How to call MQTT device in automation action?

Configuration
,
1

I am very new to Home Assistant and making really first steps. I’ ve set successfully few MQTT devices (connected to pgysical MQTT switches - Shelly 2) and also have MQTT virtual devices from Smartthings MQTT Bridge. I would like to link them (to operate everything from Smartthings could). I am trying to set automation like below, but simple stupid question: how do I call action for entity_id for device that has not entity_id (for MQTT devices it prohibited and putting it in configuration.yaml gives error)? How can I address my light in setup like this? Should I refer to its name or something?

configuration.yaml

light
  - platform: mqtt
    name: "bathroom_secondary_light"
    state_topic: "smartthings/Bathroom Secondary Light/switch"
    command_topic: "smartthings/Bathroom Secondary Light/switch"
    payload_on: "on"
    payload_off: "off"
    retain: true

automation.yaml

- alias: Example
  trigger:
  - platform: mqtt
    topic: shellies/shellyswitch-134CA7/relay/1
    to: 'on'
    from: 'off'
  action:
  - service: light.turn_on
    entity_id: light.bathroom_secondary_light

I found only this, but there is no solution:

I would really appreciate your help with this basic issue.

2

Please read the blue banner at the top of the page and edit your post accordingly.

3

ok, edited. My mistake

4

So you are saying that the light you created in configuration.yaml doesn’t result in any entity showing up in the dev-states page under the light domain?

I’m sorry. I don’t understand what this means.

What is the error?

5

The light that I create appears on UI perfectly well. I just don’t know how to call it with no entity_id. When I tried to put

entity_id: bathroom_secondary_light

in configuration.yaml file, it cannot load properly

configuration_error
configuration_error1122×388 26.2 KB

6

You forgot to add the light domain to the entity name:

entity_id: light.bathroom_secondary_light

You can always look in the developer tools states menu (<> button lower left) to find the actual entity name of things.

1 Like
7

@tom_l, do you mean I forgot to put in device or automation action? In device I cannot put (I got configuration invalid error like on screen above) and i automation it was used exactly like you mentioned (in the first post in the topic - without any output.

Regardless of lack to possbility to call entity_id (because it can’t be set for MQTT Light or MQTT Switch), what I am really trying to do here is sync two different MQTT topics to change when the other changes. So I figured to trigger and call in action only MQTT topics like below, but is two problems:

1.Even the one side automation like below doesn’t work
2.I guess putting reverse automation (topic 2 as trigger and trigeer 1 as action) will cause infinite loop of sending MQTT message between this two topics.

- alias: Example
  initial_state: True
  trigger:
    - platform: mqtt
      topic: 'shellies/shellyswitch-134CA7/relay/1'
  action:
    - service: mqtt.publish
      data_template:
        topic: 'smartthings/Bathroom Secondary Light/switch'
        payload_template: '{{ trigger.payload }}'

Is there a way to sync two MQTT topics ? I could find anything on the community site.

8

I created other Community topic, since real problem is syncing MQTT topics:

9

in the example picture that you posted you are trying to force an entity_id: key but you aren’t allowed to do that. But you don’t need to do that either. The entity_id is automatically created from the name of the light.

So, from the example you posted:

light
  - platform: mqtt
    name: "bathroom_secondary_light"
    state_topic: "smartthings/Bathroom Secondary Light/switch"
    command_topic: "smartthings/Bathroom Secondary Light/switch"
    payload_on: "on"
    payload_off: "off"
    retain: true

the entity_id will be “light.bathroom_secondary_light”.

2 Likes
10

Thank you @finity. This is what I was looking for. What about spaces and Caps. Will the name:
“Bathroom Secondary Light” will be changed to “bathroom_secondary_light” ?

11

yes. it will show up just as i posted.

1 Like