Get remote access to the HC2 with API

[Herke 0]

Is it possible to use the http API to connect remote to the HC2 through

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I want to make an app for my phone, I can use externally. The Fibaro app's use a extern URL:

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Does anyone know how this works and how you can use it in your own application?

Thanks for your help,

[MalvinYNJ 4]

Currently I doubt so as there's two authentication page for you to enter (1. the remote account, 2. the local account)

Any Fibaro admin can clarify how does home.fibaro server recognize our HC?

In my opinion, I would use port forward but I know this isn't a solution.

[Herke 0]

Does anyone have experience with this? Or is there no documentation on using APIs with https / home.fibaro.com

Port forwarding is not an option, this is not safe enough.

Thanks for your help,

[Lambik 192]

A suggestion is to setup a VPN, so you can use commands locally. I use a Synology VPN NAS package to do this with OpenVPN on my phone. This way it is safe to send http-commands and you only have to open one port in your router.

[MalvinYNJ 4]

Lambik, You only open one port in your router for Fibaro HC2 too. So the VPN is just the security?

[Dalle1985 15]

If you are going to set up a server anyway, you might aswell use one of the established communication systems to avoid having to muck about with ports and VPN:

Create a php script which checks a specific email account every so often (depending on your need i.e. every second or every minute) and then just create an app which will send a specifically coded email based on the action you activate on your phone. Then the php script translates that into an API command for the HC, reads back the response (or the resulting json) and sends an email in the other direction.

The only way to "hack" this system is to know the credentials for the email account - which will provide you with a higher level of security than a VPN which will allow for a hacker to do much more than turn on your bathroom lights. So basically you do:

Phone app activates command -> form email on phone -> send email -> proxy reads the email -> convert email to api command -> send to HC -> proxy read json from HC -> convert to email -> push to phone

This will have a little delay due to latency in the way email works, but other protocols could be used - i.e. twitter or an encrypted RSS feed.

This will completely avoid opening any ports or create vpn/ssh/whatever connections into your home network, which can be a useful gateway into your personal life for a hacker.

[Lambik 192]

Lambik, You only open one port in your router for Fibaro HC2 too. So the VPN is just the security?

No. You open one port, the VPN port. All communications to the VPN server are tunneled and encrypted. This is a very safe way to connect to your home network.

[Herke 0]

Thanks for your messages. Setting up a VPN is an option and secure, only this is more difficult to set up, especially on a mobile, but can of course!

As far as I understand, no one has experience with https via home.fibaro.com and probably will not be released by Fibaro?

Fibaro: Will you in the future also offer the possibility to use https: to communicate with https API home.fibaro.com /?

[Lambik 192]

I use the Synology package 'VPN server'. It has the possibility to use openVPN and create a openVPN certificate.

This certificate and configuration file you can copy to your mobile phone or tablet. On your (Android) phone/tablet you can use these apps, for example:

OpenVPN installer/OpenVPN settings (Friedrich Schäuffelhut) (Phone has to be rooted and busybox must be installed),

OpenVPN for Android (Arne Schwabe) (non rooted).

For extra security I use a high port number and not the standard 1194 Port (forward hight-port to Synolgy 1194) and use the synology firewall to allow only IP-ranges for countries I travel in. Also 'Auto block' function is enabled to block any IP-address which will try 3 faulty inlogattemps within 5 minutes.

[ Added: 2014-08-30, 09:39 ]

BTW, if you don't own a Synology or first want try things then you can use a virtualBox virtual machine Synology, which is called xpenology and can be downloaded at

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This can also be installed on x64/x86 computers/hardware for use as NAS and bootable USB.

[boerremk 83]

Here is a manual for setting up OpenVPN on a Raspberry Pi

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