Using a single device as a "cloud gateway"

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Hi everyone. I’m describing a thought-experiment rather than anything I’ve actually done yet. I would value any thoughts from the community before I attempt it.

Previously, I had tasmotized everything I could, wresting control away from China, ending up with total local control and no cloud dependency - hooray!

But there are a small number of occasions when external control from a mobile could be handy - “turn on the outside lights when nearly home” etc. Not worth cost of Nabu Casa subscription, or spending loads of time trying to set up Alexa control manually. Researching this, I was first attracted by the possibilities of ‘Emulated Hue’. Unfortunately the documentation says it doesn’t work now for new users, and the alternatives are not free or simple. Then I thought of these two possibilities:

  1. Keep one device connected to Chinese servers, re-interpret changes to it in HA, use these to trigger automations. I already have a candidate device - a Tuya RGBCW bulb with a destroyed LED array - an early ‘gone wrong’ attempt at dismembering prior to serial flashing! Everything else still works, all changes show up in the app, it is just that the LEDS don’t work. ‘Changes’ to this device, initiated though Alexa or Smart Life, could be picked up and reinterpreted in HA as something else entirely. A RGBCW bulb has a multitude of possible states and combinations, plenty to meet any need. BUT it does take me back to a situation where part of HA (albeit just one bulb) has to rely on the cloud via the Tuya integration. So I also wondered…

  2. How about two cheap smart IR Blasters in close proximity? One connected to Tuya as originally designed, the other flashed with the Tasmota IR variant and connected to HA. Ideally on different networks, so completely isolated. The Tuya blaster could emulate signals from any physical remote that I don’t currently possess/use. The Tasmota blaster, connected to HA, could detect those signals and broadcast through MQTT, which could then be the trigger for bespoke events as required. It’s possible this might work in the reverse direction too, blasting signals back to the cloud, interpreted through some rule as notifying that the request had been successfully actioned in HA.

In both the cases above, my home network would be compromised only to the extent of one cloud-connected device, with no dependency - the cloud device could simply be switched on or off as required without affecting anything else.

Any thoughts, anyone? Could it work? What about latency? Is there something I haven’t considered? Is there an easier way?

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I’m curious, what is your main objection for devices to be “controlled” by China. And then why is it OK to have 1 device connected instead of all?

Personally, 1 connected device would be 1 to much for me.

What I do sometimes, but that may not work, is blocking outgoing traffic for such devices in my firewall.

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I bought the devices so I should be able to ‘own’ their control. Being on line means my devices could stop working through accident or design at any time - as we saw when the servers went down I think it was a couple of years ago. I also don’t like the thought of my purchases being tied to the success or failure of some third party company. Agree with you, would rather avoid connected devices if possible, my thoughts inevitably involve some compromise!

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Did you consider VPN? That’s what I am using.

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Thanks for that tip, I’ll look into it as part of my future strategy!

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Tailscale or DuckDns with Nginx

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Options:

  1. VPN home, nothing is talking to the cloud.
  2. Use something like Telegram to allow you to send commands. No inbound access required.
  3. Automate it, use an app to report your location to HA.
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Many thanks for suggestions. Not come across telegram, will look into it.

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Or still consider Nabu Casa. Hassle free, reliable and in my eyes worth it. It is not only paying for a service, it is contributing to a project, you happily make use off :wink:

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