Separate Home Assistant Setup for a Caravan / RV

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1

Hello everyone,

I am planning to build a second Home Assistant installation for my caravan while keeping my existing Home Assistant system for my house unchanged.

Currently, I am considering two different approaches:

Option 1: Remote Branch Installation

  • Dedicated Home Assistant instance in the caravan
  • Local Zigbee network for sensors and devices
  • 4G/LTE router for internet connectivity
  • Site-to-site VPN connection to my home network

This would allow the caravan system to operate independently while still being connected to my main infrastructure. How can I implement a local zigbee / matter hub?

Option 2: Completely Separate Home Assistant Instance

  • Independent Home Assistant installation in the caravan
  • Managed as a separate server within the Home Assistant mobile app
  • No permanent VPN connection required

My main questions are:

  • Has anyone implemented a similar setup?
  • Which option turned out to be simpler and more reliable?
  • Which solution is more cost-effective in the long run?
  • Are there any drawbacks regarding remote access, maintenance, updates, or Zigbee performance?
  • Would you recommend keeping both systems completely separate or integrating them through a VPN?

I would appreciate hearing about real-world experiences, lessons learned, and recommendations before I start purchasing hardware.

Thank you!

2

Not sure of the difference you make between "dedicated" and "independent" HA instances, but I would suggest to have an HA dedicated to your RV, so that you don't rely on Internet access, so option 2, I guess.

Depending on what kind of intercommunication you'd want between the 2 HA installations, if any, you could use MQTT.

At some point, I created a custom component to synchronize 2 HA instances (MQTT DiscoveryStream integration), but I don't use it anymore, so is basically on life support from actual users...

3

This is a pretty good post about his HA and camper.

4

I have a separate dedicated HA in my caravan, using BLE and ZigBee for all the sensors etc. I also have a canbus connection to the caravan via esphome.

I have a GLinet 5G router in the caravan for internet access

I use tailscale and I can access the caravan HA from home and vice versa.

I also use the same android HA app and add both servers, switching between them with the 3 finger up slide.

I run a unifi setup at home and am looking at using the unifi travel router instead of tailscale in the future

5

Looking to do the same. Questions about hardware and power. Are you able to cut power to HA or do you have to shut it down first? What do you run it on?

6

I would consider having the HA system always powered from the battery directly through a mosfet. There would be a sensor that indicates the vehicle has turned off. This triggers an automation which sends a message, like “HA shutting down in 1 minute”. If it is not canceled, HA gracefully shuts down and some circuitry cuts the power when shut down is complete.

7

I have HA installed on a 12V mini pc connected to battery via a fuse, same with all the esphome modules. This way I can have it always running, even when travelling.

It’s hooked up to mains at home and on site so battery drain isn’t an issue. If I had no mains available on site I’d shut HA down.

Not sure where you are but in UK, most electrical systems in a caravan are turned off when you plug in the towing vehicle, that’s why I installed directly to the battery