For many of us, having remote access to our smart homes over the internet is non-negotiable. But is this really necessary? And more to the point, is there anything to be gained from not doing so?
Walk with me for a moment while we discuss using Home Assistant in a purely local capacity.
Why leave Home Assistant offline?
Security is one of the main reasons you might not want to expose Home Assistant to the internet. I’m not suggesting that the machine on which Home Assistant runs (like a Raspberry Pi or a virtual machine) remains fully offline, since this would prevent you from receiving updates and relying on services that use the internet.
I’m specifically talking about remote access, or the ability to access your Home Assistant server from outside of your network by logging in as you would if you were at home. By default, this is how Home Assistant is presented after you’ve set it up for the first time, as a wholly local experience.
In order to access your server remotely, you either need to pay for Home Assistant Cloud, set up a VPN so that you can tunnel in securely, use TLS or SSL via an add-on like Duck DNS that integrates encryption, or use secure shell (SSH).
While Home Assistant Cloud makes this trivially easy, it costs money. Using a VPN requires a bit more setup and requires that you depend on a service like Tailscale (or figure out Wireguard). Exposing Home Assistant to the internet using TLS/SSL requires that you open a port on your router and have a static IP or a dynamic DNS provider. Getting this wrong and improperly securing your server leaves you vulnerable to outside threats.
Ask yourself: how often do you find yourself requiring remote access when you’re away from home? Not having a remotely-accessible server means not bothering with these steps, and not paying for a subscription. Your server will keep running and, in a perfect world, shouldn’t need any input from you while you’re away.
Remote control is fine, but automation is better
Being able to turn a light on or trigger a scene while away from home is handy, but it’s not essential functionality. If you’re relying on manual control this much, you’ve got some work to do on the automation side of things in order to bring your smart home server up to scratch.
Automation is the biggest benefit of having a smart home. Programming your lights to come on based on the time of day or ambient light levels, or using motion and presence detectors to trigger events, or having your cooling and heating systems manage themselves based on your preferences and a few cheap sensors.
Put in the hard yards and design a home that doesn’t need constant babysitting, and you’ll improve your experience across the board. You can then leave your Home Assistant server well alone when you’re out, without thinking about triggering lights or scenes.
Go one better and design an away mode that you can use to simulate occupancy while you’re away for extended periods. Set these up before you go, and don’t think about it until you get back. You could even automate this based on your presence using a Bluetooth identifier or the Home Assistant companion app for iPhone and Android devices.
Here’s how I do it
I’ll admit to playing devil’s advocate here. I haven’t exposed my own server to the internet for remote access, I have no VPN tunnel set up, I don’t have a Home Assistant Cloud, and I don’t directly access my Home Assistant server remotely. But I do have some form of remote access.
I’ve had an original HomePod since launch day, and I use it pretty much every day. After setting up an Apple Home instance using the HomePod as a hub, I’ve connected Apple Home to Home Assistant using the HomeKit Bridge integration.
I can now control my Home Assistant devices, read sensor states, and trigger scenes via Apple Home regardless of where I am. Since my Apple Home is linked to my Apple Account, everything just works whether I’m at home or not. It’s a great solution for Apple households that want the flexibility and power of Home Assistant, with control built right into devices like the iPhone, Apple Watch, and Mac.
I still automate as much of my life as I can, but I admit to occasionally checking in on my smart home when I’m out to make sure the back window is shut, check the inside temperature and humidity, and even trigger lights manually when I’m away for a night.
It’s not an ideal solution for everyone, especially non-Apple users, but I can honestly say that I’ve not felt the need to set up “proper” remote access to Home Assistant since I discovered this workaround.
One last security consideration
While opening ports on your router and failing to set up proper encryption on your server is a huge cybersecurity threat, if you have a home camera setup, then not being able to access your feeds or saved events means dealing with another kind of security problem.
There are workarounds to this, like using a system like Scrypted to bring your cameras into HomeKit Secure Video via Apple Home or paying for a service like Scrypted NVR for hassle-free remote access. Alternatively, your camera provider might have their own cloud server if you’re happy paying for that.
But for many, Home Assistant provides an excellent means of recording camera footage locally without having to deal with pricey subscriptions. Not having proper cloud access to the server will make this a little less convenient, especially when you’re away from home. Remote access for this alone will be worth it to many people reading this.
If remote access to Home Assistant is non-negotiable and you’re looking for the best solution, give Home Assistant Cloud a shot. You get a month-long free trial, and you don’t have to configure encryption, DNS, or VPNs.
You’ll also be supporting Nabu Casa, a company that helps drive the development of Home Assistant.
