So I’ve been searching and it seems there’s no way to access my local network devices from HA app, because of host/networking setup. So what’s the point of having this app at all, if it’s main functionality can’t be used?
All I wanted to begin with, was WoL of my PC, but HA can’t see it, even though it’s on the same network as TN SCALE
Sorry if the question is stupid, but I’m still just learning all of this 
I run HA this way and like the ease of operation, backups and updates. All devices I manage with HA are manually configured. I only have a handful of heater thermostats and power measurements in a rental appartment. So I do not need autodetection.
If you need direct network access, HAOS is the recommended way to run HA, anyway. Works well as a VM in TrueNAS.
Would you mind sharing how?
Settings > Devices & services > Add integration (in the lower right corner)
In my case:
Done.
Maybe I’m missing something, but that approach doesn’t work with WoL integration. I have the device added, but it just doesn’t work
Well, at least I guess I understand you still can somewhat use HA in other scenarios if integration specifically allows device access via config
Yes. No. I don’t have any WoL devices. Everything running 24x7.
Typically, docker containers in TN don’t need or use layer 2 networking (e.g. WoL ethernet frames). As has been suggested, if you need this, run HAOS in a VM with the NIC bound to a physical or bridge interface on the host.
Unfortunately, I have almost no clue how to do that 
I might try to search what these terms (except VM) are
Absolutely - it would mean you’d get the most out of TN and Home Assistant.
HAOS - Home Assistant Operating System. A complete distribution by the Home Assistant project and their recommended way to run Home Assistant.
Available for dedicated hardware on Intel/AMD or ARM or for VMs.
There’s a guide for installing HAOS in TrueNAS VM if you want to go that route.
if you want full feature set of home assistant you need haos
if you use haos you install it in a VM and it then behaves like a real machine (i have been running it this way for years across multiple hyperivsors, image moved as i moved hyperivsors, originally was installed on hyper-v, now on proxmox)
HAOS.
corrected, bad habit on my part
WoL should work as it’s just broadcast data, but if HA is running as a Container, it’s using NAT, which would not re-broadcast the WoL packet.
You need to add either a Bridge or Macvlan interface or run HA as a VM.
I have been running HA under a VM and it works as expected.
You’ve already hit on the key limitation: TrueNAS Apps (Docker) don’t expose layer-2 networking, so things like WoL broadcasts will never pass through. That’s why integrations which rely on raw Ethernet frames don’t work inside the SCALE app container.
If all you need are integrations that talk over TCP/IP (e.g. REST, MQTT, cloud APIs, or devices you can point at with a host/IP), then running HA in an App can be fine — manual config works, backups/updates are simple, and it keeps everything under SCALE’s umbrella.
But if you want the full feature set (auto-discovery, WoL, USB passthrough, multicast, etc.), the clean way is HAOS in a VM with the NIC bound to a bridge. At that point HA sees the network like a normal host and all those integrations behave as expected .
So it really comes down to your use case:
• Light, manual configs → HA App works.
• Anything requiring broadcast/multicast or hardware passthrough → HAOS in a VM is the way to go.
OK, so I ended up using Tailscale for WoL and at some point I’ll try to see how HA app by itself can be useful for my not at all smart home 
Thanks to all who contributed and @Rocketplanner83 for such detailed explanation of the app vs HAOS use case
Can you please explain what/how you did with Tailscale?
Does it include a WoL feature or you are using commands? Thx.
Tailscale both on TNS and on my phone. On the phone I use this WoL app
That’s about it. WoL works even if I’m not on a local network, but connected to Tailnet
Ok, so it’s just a WoL program and not part of tailscale.
Thx for reply.
