Should I use Node-Red on an unreliable internet

Hi all.

I am looking into using the Node-Red addon for Hassio and noticed in the tutorials that it says to open the port to the outside world.

Does Node-Red need outside access to work? What I mean is where we live the internet isnt that reliable. If I use Node-Red to create flows/automatons, will they still work if the net is down?

No. This is only if you want to access your Home Assistant in North Dakota from Bermuda.

Thanks heaps.

This is how people get hacked. Other people that donā€™t know what theyā€™re doing telling other people to do something that is incredibly dangerousā€¦

You did the right thing by asking first. You most certainly do NOT need a port open for just node red to connect to home assistant on the local network and certainly not on the same device.

Youā€™re good to just install and connect.

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Once again thanks for the help. I dont even open unnecessary outgoing ports :slight_smile:

I am not sure if I need to open another topic and will do so if suggested, but installed it and began to play. Installed a new node to test. I am interested in using the Twillio node so went to install that
Running HAssio on RPI

I get

npm WARN deprecated [email protected]: scmp v2 uses improved core crypto comparison since Node v6.6.0
npm WARN tar ENOENT: no such file or directory, open ā€˜/config/node-red/node_modules/.staging/moment-3da7bf1d/package.jsā€™
npm ERR! code EAI_AGAIN
npm ERR! errno EAI_AGAIN
npm ERR! request to https://registry.npmjs.org/mime-db/-/mime-db-1.36.0.tgz failed, reason: getaddrinfo EAI_AGAIN registry.npmjs.org:443
npm WARN tar ENOENT: no such file or directory, open ā€˜/config/node-red/node_modules/.staging/co-83023c03/index.jsā€™
npm WARN tar ENOENT: no such file or directory, open ā€˜/config/node-red/node_modules/.staging/co-83023c03/Readme.mdā€™
npm WARN tar ENOENT: no such file or directory, open ā€˜/config/node-red/node_modules/.staging/co-83023c03/History.mdā€™
npm WARN tar ENOENT: no such file or directory, open ā€˜/config/node-red/node_modules/.staging/aws4-2785ff4f/.travis.ymlā€™
npm WARN tar ENOENT: no such file or directory, open ā€˜/config/node-red/node_modules/.staging/aws4-2785ff4f/aws4.jsā€™
npm WARN tar Eā€¦

Is there something I have missed?

Actually it appears I dont have NPM installed. Doing npm -v shows npm not installed.

I know APT-GET doesnt exist so how do I install NPM on the RPI that I have Hassio installed on? Off to google what I can find

Whoah. Hold up.

You donā€™t install NPM on the host, and you donā€™t install packages using NPM.

Use the Palette manager in Node-Red

Yes, you should start a new topic and mark this one as closed.

But since weā€™re already hereā€¦

You just want to jump into the deep end right away, donā€™t you?
If itā€™s available in the Palette Manager you want to install new nodes that way, but Twillio isnā€™t available through the Palette Manager. Also, I donā€™t know how to install nodes that arenā€™t in the Palette Manager, so maybe a new topic is called for here.

huh?

image

if itā€™s not available you would have to get a console INSIDE the container and install the npm package, but thatā€™s not the proper way to handle Docker containers.

My mistake. ā€œtwillioā€ isnā€™t there, but ā€œtwilioā€ isā€¦

Hi Flamingm0e.

Thats where the install error came from. I was trying to install via the pallette manager. I was trying to understand the error and it kept mentioning the npm so I was looking to see what happened.

Sorry about the deep end. Yeah I am working away from home for several weeks and need something to do so have a vpn back into home to play. I used to write software with Delphi etc but this is a bit of a challenge for now :slight_smile:
I tend to jump in to see what things can and will do before I get too far in. Not sure if Node-Red is the way I want to go so I play. When I go home if I need to I completely wipe the RPI and start again if I have to. I run a couple of RPIā€™s so if I crash one remorely I still can get in etc and do other stuff. Just bought a card to mount 4 RPIā€™s on it for this reasonā€¦ Once again guys thanks.

Sadly, this is a downside when running hassio and add-ons. You canā€™t use normal debug methods or fixes in every add-on (container), and you are basically locked out of doing anything in the host OS

Yes I forgot about the docker part till you mentioned itā€¦ Motel isnt the best place to be trying to get up to speed

Node-Red and MQTT is where I started. When I bought a couple of Z-Wave switches, I was advised to use Home Assistant as my Z-Wave hub. Now, I have two Raspberry Piā€™s- one running Node-Red and my MQTT broker, and the other running Home Assistant on HassOS. I also have Node-Red on the Home Assistant Raspberry.

Tell me more about the ā€˜card to mount 4 RPIā€™s on itā€™.

Steve

http://www.bitscope.com/product/blade/