Hey r/homeassistant,
I live in Ukraine. russia regularly attacks our power grid — when it goes down, internet and cell towers follow within hours. My Home Assistant keeps running on battery backup, but I can't reach it from outside. So I built a radio bridge.
How it works
Two Lilygo T-Echo radios (~$30 each, LoRa 433MHz, Meshtastic firmware). One plugged into my Mac mini via USB. The other one is portable with me. A Python listener daemon sits between the radio and Home Assistant, routing commands and returning sensor data — all over encrypted LoRa. HA runs on a Home Assistant Green.
What I can do from the radio
Smart home control:
Turn lights on/off
Check temperature from Aqara sensors (I have 3 around the house)
Check power status — grid on/off, battery levels (EcoFlow, Zendure)
Check who's home
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