I just don't get it.
TL;DR: I cannot get the remote access to work reliably, or at all. While I'm no luddite, I have found that network setups completely elude me.
So here's the setup:
* Mac Mini (2011--recently upgraded to 8GB RAM and 240GB SSD), running headless (although hooked up to the TV through HDMI), Yosemite (now El Capitain--see below).
* WD external drive to house the media files.
* The Mini is attached to an Apple Airport router with a net cable (although it can also connect via WiFi)
* I remote into the machine to administer it from any of three Macs at my disposal.
The idea was that the Mac Mini would serve the dual purpose of a HTPC and file repository for storing files on the go. I do this using the Back to my Mac feature of iCloud.
When I first set up Plex, I had trouble getting it to work remotely. Everything always works fine when I am on my own network, but if I want to pull a movie down to my iPhone from another network, it was a dicey affair. Remoting in for files through iCloud and Back to my Mac always works.
I spent hours of my life reading posts and trying to futz with router settings to avoid double NAT issues and I think I set it up right, but it still seldom worked. I found that i could sometimes get it all to go by making the mini work on WiFi rather than the hard connection, but even that was only about a 20% success rate.
Over the weekend, I did a nuke and pave on the mini and put El Capitain on it. Installed Plex and everything worked brilliantly. Was able to watch a movie from afar on Tuesday, and it was using the hard cable for everything--WiFi wasn't even on. I thought I had it.
Then I enabled Back to My Mac and once again it stopped working. So I figured OK, I'll disable BtmM, and solve it. But no, now it doesn't work even with BtmM suspended.
If anyone can tell me what the heck I'm doing wrong, or point me to an existing resource I may have missed in all the posts here, I'd be very grateful. I just don't get it. I can see where this is an ideal solution for me, but the damned thing just won't serve up the media remotely. Frustrating. :(