11 replies
tomspark wrote:
Easy one — you're after your box's address plus Jellyfin's port. Quickest way: open your SparkBox dashboard and click the Jellyfin tile. Whatever web address it opens (your box's IP followed by a port, usually :8096) is your server address. In the Jellyfin app on your phone or TV, type that same address — for example http://192.168.1.50:8096, but swap in your own box's IP. Use the box's local IP, not 'localhost', so other devices can reach it. If the app still won't connect, tell me the address you tried and I'll sort it out.
Chipsandsalas wrote:
Still not working here is the address htpp://172.28.27.68:8096
tomspark wrote:
No worries, we'll get it sorted. Two quick things. First, make sure the app has http:// — your message shows "htpp://", which would stop it cold if that's what's typed in the app. Second, that 172.28.x address looks like an internal one your phone can't actually reach, not your box's real network address. To point you at the right one I need to know what SparkBox is running on: a NAS or Linux machine, or a Windows PC (WSL)? Tell me which and I'll give you the exact address to use.
Chipsandsalas wrote:
I am using a Windows PC
tomspark wrote:
Ah, that explains it — and nothing's broken. Windows runs the box inside a kind of sandbox, so that 172.28 address only exists in there and your phone/TV on the network can't see it. It's a known rough edge with running on Windows. Good news on the same PC: open http://localhost:8096 in that computer's browser and Jellyfin works right now. To reach it from your phone or TV, the cleanest path is SparkBox's built-in Tailscale — switch it on, install the free Tailscale app on your phone, and you get an address that reaches your box from anywhere (even away from home). Want me to walk you through that setup? It's a few minutes and I'll go step by step.
Chipsandsalas wrote:
Yes please!
tomspark wrote:
Awesome — we'll do it in two short stages. Stage one, on your phone: Install the app called "Tailscale" from the App Store or Google Play, open it, tap Get started, and create a free account (Google or email both work). Sign in. That quietly puts your phone on its own private network — nothing else changes on your phone. Once you're signed in there, reply "done" and I'll walk you through connecting your SparkBox box to the same account. After that you'll get one address that opens Jellyfin from anywhere, even away from home.
tomspark wrote:
Great! Stage two — connecting your box, all from a web browser: 1. Go to login.tailscale.com and sign in with the same account you just made. 2. Open Settings, then Keys, click "Generate auth key", turn ON "Reusable", generate it, and copy it (it starts with tskey-auth-). 3. Open Settings, then Features, and turn ON both "HTTPS Certificates" and "Tailscale Serve" — without these the connection quietly won't work. 4. In your SparkBox dashboard, go to Apps, find Tailscale, hit Enable, and paste that key when it asks. Give it a minute to connect, then reply "done" and I'll hand you the exact address for the Jellyfin app.
tomspark wrote:
Perfect — that means your box is now on your private Tailscale network too. It just got its own Tailscale address: a number that starts with 100. To find it, go to login.tailscale.com and click Machines. Your box will be in the list (seeing it there confirms it connected), and its address looks like 100.x.x.x. Now in the Jellyfin app on your phone, enter that address with Jellyfin's port: http://100.x.x.x:8096 (swap in your box's real 100 number). As long as the Tailscale app on your phone is switched on, that opens Jellyfin from anywhere — home or away. If it won't connect, paste me the 100 address you see and I'll check it.