My mother inlaw is 92, and we need to control some lights and actions at her home. I have purchased another Hubitat hub, can I install this hub at her home, and control/program it from my home? Can I use my same account, or do I have to create a new account? Thank you all for your help.
You could register the hub to your account. And it’s possible to control devices or see the status of sensors and stuff remotely with dashboards.
But to do most programming/maintenance/admin tasks, you need access to the LAN the hub is on. That’s still possible to do remotely if you add a VPN server to your MiL’s LAN.
Most ASUS routers have a built-in OpenVPN server capability and it’s pretty simple to setup, if that’s not something you’ve done before.
2 Likes
You could probably use HubConnect to link/add the devices from her hub to yours. That would give you control of her devices directly from your hub, as long as the connection remains stable.
2 Likes
HubConnect won't help with the Admin side.. that would still require the VPN.
1 Like
Why do I need a VPN?
Could I setup her Habitat router at my house, and then bring it in to her house, or does it need to be in the same network to setup?
You can set it up anywhere, but to use the admin functions you need to be on the same LAN. The VPN tunnels into the LAN to give you a local IP.
2 Likes
Ok thank you. She has a Google WiFi, so I don’t think I can use a VPN with that. Hopefully I can program right the first time.
It's probably a good idea to have the rules local to her hub like you are thinking and yes you can set it up on your network. A VPN would be a nice thing to have too for remote access.
Some thoughts
- Make sure you "reserve" a DHCP address on her router for the hub that way it will always be a known IP address.
- Does her router support remote SSH access? If so you might be able to securely tunnel in to her hub that way instead of a VPN.
- Setting up a VPN is fairly straightforward you can use a "headless" RaspberryPI and install either OpenVPN or WireGuard. Having a companion computer can also help with remote troubleshooting other things possibly.
3 Likes
Several on here use a rPI as a VPN server (https://www.pivpn.io/) if you want a cheap way to implement one.
1 Like
Check out TeamViewer for remote access. It’s free for personal use.
1 Like
How would you set up TV for direct access to the hub? You'd need to go remote into a computer first which is something they might not want to do..
edit: unless it is a dedicated computer like a Rasberry Pi etc. Except I don't like the overhead of a GUI for these kinds of server functions.
TeamViewer provides remote access to a desktop computer, not directly to the hub. In this setup the remote computer has IP connectivity to the hub, and you’re using that remote computer as a jump box.
If you’re uncertain about how to do remote access generally, then I do not recommend rolling your own VPN solution.
1 Like
That is a good point. The only issue I see with TV is getting the mom to run it and then give the code when they need access. That might not be something they want to do regularly.
Accessing via SSH (and tunneling) is also a bit less technical than rolling your own VPN though still a little complicated but maybe worth looking into if the router supports it.
If he sets-up TV under his account, as long as the computer is turned on, he will be able to connect to it and access HE. This is how I help my father with his HE setup and it works very well.
1 Like
Until Microsoft forces a windows update and the computer reboots itself - but I guess you can have it boot up with TV active. I still prefer behind the scenes access if I can help it especially to reduce confusion if possible.
Correct. As long as it is turned on, it would be accessible. I have this setup at home as well for when I am away and need remote access if my VPN goes down...
1 Like
Thank you all for your help, it is appreciated.
2 Likes
VNC is another option for remote access, and is free for up to 5 computers, for personal use. A RPi could serve as one of those computers, placed at your MIL's house. If used only to provide access to the local LAN it should be reasonably stable (better than a PC, in my experience).
All that said, I would be reluctant to automate things unless your MIL's house is within easy driving distance or you have a competent person nearby who can physically go to the home to reset things if necessary. Trying to reset a contrary z-wave switch, as an example, requires physical presence. We moved during the pandemic to our vacation home 500 miles away from our former home and small business, and on one or two occasions I had to have an employee go to the (now vacant) office building to do something as simple as press a button or two in a particular sequence. An elderly person might find that challenging, become frustrated, etc. As an example, I recently tried to remotely help an elderly friend reset a device in their home, and just the act of unplugging two different cables and then waiting 30 seconds before plugging only one back in proved challenging. Just some food for thought from a longtime automator and person who has had to try to work on things remotely, many times.
3 Likes
You can mitigate this somewhat by using cloud controlled plugs (like WeMo) that bypass the HE system for certain things like emergency power cycling. Only need a few. Of course it's no substitute for having someone on site like you said.
Also I agree that older folks can easily get confused, frustrated and or worried when having to follow some procedures they are not used to or do not understand.
Some like my MIL outright refused anything that she was not familiar with - had to sneak standard LED bulbs into her light fixtures because she kept insisting on incandescents and replacing them all the time became a pain (she left her lights on 24/7).
Better to be able to do things quietly in the background if possible.
3 Likes
