Thanks much for all the feedback on this thread! Much to think about!
Just to clarify - has anybody found ways of protecting their public IP?
I know that TOR does, but then you have to connect to the TOR network prior to accessing your HA instance.
VPNs can protect your public IP address, but that takes a (paid) VPN service that forwards your traffic, right? Anybody have one of those to recommend?
I suppose my long term goal is thinking about next Christmas and how I’ll host a publically accessible HA instance without compromising my home network or public IP address. 