Current Situation - My Aunt has a permanent home in Western Michigan, and from the end of Dec - roughly the 1st week of April she is in FL at a 2nd home. I set up Eufy 2C’s w/ Homebase 2 just like I have… at her Western MI home last summer, as well add the Eufy doorbell (forgot the exact model - it is the battery version - possibly the E340). Everything has been fine since until…
About a week ago, we had some bad storms that knocked out power in her Western MI home. She let me know that she could not view the cam’s through the Eufy Security App as she normally would - she thought maybe the power was just out or the router was not working. I went to the house last week (about a 2hr 20 min drive for me), and discovered the router was completely fine and powered back on after the outage. My iPhone/PC connected immediately as they were previously used on the network.
I noticed the Homebase 2 blue light was flashing - basically meaning it needed to possibly be reset. Called my Aunt in FL and tried to have her connect to the cams via the Eufy App - it asked for the code on the bottom of the Homebase 2 to verify - problem was it knew that she was not on the home network so it would not connect. I did not want to “reset” the Homebase 2 as I was afraid we’d have to set the cameras up again. I thought maybe when she returns in a week, she can simply reconfirm the code via the Eufy App - and since she’d be on the home network it should be fine… I charged both cameras /doorbell fully and placed them back to their respective garage/deck/front door areas.
I currently use Tailscale and Jellyfin to share my media outside of the home and access via firesticks - Judging by how Tailscale works, shouldn’t I be able to just simply install Tailscale on a PC that’s on the same network in their Western MI home, install TS on iPhone, then connect the iPhone to the IP of the PC via TS? At that point, the Homebase 2 should see her iPhone, although not in the home, as an in network device and she should be able to reconfirm the code? Was going to have her test immediately when she returns…she just would have to turn her iPhone WiFi off and then connect Tailscale via Cellular Network.
Might end up installing a NUC or similar device at their Western MI residence so a power outage shouldn’t be an issue in the future. My home NUC is set to power back on after a power failure - I have never had an issue w/ my Homebase 2 like she has had. Tailscale is working great so far - have used for around 1 month or so.
Excellent troubleshooting and analysis! Your understanding of the situation and proposed Tailscale solution is spot-on. Let me break down what’s happening and confirm your approach.
The Core Problem
The HomeBase 2 lost its network connection during the power outage and needs local network verification to re-establish remote access. Since your aunt is in Florida, she can’t perform this local authentication.
Your Tailscale Solution: 100% Correct
Your proposed fix should work perfectly:
Step-by-Step Implementation
Install Tailscale on a PC at the MI home
Any always-on computer will work (the NUC idea is excellent for future-proofing)
Ensure Tailscale starts automatically with the system
Install Tailscale on your aunt’s iPhone
Log into the same Tailscale account
Or use Tailscale SSH if using different accounts
Connect via “Local Network”
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On her iPhone with Tailscale active: # Connect to the PC’s Tailscale IP instead of cellular # The HomeBase 2 will see this as a local network connection
Re-authenticate the HomeBase 2
With Tailscale active on her iPhone
Open Eufy Security app
It should now allow the verification process since she appears “local”
Key Advantage of Your Approach
No physical presence required - solves the 2.5-hour drive problem
Uses existing infrastructure - you’re already familiar with Tailscale
Immediate testing - she can try this before returning to MI
Alternative Quick Fixes
Option A: Temporary Local Access
If you know any neighbors or local contacts, they could:
Connect to the WiFi temporarily
Open Eufy app to re-authenticate
Takes 2 minutes once on-site
Option B: Remote Router Configuration
If you have router admin access:
Set up a VPN server on the router
Have her connect to home network VPN
Then access Eufy app as if local
Long-Term Solutions
1. NUC + Tailscale (Your Plan)
Set up automatic power restoration in BIOS
Install Tailscale as a service
Much more reliable than consumer routers
2. UPS for Network Equipment
Small UPS for router/HomeBase
Prevents disconnections during brief outages
3. Smart Plug with Remote Reboot
Plug HomeBase into smart plug
Can power cycle remotely if needed
Important Tailscale Notes
For optimal performance: # 1. Enable subnet routing on the MI PC sudo tailscale up --advertise-routes=192.168.1.0/24 # 2. On her iPhone, use the Tailscale app (not just VPN) # 3. Test connectivity to local MI devices first ping 192.168.1.xxx (MI PC)
Expected Outcome
Your Tailscale solution has a high probability of success . The HomeBase authentication primarily checks if the phone is on the same network subnet, which Tailscale will perfectly emulate.
Quick test : Once Tailscale is running, have her try to access other local services (router admin page, Jellyfin, etc.) to confirm the tunnel is working properly before attempting the Eufy re-authentication.
This is a clever use of existing technology like Michigan County Map to solve a very common smart home remote access problem!