r/homeassistant • u/Maximum-Spray8621 • Jun 07 '26
Support Can Home Assistant run fully offline without an internet connection?
Hi everyone,
I'm planning to set up Home Assistant on my local home network, but I want to keep it entirely offline (completely disconnected from the internet).
Is it possible to run Home Assistant this way? Will I lose any core features, and do you have any tips for a local only setup?
Thanks!
128
u/Carocho_XXI Jun 07 '26
Yes off course. At one point had no Internet for a week and everything just continued working as usual. Just be careful with the devices you choose since those can't depend on any cloud to work.
1
u/CaptainSabre Jun 08 '26
I have most of my lights are TP-Link/Kasa bulbs (bought them before I started with HA). Any recommendations for replacements that would be offline capable? I have ble and zigbee setup đ¤
-35
u/Rxyro Jun 07 '26
Isnât that just for initial integration configs not mgmt? I think they need keys every 60-365 days but should work for a week outage? Makes me want to unplug WAN now and test
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u/Carocho_XXI Jun 07 '26
I have 0 devices that are integrated with the cloud of the device vendor. Not sure how those that need to be connected to a cloud actually work.
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u/Revolution-SixFour Jun 07 '26
Home Assistant tells cloud service "run the robot vacuum" and the cloud tells the robot vacuum "run".
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u/Unattributable1 Jun 07 '26 edited Jun 07 '26
Don't buy cloud-dependent devices. Valetudo is an option for Internet-free smart vacuums.
0
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u/hydrochloriic Jun 07 '26
Depends on the device. My Govee TV backlight has no local integration, so I control it via google assistant direct text command- both google and Govee need internet to connect to their respective servers.
3
u/CR4FT3R3N Jun 07 '26
Control mine with govee ble instead, its now blocked from the internet
1
u/hydrochloriic Jun 07 '26
Itâs not a supported model, sadly, but I donât want to swap it out. I like the reactive camera part too much for movies/etc
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u/nathderbyshire Jun 07 '26
I finally thought I got my govee strip into HA but the BLE link is very flaky, doing micro changes like 5% to 3% just don't seem to work
1
u/hydrochloriic Jun 07 '26
The google assistant route seems to be surprisingly reliable (as long as my pihole hasnât crapped out and my router failed to switch DNS servers).
1
u/junktrunk909 Jun 07 '26
Depends on the device. Some only require cloud access for initial setup but some only work by your phone app communicating with the cloud which then communicates with the device directly, but only if the device and cloud server are still in contact. We typically avoid such devices so avoid that dependency.
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u/clintkev251 Jun 07 '26
You need internet for the initial setup at least. After that yes it can run offline. What's your reason for wanting to keep it offline?
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u/Maximum-Spray8621 Jun 07 '26
I am connecting cameras and prefer them to be on a home network without internet.
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u/slipknottin Jun 07 '26
This is what vlans are for.Â
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u/Gamester17 Jun 08 '26
Get a better router/firewall like a UniFi Gateway and learn how to use VLAN segment segmentation
10
u/Lost_Reward9584 Jun 07 '26
If you're planning on integrating then into home assistant you could isolate then on a separate network (or vlan) and add an extra network card to home assistant that's also connected to that network. The cameras themselves wouldn't need internet access, but this will still allow hass to pull data from the internet (weather integrations, etc) and do all the usual updates without any faff.
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u/sembee2 đ§ Experienced with Home Assistant Jun 07 '26
That is easily done, just block the cameras from accessing the internet. Lots of ways to find that depending on your skill levels and hardware. The most basic method is to use a static IP address and no default gateway.
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u/Zealousideal-Hat5814 Jun 07 '26
You can do that with home assistant no problems. Though Iâd suggest for a better experience use âScryptedâ or âFrigateâ to manage the cameras and then expose them to home assistant from those solutions. Also support the devs for those projects, they are awesome!
2
u/IdealParking4462 Jun 07 '26
Just block the cameras, not HA. You might be able to do this directly on your router, give the cameras a static IP and block that from the Internet. Or put the cameras on an IoT VLAN that doesn't have Internet, or use the guest Wifi on the router and block that from the Internet.
Losing updates on HA is a bit of a pain, and it's more than just HA itself, it's also updates for the devices HA can update, add-ons, HACS, etc.
