Virtual Keys

Create login link for Home Assistant that you can share with guests.

Description

Virtual Keys is a Home Assistant integration that allows you to create login links that can be shared with guests. These links provide access to specific entities in Home Assistant for a limited time.

See Lovelace Virtual Keys for a more detailed description.

Installation with HACS

You need to install HACS first.

1. In HACS, go to Integrations and click on the three dots in the top right corner. Select "Custom repositories".

2. Add kcsoft/virtual-keys as the repository and select the category Integration.

3. Search for "Virtual Keys" and download it.

4. Restart Home Assistant.

5. In Home Assistant, go to Settings -> Devices & Services -> Integrations and add "Virtual Keys". A new entry will appear in the sidebar.

Use case

I want to share a "virtual key" with my friends that is valid for a limited time and that they can use to access specific entities in Home Assistant like the front gate. The key is actually a link to my Home Assistant that can be opened in a browser.

To make this work, I need to make some additional steps (after installing Virtual Keys):

1. Create a new user in Home Assistant, e.g., "guest".

2. Create a new group, e.g., "guests", and add the user "guest" to it, and also the devices you want to give access to, e.g., "cover.front_gate". Instructions here.

3. Create a new View (tab) in the default Lovelace UI and add the entities you want to give access to, e.g., "cover.front_gate", set the visibility to only show to user "guest".

4. Install kiosk-mode and configure it to set "kiosk" mode for user "guest".

That's it, you can now create Virtual Keys and share the link.