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Connecting to Your Home Assistant Remotely: A Guide

One of the great advantages of having a smart home is the ability to control and monitor it from anywhere. Whether you want to turn on the air conditioning before you arrive home, check if you left the lights on, or verify the status of your irrigation system, remote access to your Home Assistant is invaluable.

There are several ways to connect to your home from outside your local network. Here’s how you can do it.

The Paid Option: Nabu Casa Cloud Service

Nabu Casa, the company behind Home Assistant, offers a cloud service that enables remote access to your Home Assistant instance. This service costs a few dollars a month and is a great option if you want to support the Home Assistant community and prefer a hassle-free setup. It’s worth considering if you’re not interested in dealing with more complicated configurations.

The Free Option: Using a Home VPN

Instead of the paid service, I’ve been using a free method that not only allows me to connect to Home Assistant but also provides access to my entire local network. This includes security cameras, my Plex server, and many other important services running on my home server. The most secure way to do this is through a home VPN.

What is a VPN?

A VPN, or Virtual Private Network, creates a secure connection between your device and your home network over the internet. When you connect to your VPN, it’s as if your device is on your home network, even when you’re miles away. This allows you to access your home network as if you were physically at home.

Setting Up OpenVPN on an Asus Router

There are several VPN technologies available, but I recommend using OpenVPN for its reliability and security. Here’s how to set it up on an Asus router:

  1. Navigate to the VPN Settings:
    • Go to your router’s admin interface.
    • Find the VPN section, and select OpenVPN.
  2. Enable OpenVPN:
    • Simply enable the OpenVPN option.
  3. Export the Configuration File:
    • Select “Export OpenVPN Configuration File.” This file contains the necessary settings to connect to your home network securely.
  4. Install OpenVPN on Your Devices:
    • On your laptop or phone, install the OpenVPN app (available for both mobile and desktop).
    • Import the configuration file into the app.
  5. Connect to Your VPN:
    • Whenever you’re away from home, open the OpenVPN app and connect. Your device will now think it’s connected to your home network.

Enjoying the Benefits of a Home VPN

Once connected to your home VPN, you can do more than just control your Home Assistant. You can stream videos from your Plex server, access documents from Paperless-ngx, and enjoy many other services as if you were at home. Personally, I’ve found this setup so convenient and secure that I keep the VPN active on my phone all the time. An added bonus is that it allows me to use AdGuard, installed on my home network, to filter advertisements on my phone’s browser even when I’m out and about.


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