They don’t rely on the server to sound an already scheduled alarm but they do rely on the server to set the next one for a repeating alarm.

Those messages are not aimed at everyone passing by. They are aimed at people already considering buying a truck and hope to influence their decision.

https://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/standards.png

I use it to do things at the same time as other things. I can add something to the shopping list when I’m cooking or turn on the fan when I’m getting ready for bed without stopping what I’m doing to click buttons. I find that it’s really good for things that can’t easily be automated but you also can’t (or don’t want to) put on a physical button.

I actually use Alexa as I haven’t had time to investigate HA voice control but the principle is the same.

Yes, I did miss that bit, sorry.

For instance you can monitor when the compressor shuts off and use the plug to shut off the entire unit, then power it on when the room temperature rises to a set point.

That seems like you’re just replicating what the AC’s thermostat is doing. You’d only be saving the stand by power which doesn’t seem like it’ll be a huge saving to me.

It doesn’t really lend itself to a summary outside of the first paragraph.

They bought a specific thing for the reasons stated in the first paragraph and if you need something to do that then read on otherwise don’t bother.

Unfortunately not, no.

That sounds like it is still a VPN client which is directing your outbound traffic according to how you have it configured.

You want to have a VPN server that routes inbound traffic to the relevant internal network device (hassio, NAS, printer etc) so that they can be used from outside the network.

The first step is to have a device on your network to run the VPN server software. That could be your router or it could be a computer or you can also install it on a Synology NAS if you have one.

Open VPN is free software that you can use as the server.

You can’t use the VPN that you have to access your hassio instance.

There are two sides to a VPN… the server and the client. You (or your friend) are paying to use someone else’s server and you have the client installed on your phone or computer.

For this use, you have to set up the VPN server on your local network and allow people to connect to it from outside your network which can be tricky if you’re not experienced in networks.

Having said that, you may find that your router already has a VPN server built in that just needs setting up. If you have a Synology NAS you might be able to install VPN software on that.

VPNs allow you to connect to a remote network in a way that it treats you as being on that network locally.

There two common uses for this. The one that you have connects to someone else’s network so that you can keep your browsing behaviour private from your ISP or coffee shop or wherever you access the internet from.

The other use is to access a resource in your network from outside that network. In this case, your hassio instance when you’re not at home.

This second use involves you setting up the VPN in your network so that you can connect to it from outside.

I used to use a custom DNS solution using Amazon Route 53 (which I already used for my websites) and a Let’s Encrypt certificate. It worked ok but was pretty technical to set up.

Then I switched ISP and the new one doesn’t allow incoming connections by default so I use Nabu Casa. It was super simple to set up and works perfectly and, imo, well worth the cost.

The one thing that was a misstep on my docker journey was that the original tutorials that I followed installed them using the command line. It’s much better to do it using a docker compose file.

I guess that my message wasn’t clear but by “component” I meant a home automation component.

I have the following containers in my HA installation:

• Home assistant
• Node red
• MQTT
• Zigbee2mqtt
• Esphome

And maybe others that I have forgotten.

Each had to be installed manually by adding it to my docker compose file, mapping drives, and editing config files.

Most, if not all, of them (except HA) can be installed from within HA if you’re using HAOS.

It can also be installed using docker containers but that is more difficult to manage as you have to install every component manually.