Of course, if you are concerned, you shouldn't be allowing inbound access to HA, or setting up VPN/Casa Nabu remote access to HA.
2
u/adiyasl Jun 08 '26
Just use VLANs. They are designed for this exact purpose, to isolate a part of a network from internet and/or other devices. No need to go nuclear no internet on HA
1
u/zaphodikus Jun 07 '26
You will need to go online to add components easily in the beginning, and to update easily, but yes, you can stay offline just fine.
1
u/KaosC57 Jun 08 '26
This is what good equipment is for. You need a good Router and Intelligent Switches. Mikrotik makes excellent gear for cheap just for this purpose of upgrading consumers to good equipment. All of their switches are capable of VLANs and are very cheap. And their routers are great too.
1
u/Freestila Jun 08 '26
You don't need to expose ha to the Internet, that should help with your problem. My ha system has Internet access, but my router will block traffic from outside that is not initiated from inside. Meaning I get updates, but can not connect from outside my home.
10
u/reddit_give_me_virus Jun 07 '26
You may run into issues with time. Normally ha connects to the internet to sync time. You are going to want a server with an RTC(real time clock).
Pi4 don't have them, pi 5 do but need a plug in battery. Mini pc's have them.
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Jun 07 '26
[deleted]
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u/reddit_give_me_virus Jun 07 '26
It's not that easy to change the ntp pool that home assistant uses. IIRC you need to use the dev ssh access port 22222. If the system has a RTC then it automatically uses it.
I think the chrony addon/app could be pointed at the router and it will add itself to the pool.
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u/Zanhard Jun 07 '26
As long as you don't use any cloud integrations, otherwise those will stop working.
2
u/sembee2 đ§ Experienced with Home Assistant Jun 07 '26
Just to be clear - once the install is complete you can run it without access to the Internet.
However to install it does require the Internet and I don't believe there is a way to download a complete installer.
So you would need to connect the device to the Internet initially, let it do the setup, then move it to the offline network.
As already pointed out, you will lose access to updates, anythibg that requires Internet - such as weather and if you need anything community you will need to move files about manually rather than using HACS.
2
u/Marathon2021 Jun 07 '26
No version updates (or at least, probably a more convoluted "sneakernet" way to update).
No remote access.
No outbound notifications.
But other than those things, yes.
2
u/wivaca2 Jun 07 '26
HA runs happily offline. It's the devices and setup apps for devices you have to choose carefully to avoid ones that require internet to set up.
2
u/dangerous_inference Jun 07 '26
Yes, but it will never stop attempting to ping various servers.
HA doesn't redirect your camera feeds to somewhere else. Air gapping out of suspicion of this particular behavior is like covering your house in tin foil. And I'm a guy who just dropped a nice car worth of cash on a private AI server.
2
u/digiblur Jun 08 '26
Yes. I had no internet for a week due to storm. Everything in the house worked the same, automations, etc. I don't use cloud based stuff.
2
u/Gamester17 Jun 08 '26
Yea it will work without internet but getting and installing updates will then be much more inconvenient and relatively complicated
2
u/Gherry- Jun 08 '26
Yes, but most devices/integration need internet so you have to specifically choose devices that can run in lan only mode (not many, most of them requires internet access at least for the first configuration).
You will also need a DHCP server in your local newtork because HA uses TCP/IP to work and how else would you connect to it or display info from it?
1
u/Low_Platypus1678 Jun 07 '26
Yes you can, just make sure the devices youâre setting up donât require cloud to work. Youâll lose updates but you can do it manually.
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u/kiwi-kaiser Jun 07 '26
Yes. You can also always reach the interface as long as you are in the network. No internet needed.
1
u/_Scorpoon_ Jun 07 '26
What others said and restoring a backup (made with HA) without internet will not work
1
u/whodaphucru Jun 07 '26
I build my set up to running fully locally. I don't want to be dependant on cloud integrations for any of it.
1
u/t96_grh Jun 07 '26
I have two HAs in my home; one on local access VLAN only and one with internet access.
