPI. The embedded tailscale only allows for access to the DVR services.

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Got it, thanks.

I'm having issues with Tailscale on my iOS device. Everything is working fine, guide is loading properly, etc. However, certain channels do not play. I just get a spinning circle on a black screen. When I click "Done", I get a message that says, "It looks like you're behind the timeline. If you exit back to the guide now, your unwatched portion will be lost." This is only happening with a few channels. They play just fine when connected to my home network.

I discovered this is happening on all 1080i channels. Any fix for this?

You guys rock!

The most likely issue is bandwidth. When using Tailscale from anywhere, you're considered to be "at home", which means you may need to change the streaming quality from original if your connection can't support the required bitrate.

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I don’t think this is a bandwidth issue. I am able to watch these 1080i channels just fine via Tailscale on my iPad and Mac (using the same cellular connection). The problem is limited to 1080i channels on iOS only. The 720p and TV Everywhere channels play just fine.