Hi everyone!

I’ve had my Hassio Yellow for a while and I am really happy with it – and because feck Philips and their spy-app.

However, I haven’t set up remote access yet because it seems really daunting and I’m worried I’ll make a mess. I am not bad with tech, but I’m not a computer engineer – and reading some Hassio texts makes me feel like I should, and I get easily overwhelmed…

I found the TOR add-on and I was considering that – but it mentions VPN, which I use, and to which my Hassio is connected.

My questions are:

  • Do I need to install the add-on if I use VPN?
  • If not, how do I set up remote access with my VPN?
  • Should I stop using VPN if I set up TOR remote access?

Thank you all in advance.

  • nogooduser@lemmy.worldEnglish
    2·
    1 day ago

    VPNs allow you to connect to a remote network in a way that it treats you as being on that network locally.

    There two common uses for this. The one that you have connects to someone else’s network so that you can keep your browsing behaviour private from your ISP or coffee shop or wherever you access the internet from.

    The other use is to access a resource in your network from outside that network. In this case, your hassio instance when you’re not at home.

    This second use involves you setting up the VPN in your network so that you can connect to it from outside.

    • wildflowertea@slrpnk.netOPEnglish
      2·
      1 day ago

      I see! I am not the owner of the license so I “piggy backed” without reading much about the options it offers.

      I’ll read about it and try to set it up.

      Thank you for taking the time to teach me about this!

      • nogooduser@lemmy.worldEnglish
        3·
        1 day ago

        You can’t use the VPN that you have to access your hassio instance.

        There are two sides to a VPN… the server and the client. You (or your friend) are paying to use someone else’s server and you have the client installed on your phone or computer.

        For this use, you have to set up the VPN server on your local network and allow people to connect to it from outside your network which can be tricky if you’re not experienced in networks.

        Having said that, you may find that your router already has a VPN server built in that just needs setting up. If you have a Synology NAS you might be able to install VPN software on that.

        • wildflowertea@slrpnk.netOPEnglish
          2·
          1 day ago

          Ah. Shit (pardon my French). I understand.

          I got a VPN router a while ago, and all my connections at home go through it (console, Hassio, laptop, etc.). This way I get to choose individual locations for each device.

          I’m using ExpressVPN, by the way.

          Would this be a first step for what you explain?

          • nogooduser@lemmy.worldEnglish
            3·
            1 day ago

            Unfortunately not, no.

            That sounds like it is still a VPN client which is directing your outbound traffic according to how you have it configured.

            You want to have a VPN server that routes inbound traffic to the relevant internal network device (hassio, NAS, printer etc) so that they can be used from outside the network.

            The first step is to have a device on your network to run the VPN server software. That could be your router or it could be a computer or you can also install it on a Synology NAS if you have one.

            Open VPN is free software that you can use as the server.

              • wildflowertea@slrpnk.netOPEnglish
                1·
                24 hours ago

                Thank you both – and apologies. I feel I’m thick as porridge with this topic. I bought my Hassio Yellow months ago and I keep on pushing this because it is so daunting.

                I finally understand the difference between what I have (connecting my device to a VPN service) and what I need (setting up a server so I can connect to my device) – so I can call myself wiser than yesterday!

                ExpressVPN offers port forwarding and I’ve read about it on the Hassio website, but I am not sure that’d be the way to go for someone who baaarely knows what they are doing.

                • Norbi📷@social.tchncs.de
                  1·
                  5 hours ago

                  @wildflowertea No problem.
                  Everyone started from about zero and learned by asking or reading.
                  Normally your router does not support incoming connections. I can configure my router to forward an incoming port (from the internet) to my nextcloud instance. The ports would be 80 (http access) and 443 (https access). There are two modes of communication: TCP (establishes a connection) and UDP (sends data w/o connecting). Which port no (TCP and/or UDP) your router needs to forward depends on the VPN.