I've got two instances of DVR running, one local (site A) and one remote (Site B), with only the remote one with "remote DVR enabled". Both sites are functioning, but from Site A I cannot force it to connect to the remote, site B. Using tvOS or iOS and going to settings and clicking on Channels (which has the local IP of the DVR), it asks if at Home or Away. Choosing away and authenticating it still goes back to the local server.
My question is do you consider this functioning by design, or should we be able to switch between DVRs? Ideally this would be very useful to be able to switch between sites.
This is a known issue. Remote connections rarely work if a local DVR is discovered.
Have you tried unchecking Enable Bonjour Discovery on the Site A DVR web UI?
May have to restart the client after that.
I didn't try that because I still want to be able to use the local server (ideally without manually typing in the IP every time). It would be really useful if selecting Home or Away would actually give you the appropriate result.
Any updates? Also how do I quickly switch between local and remote DVR without having to go through the magical process of authentication every time I do so? Can the client keep a cache of recent servers it talked to?
Install the release version of Channels client and also install the TestFlight / beta version of the Channels client. They coexist peacefully alongside each other. Use one for accessing the local server and the other for accessing the remote server,
Seems like remote access is not really ready for prime time 
More like you and the OP @dkrach are a very rare niche use case and trying to use things outside the intended design of the product, as designed by the developers.
Remote Access works very well has has for long time.
It was never designed to support multi servers, especially a local one AND a remote one.
Channels client apps in of it self was never designed for multi servers.
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Remembering the servers/credentials the app connected to previously is too hard.
I agree my use case is not very common, so I simply asked if it was possible / functioning as expected. Lumping me in with @sdust, who continually complains about how Channels works though is dissapointing.
do not shoot the messenger
Huh? How so? The answer I provided works perfectly. It allows you to “quickly switch between local and remote DVR without having to go through the magical process of authentication every time [you] do so," which is what you asked for. Prime time ready, indeed.
Demanding functionality beyond that? Rudely, to boot? Doesn't feel like the best usage of anyone's time.
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Having to use beta software is the definition of not being ready for prime time. What if fancy bits stops supplying betas? Will I be able to recreate this esoteric setup on a new device?
I am not demanding any functionality, just trying to find out what the situation is. So far we have been able to establish a lot of people do not have a sense of humor.
This doesn’t work well because you’re at the limits of what Channels was designed for.
Fast switching between your local and remote server makes zero sense in the context of the software we have developed.
Outside of very niche cases, the only reason you would need to do this is if you were sharing a DVR with someone else, which Channels is not designed for.
Channels was designed to be a home DVR and media library for your family.
There are plenty of media systems out there designed to let everyone share with each other, Channels isn’t one of them.
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Actually, I believe there is a very valid use case that is accounted for. My wife and I have our own Channels DVR setup here at our house. And, so does my mother-in-law at her house. When my wife visits her mother it's less than easy for her to use her iPad to connect to which ever DVR she needs/wants to use.
Typically, she wants to remote connect into our's so that she can watch her recorded shows. But, the client wants to auto-connect to her mother's DVR because it is on the local network.
Honestly, it'd be fantastic if the client could remember and smoothly allow a user to pick which DVR they want to connect.
You may consider it an edge case but I consider it a downfall of recommending and deploying Channels within the family. Can't begin to tell you how many times I've had to step my wife through how to disconnect from her mother's DVR so she can connect to ours remotely.
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This is helpful feedback. The intention was to have her connect remotely to your DVR instead of connecting locally. It looks like we must have some bugs or race conditions in making that happen. I know this is a lot to ask, but the next time she runs into this issue, would you be able to have her submit diagnostics from the app so I can dig into what's going on?
What I’m saying is, this is not prioritized for the design of the system for the reasons I described. That’s why it feels like you’re running into friction.
That’s not to say that we can’t make this better. But per the design, it’s not a priority to be able to switch between multiple different DVRs like that.
I understand what you're saying. And, I don't fault you for it. But, what I am saying is that when we, as users, demonstrate enthusiasm for the product and encourage others to use it within our family/friend circle it doesn't work well under the circumstances I described.
I've been on the forums for over 5 years (I think). I've seen this issue come up time and again. It'd be nice to have it addressed.
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