Beginner - Static IP addresses needed?

Configuration
1

I am an absolute beginner with HA. I have installed the full HA OS in a Proxmox VM running on a NUC.

Do I need to have static IPs for my devices (see list)?

Will I still have remote access to my devices when away from home (I presume by using the devices cloud app)? Eventually I will have a VPN server set up for remote access.

Here is what I have to integrate:

  • TP-Link Kasa switches (asks for an IP address… I presume I should make these static?)
  • Wyze door locks
  • Ecobee smart thermostat
  • Rainpoint sprinkler controllers
  • Samsung smart TV
  • Blink cameras
  • Arlo cameras
  • Wyze cameras
  • Simplisafe home security system
  • EcoFlow battery backup system

Soon I will add garage door opener controllers and probably an Ambient home weather station.

And I’d like to have Alexa voice control but that’s not mandatory at the moment…

Where do I start from a device configuration/integration perspective?

Thanks much,
Steve

1 Like
2

In general, no. Some will vehemently object but except for servers (including Home Assistant) DHCP works just fine.

I have 75-80 devices on my home network and only the NAS, my Plex server, my Home Assistant NUC and my Raspberry Pi MQTT broker have static addresses. Everything else is DHCP.

3

No vehement objection here. But I’ve found it’s SO much easier to have DHCP reservations. Some things actually work better (read: easier to configure and they survive a power outage better) while in other cases it’s just the ease of knowing the IP address for each device for configuration and troubleshooting.

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4

Interesting. I thought I saw the TP-Link Kasa integration asked me for IP addresses of the individual devices. (It didn’t find the devices automatically.)
I would much rather my devices be DHCP than have to set up reservations for them all.
TP-Link Kasa switches are my top priority to integrate.

5

As CaptTom said, use the browser feature. Different browsers call it different things, but basically it is the DHCP server giving the MAC address of the device a permanent lease.

In my browser it’s called “permanent lease”. In others it may be “fixed IP” or “static IP”. Check the manual.

A permanent IP lease means that when your device connects and requests an IP from the DHCP pool, if the MAC address is known, then the DHCP server will reassign the same IP every time.

This gives you the best of two worlds. Your devices are still using DHCP but the DHCP server in the router treats it as a fixed IP.

This works fine as long as you don’t have more devices than your DHCP server has IP addresses in the pool. If this ever happens, when a new device comes online and requests an IP address and there are no free IP addresses in the pool, the DHCP server will cancel the permanent lease from an offline device and give it to the new device. If the offline device ever comes back on, the DHCP server will give it a new IP address. So, if you plan to have more than 250 devices on your network, you might want to think about a different network topology.

I’ve never seen anyone here with that many devices. (I have about 85 here).

6

Stephen,

Thanks. We were thinking same thing, just different terms. I can set my router to assign the same IP based on MAC ID. So it appears that is what I need to do. A little tedious but only once!

So once I set those up in the TP-Link Kasa integration, will I still also be able to control the device using the Kasa app when remote?

Then I think I need to look into Nabu Casa if I want to use Alexa?

Steve

7

You don’t need to, but it will make it considerably easier.

1 Like
8

Nabu Casa is by far the easiest way to use Alexa with Home Assistant.

Personally, I use a service provided by Ben Hardill (https://alexa-node-red.bm.hardill.me.uk/) and Node Red.