I automated my 20-year-old appliances with Home Assistant, and they're more reliable than anything new

Home Assistant, an open-source project that brings your connected devices together in one interface, can be accessed remotely using Tailscale for free. Kevin Purdy and Alex Kretzschmar explain how to set this up in their April 2024 blog post, which was updated in July 2026 to reflect the latest changes.

To begin, ensure that Home Assistant is installed and reachable through a web browser. In the Home Assistant dashboard, navigate to Settings, then choose Apps. Install the Tailscale app, which allows Home Assistant to be configured as a device on your Tailscale network, known as a tailnet.

After installing Tailscale, you'll need to set up your Tailscale account and tailnet. Choose a memorable tailnet name and enable HTTPS certificates for easier access. In the Home Assistant dashboard, go to the Tailscale app settings and select the "Open Web UI" button. Log in and confirm the connection to your tailnet.

Next, configure Home Assistant for Tailscale Serve. As of version 2026.8, Home Assistant manages HTTP server proxy settings within its dashboard interface. Navigate to Settings > System > Network, and find the HTTP server section. Enable Trust X-Forwarded-For and add 127.0.0.1 as a trusted proxy. Click Save to restart Home Assistant.

Once Home Assistant comes back online, return to the Tailscale app. Look for the "Share Home Assistant with Serve" option and disable Funnel, which would expose your setup to the public internet. Enabling Tailscale Serve allows you to reach Home Assistant from devices running Tailscale, such as phones and laptops.

The final step is to access your Home Assistant over Tailscale. Use the provided URL, which combines your tailnet name and can be found in the Home Assistant web Admin Console. After a brief handshake to set up the certificate, you can access your Home Assistant from anywhere with Tailscale, as if it were on your local network. The Tailscale app in Home Assistant offers additional options, such as accepting DNS, acting as an exit node, or advertising subnet routes, which can enhance your remote access experience.