No internet, how to "run" smart devices at home?
No internet, how to "run" smart devices at home?
Yesterday my ISP experienced a 45-minute outage. All critical equipment stayed powered via UPS. Without internet, how can I stay in touch? Devices like Google Home, Eufy cameras, and NAS are working—anyone have alternative plans for such situations? I assumed I could reach my NAS from a laptop, but without connectivity it stopped working. I’m still new to this.
If they're connected to your local network, you can interact with devices such as your NAS. Smart Home gadgets usually need access to an external server. Generally, a smart NAS will have a local IP (like 192.168.x.x) and a web interface reachable via any browser. Check your router's Admin Panel—common addresses are 192.168.1.1, 192.168.0.1, or 192.168.254.254—to locate your devices. There you’ll see a list, identify your NAS, and it will display its local IP address.
You'd have to rely solely on local tools within your Home Assistant setup, avoiding any cloud provider links. All functions must operate independently of the Internet. Your NAS should reside on your network, managing SMB shares directly. Just need its IP or enable network discovery so Windows detects it automatically. (I’d assign a fixed IP, but the proper method is adjusting your router’s DHCP range to prevent accidental assignment.) If WAN interruptions are frequent, you only require a heartbeat connection for cloud devices to stay active. An LTE modem can serve as a backup. The challenge lies in needing a router capable of handling multiple WANs with failover; adding another connection becomes costly for occasional use cases at home. This highlights several reasons why I prefer local edge solutions over cloud-based "home" devices.
Use your mobile device for internet access via hotspot or tethering.
You might want another link for those events if they happen more often or if you need backup for your network. A pay-per-use setup would be ideal since you only pay for what you use, covering a small monthly cost and then additional charges when needed. It's unclear if this option is offered for home setups in general. I used a similar mobile data plan once, but now prefer prepaid.
Thank you for the clarification. I attempted to locate the NAS on my network and encountered the message "Windows needs to diagnose." Since the NAS is connected via a switch to my router, I’ll need to check the switch settings or port configuration next.
I handled tasks for my own devices. However, I was inquiring about connecting a NAS to that network.