Access Your Home Assistant Server Remotely With DuckDNS and Let’s Encrypt
If you want to securely access your Home Assistant instance from the internet, you may opt for the platform’s own cloud subscription, called Nabu Casa. It not only allows you to access your smart home and control all your devices from anywhere, but also supports the developers.
However, if you don’t want to pay a monthly subscription fee, you can instead use the DuckDNS and Let’s Encrypt add-ons to configure Home Assistant and access your smart home securely via the internet.
Before You Begin
We will use the ‘port forwarding’ method to expose our localHome Assistant serverto the internet. While port forwarding will allow you to access your smart home remotely, it could also be dangerous if you do not secure the connection. When you expose a local server such as Home Assistant to the internet with a port forwarding method, there’s always a risk of unauthorized access. Threat actors can easily get into your network and can have full control over your devices.
However, if you encrypt the connection with SSL/TLS and follow some best practices while exposing the server to the outside world, you can prevent such instances and securely access the server.
Alternatively, you canuse the Cloudflared community add-on to secure your Home Assistant installationand access it remotely.
Set Up a DuckDNS Subdomain
Go to DuckDNS.org and sign in using your Google, Reddit, GitHub, Twitter, or Persona account. Complete the captcha and then create a DuckDNS subdomain. The name should be unique and preferably easy to remember. We will be using this URL to connect to our Home Assistant instance remotely.
The subdomain, if available, will be added to your account. Make sure to type your public IP in thecurrent ipfield. You can find your public IP by using Google search: simply type “what’s my IP”.
Also, copy the DuckDNS token. Keep this token safe as it’s confidential.
Port Forward via Router’s Settings
Log in to your router and configure the port forward. To learn how to enable port forwarding in your particular router model, use Google search. Alternatively, you can visitPort Forwardand click on your router manufacturer, then model number or name to learn how to enable port forwarding in your router. You can also find several video guides on YouTube on how to set up a port forwarding in different routers.
You need to configure two TCP ports forward:
Since we use the TP-Link A6 V3 router, we have explained the steps for the same below.
Configure DuckDNS Add-On in Home Assistant
Install and configure the DuckDNS add-on in Home Assistant by following these steps:
Update Configuration.yaml
Open theconfiguration.yamlfile using theFile EditororVisual Studio Codeadd-on and add the following lines which tell the Home Assistant where the SSL certificate and key are stored for HTTPS connection.
ClickSaveand then go toDeveloper Tools>Check Configuration.Check if Home Assistant will start or not. If yes, then clickRestartfor the changes to take effect.
After restarting, you may get a certificate warning when you access the Home Assistant via local IP. This warning can be ignored. Instead, use the hostname to access the Home Assistant on the local network. At this stage, you should be able to access and log in to your Home Assistant via the DuckDNS URL.
Configure the Companion App
If you use your smartphone to access and control smart devices via the Home Assistant companion app, you must update the external URL to access your Home Assistant from outside your network via the companion app. For this, follow these steps:
Restart the app for the changes to take effect. you’re able to now disconnect from the local network and connect to the mobile network. Open the app; the Home Assistant UI should be accessible over the internet on your smartphone.
Set Up Alexa for Smart Voice Alerts
Once you have connected and exposed your Home Assistant server to the internet, you may configure the Alexa Media Player integration. It requires authorization, which is possible only when your Home Assistant server is securely (HTTPS) exposed to the internet. The integration allows you to play voice and control Echo devices and Fire TVs. You can use the Text To Speech service to play alerts via Echo devices. For instance, we have set up voice alerts when the water tank is full, half, or empty. You can play these alerts from a single Echo device or all of them at once. You can find this integration in HACS.
Free and Secure Access to Home Assistant
With DuckDNS and Let’s Encrypt set up in your Home Assistant instance, you could now securely access your smart home from anywhere over the internet using your smartphone or any other device that can run a web browser. After exposing your Home Assistant to the internet, it’s important that you enable multifactor authentication (MFA)—using Google Authenticator, Authy, etc.—to safeguard your smart home from all kinds of bots, phishing attacks, and targeted attacks.
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