Are you looking for a way to remotely connect to your smart home without opening any ports?
Look no further than the Home Assistant Cloudflare Tunnel.
In this guide, I will show you how to create a Cloudflare tunnel to Home Assistant, so you can access your smart home from anywhere, completely free!
Cloudflare Tunnel provides a secure, reliable method of remotely accessing Home Assistant.
With encrypted traffic, obscured home IP, and Cloudflare's DDoS protection, you can monitor and control your home from anywhere without sacrificing security.
Combined with additional best practices like SSL and authentication, Cloudflare Tunnel is a great option for any Home Assistant user.
Understanding Cloudflare Tunnel
Cloudflare Tunnel is a secure network connection that ensures your Home Assistant remains accessible even when your home's internet connection faces disruptions. It essentially creates a private tunnel between your home and Cloudflare's global network, providing uninterrupted access to your smart home devices.
Benefits of Using Cloudflare Tunnel
Cloudflare Tunnel establishes an encrypted tunnel from the Cloudflare edge network to your home network. This allows inbound connections to your Home Assistant without exposing your home IP address or open ports. Some key benefits include:
Enhanced security - All traffic is encrypted end-to-end and your home network remains hidden from the public internet. Cloudflare also filters out malicious traffic before it reaches your network.
Easy setup - Setting up a tunnel is fast and straightforward with the Cloudflare zero trust dashboard. No need to configure port forwarding or dynamic DNS.
Reliability - Cloudflare's global network ensures uptime and fast connections from anywhere in the world. If your home internet goes down, the tunnel will automatically reconnect when back online.
Setting Up Home Assistant with Cloudflare Tunnel
Now that you understand the importance of Cloudflare Tunnel, let's dive into the steps to set it up seamlessly with your Home Assistant.
Step 1: Sign Up for Cloudflare
To get started, you'll need to sign up for a free Cloudflare account if you don't already have one. It's a straightforward process that takes just a few minutes.
Step 2: Configure Your DNS
Once you've created your Cloudflare account, you'll need to configure your DNS settings on a public domain name that you already own. This involves pointing your domain to Cloudflare's servers, ensuring that all traffic to your smart home goes through their network.
If you don't own a domain name, you can buy one from Cloudflare for around $9 a year or use an external registrar like GoDaddy or Namecheap.
To configure your DNS settings begin by logging in to the Cloudflare dashboard and clicking on the Add a site button. The form will ask for your domain name and then give you some nameserver addresses to point your domain to.
Once your domain DNS settings are configured you can move on to the next step which is to install the Home Assistant Cloudflare tunnel add-on.
Example showing a domain that is active within Cloudflare once DNS is configured correctlyStep 3: Install the Home Assistant Cloudflare Tunnel Add-on
Now, it's time to install the Cloudflare Tunnel add-on on your Home Assistant server.
Open Home Assistant then go to Settings -> Add-ons then click the Add-on store button.
At the top right of the screen inside the add-on store click on the three dots button and then click on the Repositories link.
In the Manage add-on repositories box add the following URL then click Add.
https://github.com/brenner-tobias/ha-addons
Now in the add-on store you will see the Cloudflared add-on which you need to select then click on Install.
Step 4: Configure the Home Assistant Cloudflare Tunnel Add-on
Once the Tunnel is installed, you'll need to connect your Home Assistant to it. This will establish a secure link between your smart devices and Cloudflare's network.
Open the add-on and then go to the configuration tab. Next, enter your desired external hostname in the box under the Options section then click Save.
Now it is time to start the add-on so switch back to the Info tab and click Start.
Once the add-on has started, go to the Logs tab and look for a URL that you will need to copy and paste into a new tab. This URL will link the add-on directly to your Cloudflare account's domain name configured in the add-on. A new subdomain will be created automatically and a tunnel will be configured to complete the setup.
Step 5: Enjoy a Seamless Smart Home
With everything set up, you can now enjoy the benefits of a seamless smart home experience. You'll have access to your devices, even when your internet connection experiences hiccups.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Home Assistant Cloudflare Tunnel is a game-changer for anyone looking to elevate their smart home experience.
It combines the power of Home Assistant's automation capabilities with the reliability and security of Cloudflare Tunnel. With this setup, you can enjoy the benefits of a smart home without worrying about internet interruptions or security breaches.
