I was a home student at Aston, it was fine. You're a 5-10 minute walk away from the main bus route through the city centre, and a 10 minute walk away from three major train stations, so the commute is never going to be a big problem in Birmingham.
You'll have to make a bit of an effort early on. The great thing about halls is that you effectively get handed a half dozen ready made friends who are all in the same situation.
Join the home students society and go on the first few mixers/events they throw (they'll probably contact you before the beginning of term, but if not, the guild website will have contact details).
Talk to the people you end up stood/sat next to during enrolment and during your first few weeks of lectures. There's a lot of queuing in the first week - don't do it in silence. Don't be the guy/girl who sits on their own in the front row. In fact, just don't be the guy/girl who sits in the front row, period (nothing good ever happens in the front row).
Join a sports club (if only to hold off the fresher fifteen) or one of the non sports societies, go on the socials they hold, especially early on in the year.
Basically, just cast your net widely and people will start to stick to you. Freshers do tend to socialise in their hall groups, particularly in the 1st Semester, but there are plenty of other ways to get drunk in good company.