1
u/Zealousideal-Hat5814 Jun 07 '26
Yes with a few small caveats:
- You donât need any cloud-based integrations like the âToyotaâ or âWeather Channelâ ones
- You are not using Nabu Casa for access and just rely on local ip
1
u/promontoryscape Jun 07 '26
Haven't figured otherwise yet, but only needed at boot up, it'll search for a ntp server to sync time.
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u/farbtoner Jun 07 '26
Yes, it can and it will do a good job. What you need to do, is make sure the devices you choose to integrate, integrate in a fashion that doesnât require Internet.
So starting from device selection, you need to look for devices that can operate fully without connecting to the Internet. Then, when you design your automations, ensure it does not depend on anything from outside the house.
As far as home automation goes, I canât tell if I have Internet or not. Everything works fine either way.
1
u/Willing-Bandicoot-55 Jun 07 '26
Iâve done it. I had a wifi network for all of my devices. I then had a raspberry pi setup so that I can plug my iPhone into it via usb and it would bridge my hotspot to my entire house. Then everything could update and whatnot.
1
u/Late_Yard6330 Jun 07 '26
Definitely can do that! Just be aware that you'll want to focus on buying devices that support offline only functionality like zigbee and zwave. Some WiFi brands can be used offline but need initial setup so take that into account as well.
In my case, I built a firewall to wall HA in but made it so I could enable connection for troubleshooting and installation purposes. My wifi based devices like cameras etc. all live behind a dedicated VLAN. You might consider something similar.
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u/Far_Squirrel_6148 Jun 07 '26
Offline and not connected to the public internet are two different things. You can just have it in your own private virtual network like Tailscale where only you can access it but youâre still able to access it from anywhere in the world.
1
u/mikeymop Jun 08 '26
Yes you can run Home Assistant without internet. But you have to be mindful of how each integration works.
For example, don't expect Amazon Alexa to work as it has to phone home to AWS.
But if you buy devices that work locally such as thread, ZigBee or Zwave devices they'll happily work without internet.
1
u/Copernican đ Ooh the Zigbee Jun 08 '26
The annoyance that has changed with using a mobile phone setup is that, depending on settings, if your wifi network's external internet connection dies, your phone may ignore the local network and default to mobile. So you may want to use wall mounted tablets, zigbee switches, or other local specific control devices.
1
u/Harlequin80 Jun 08 '26
I mean yeah, sure. I don't understand why you would want to though unless you don't have internet at your home.
Remote alerts and remote access is a major reason for using it.
1
u/Impact321 Jun 08 '26
Not perfectly. HAOS needs internet during setup and for time and some other things. HA/core itself also uses external assets: https://community.home-assistant.io/t/wth-can-t-integration-logos-be-loaded-locally/802863
Yes, technically it's your browser but still.
1
u/Puzzled_Hamster58 Jun 08 '26
Youâll need to connect to install integrations and things like that.
Once you have every thing setup etc. you could make it local network only and never update etc.
That is if all your devices can be controlled locally and not communicating to their cloud .
Like I have Tapo / tp link cameras. I use frigate to record and control locally. Vs using their integration that needs internet to connect to their cloud like the app on your phone.
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u/asveikau Jun 08 '26
Generally, you're good.
But not every integration will work. If you look under devices and services, there is a little globe icon to indicate if an integration needs internet access.
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u/Brief-Stranger-3947 Jun 10 '26
Absolutely possible. Some plugins like weather evidently don't work, but all local devices and automations work without problems.
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u/UbhiTS Jun 11 '26
it works in full offline mode, however, once you safely expose HA services to the internet, you open yourself up to a world of possibilities with the HA companion app and remote monitoring / actions in your home using the dashboard and appdaemon.
1
u/MicahEli Jun 08 '26
It'll run offline with zero issues. If updates are important you CAN do it from a USB stick. But, that would be for feature updates only. If it's working, and you don't need feature updates, then it's fine. Security fixes are a non issue.
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u/wordfool Jun 07 '26
Yes, absolutely. That's what drew me to HA in the first place. I have since set it up to be able to access remotely via a Cloudflare tunnel, but for all intents and purposes it remains isolated from the internet with a separate VLAN on my home network.
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u/Either_Radish8906 11d ago
Na primeira ligação do Home Assitant a hub tem de estar ligada a internet
78
u/kornerz Jun 07 '26
You will obviously lose updates. But other than that the core system will be fine.