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netbird-docs/src/pages/manage/networks/homelab/access-home-network.mdx
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import {Note} from "@/components/mdx";
# How to Set up NetBird to Access Your Home Network
This step-by-step guide describes how to quickly get started with NetBird and access your home network remotely.
You will achieve a secure connection between your entire home network and NetBird, enabling remote devices to access
local network resources through a routing peer using the [NetBird Networks feature](/manage/networks/homelab/access-home-network).
## Download and Install NetBird
<br/>
<Button href="https://app.netbird.io/install" arrow="right" children="Download NetBird" />
## Connect Your Laptop
NetBird comes with a Desktop UI application that can be found in the systray. If it hasn't automatically started, look for `NetBird` in the application list, run it, and click `Connect`:
<p>
<img src="/docs-static/img/get-started/systray.png" alt="login-to-netbird" className="imagewrapper"/>
</p>
<Note>
Alternatively, you can run the `netbird up` command in the terminal.
</Note>
At this point a browser window pops up starting an interactive SSO login session that will register your laptop. You will be prompt to sign up and confirm your device registration:
<p>
<img src="/docs-static/img/manage/networks/homelab/access-home-network/login-screen-dark.png" alt="login-to-netbird" className="imagewrapper"/>
</p>
After the registration is complete, proceed to the [**NetBird dashboard**](https://app.netbird.io/) to confirm that your laptop is in the network. You will see it in the `Peers` view.
## Create a New NetBird Network
1. Go to the **Networks** tab in the side bar
2. Click **Add Network** and give it a name such as “Home LAN", and optionally add a description.
<p>
<img src="/docs-static/img/manage/networks/homelab/access-home-network/add-network-home-lan.png" alt="add-network-home-lan" className="imagewrapper"/>
</p>
## Identify Your Local Subnet
Use the steps below to quickly identify your local subnet for use as a Network Resource.
### Windows
1. Open **Command Prompt**.
2. Run:
```bash
ipconfig
```
3. Look for your active network adapter.
4. Note the values for:
- `IPv4 Address`
- `Subnet Mask`
Example:
```
IPv4 Address. . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.1.10
Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . : 255.255.255.0
```
The subnet is `192.168.1.0/24`.
### Linux
1. Open **Terminal**.
2. Run:
```bash
ip -c a
```
or
```bash
ip route
```
3. Identify the active interface (e.g., `eth0`, `wlan0`) and note the IP with CIDR suffix:
Example:
```
inet 192.168.1.10/24
```
The subnet is `192.168.1.0/24`.
### macOS
1. Open **Terminal**.
2. Run:
```bash
ifconfig
```
3. Locate the active interface (`en0`, `en1`, etc.).
4. Look for:
- `inet` (IP address)
- `netmask` (in hex)
Example:
```
inet 192.168.1.10 netmask 0xffffff00
```
Hex `0xffffff00` = `255.255.255.0`, which is `/24`.
The subnet is `192.168.1.0/24`.
## Define Your LAN as a Network Resource
1. Click **Add Resource**.
2. Enter a name like "Home Subnet" and the CIDR of your home network into the Address field (e.g., 192.168.1.0/24).
3. Assign it to a Destination Group, create one called "home-lan" so you can write access policies using this group.
4. Click **Add Resource**.
<p>
<img src="/docs-static/img/manage/networks/homelab/access-home-network/add-resource-home-network.png" alt="add-resource-home-network" className="imagewrapper"/>
</p>
<Note>
Alternatively, if you do not want to allow access your entire home subnet, you can get more granular by only
allowing
access to a single static IP address for your added resource (e.g., 192.168.1.50/32).
</Note>
## Create an Access Control Policy
To allow access to resources in your home network, you need to create an access control policy that defines which
peers can access the network.
1. After adding your resource, click **Create Policy**.
2. Set Source to the group of NetBird peers you want to allow access (e.g., "All Users" or a specific group like "Home Users").
3. Set **Destination** to the "home-lan" group you made.
4. For **Protocol**, choose All.
5. Name it "Home LAN Access" and click **Add Policy**.
<p>
<img src="/docs-static/img/manage/networks/homelab/access-home-network/add-policy-home-lan.png" alt="add-policy-home-lan" className="imagewrapper"/>
</p>
## Add Your User to the Home User Group
In order to access your home network, you need to add your users to a group that is used in the access control policy,
you've previously created.
1. Go to the **Team** tab in the side bar.
2. Find your user row and click on the **GROUPS** column in the table.
3. Add "Home Users" by typing it in the input box and pressing Enter.
<p>
<img src="/docs-static/img/manage/networks/homelab/access-home-network/add-user-group.png" alt="add-network-home-lan" className="imagewrapper"/>
</p>
## Choose or Add a Routing Peer in Your LAN
1. Click **Add Routing Peer**.
2. Pick any always-on machine on your home network (Windows, Linux, Mac, Docker, Raspberry Pi).
3. Install the NetBird agent on it using a [one-off setup key](/manage/peers/register-machines-using-setup-keys#types-of-setup-keys) using the CLI installer.
4. Ensure this machine has access to both the internet and your LAN subnet.
5. Choose this machine as your routing peer and click **Continue** and **Add Routing Peer**.
<p>
<img src="/docs-static/img/manage/networks/homelab/access-home-network/add-routing-peer-home-network.png" alt="add-routing-peer-home-network"
className="imagewrapper"/>
</p>
<p>
<img src="/docs-static/img/manage/networks/homelab/access-home-network/add-routing-peer.png" alt="add-routing-peer-home-network"
className="imagewrapper"/>
</p>
## Test the Connection
1. Pick any IP within your Home LAN, such as the IP of your NAS, printer, or another service and run:
```bash
ping 192.168.x.x
```
2. A successful ping response confirms that your routing peer is correctly routing traffic to resources in your home network.
Thats it! Youve successfully mapped your entire home LAN into a NetBird Network. Any peer included in your access policy
can now securely access resources in your home subnet via your designated routing peer, without the need to open router ports or install software on every device.