Issues with setting up rtl_433(next) and rtl_433 Auto discovery (next)

Configuration
1

I have installed these two add-ons and am succesfully receiving data from my oil sensors which i can see in MQTT Explorer and am displaying on my dashboard. This is without any specific configuration in the options section of the rtl_433 (next add-on)

rtl_433 (next)
rtl_433 (next)1593×520 33 KB

in the rtl_433 autodiscovery (next) addon, i have my mqtt date as follows:
rtl_433 MQTT Autodiscovery (next)
rtl_433 MQTT Autodiscovery (next)1531×666 82 KB

If, within the rtl_433 (next) add-on, i change the entry as follows:

rtl_433_conf_file: ""
retain: true
frequency: 433.92M, 433.905M, 431.837M, 868.30M, 868.268M -s 1024k
hop_interval: 20
rtl433_flags: "-vv -F log"

No changes can be seen in the log tab even after restarting. no hopping of frequencies, no added logging data etc.

So it seems to me the add-on is not reading this code for some reason.
In Studio Code Server, i have looked through all teh HA files and see nothing relevant other than the rtl_433 directory which only contains the rtl_433.conf.template file with contents starting with: “this is an empty template file…”

Could anyone help and tell me where i can add options so that:
A) i can see any frequency hopping,debug and scanning data in the log?
B) scan frequency 433.92M (as it is already succesfully doing by default it seems)
plus
frequency 868.30M
frequency 868.268M
I have tried uninstalling the add-on and deleting its data and reinstalling, that made no difference. I have spent a day searching through the forum as well as trying co-pilot (very frustrating) but seem stuck.

Many thanks!

2

I see the problem - frequency and hop_interval and rtl433_flags are not actual config options. Instead there’s a file in /config/rtl_433 you can edit. See the README for more details!

3

Hi Andrew, this is probably an exceedingly dumb question but, in my /433/ folder, I only have one file called “rtl_433.conf.template” and no other files that might be a conf.
Shoudl I create a new file called rtl_433.conf or edit the afore mentioned “rtl_433.conf.template”

Of course I have read the readme but am none the wiser. In my defense :wink: there seem to be otehr posters onthe forum having similar issues. Sadly, I cannot find any examples anywhere where soemone with a similar setup, shows a how to.

Would I simply copy the

retain: true
frequency: 433.92M, 433.905M, 431.837M, 868.30M, 868.268M -s 1024k
hop_interval: 20
rtl433_flags: "-vv -F log"

text into the “rtl_433.conf.template”? Or should i create a rtl_433.conf as the README suggests?

Many thanks!

Jaap

4

You can edit that file directly. It ends in .template to support automatically setting up the MQTT connection information. If it doesn’t end in .template, the addon assumes you know what you’re doing and want to hardcode everything.

Sort of, but not in that format. The rtl_433 file isn’t YAML. There’s a fully documetned example up at rtl_433/conf/rtl_433.example.conf at 9a78a488fa782a3b9f0158cba9cc2174bbeedebe · merbanan/rtl_433 · GitHub.

Hope that helps!

5

I am not one of those people that know what I am doing;)

I have seen the file you link to of corse but taht reffers to rtl_433.conf so confuses me. But ok, if I ignore, i now undertand I shoud edit the rtl_433.conf.template file.

Given it works without any config for devices on 433MHZ (I use autodiscover), do I only remove relevant hash symbols to lines I want to add ?

Looking at the file, I would only unhash and edit line 53 to 61 to add frequencies and hop

and to hopefully see better what is going on in the log:
perhaps the 21-25 to increase verbosity?

For me this does not work, if I add -v on a line for example, i would expect verbose but the log says unknown keyword “-v” throwns awobbly gives me a list of commands and stops

Finally, I assume I ADD #s in front of all the protocals I don’t need. Given mine is already picking up sensors via MQTT and i use them in my dashboard, I guess anything refering to that setup can be ignore.

IN simple terms, I understand what goes in .template ADDS to any settings that are set soewhere else? Would hashing or unhashing then reverse any setting I change?

6

would anyone be able to put the options I want in a format that can go into the template file? Andrew kindly pointed me to the example but it is frying my brain a bit. have been fiddeling for a couple if weeks without success and hate to admit defeat;)
Given it works for 433, all i want to change is that it scans multiple ffrequencies and a hop command.
frequency: 433.92M, 433.905M, 431.837M, 868.30M, 868.268M -s 1024k
hop_interval: 20

Thank you all!

7

You’ve got it!

Right, the flag versions only work if you’re typing them directly at a command line.

The # is a comment marker. Any settings in the example file starting with it are commented out and don’t do anything.

Right - those settings are the defaults rtl_433 uses out of the box (such as setting the frequency to 433mhz). Whatever is in the config file overrides those.

8

i “think” i might be making progress thank to your kind help.

I copied the following into my template file and for the first time, after restarting rtl_433 addon the service does not try to start and then stops but just runs.
"
So at least it is still running. Unfortunately, I have no idea if it is actually doing what I would like it to do.

I copied in the following: (from the “#jmr copied” in onward)

# https://github.com/merbanan/rtl_433/blob/9a78a488fa782a3b9f0158cba9cc2174bbeedebe/conf/rtl_433.example.conf

output mqtt://${host}:${port},user=${username},pass=${password},retain=${retain}

#jmr copied in

# as command line option:
#   [-f <frequency>] [-f...] Receive frequency(s) (default: 433920000 Hz)
# default is "433.92M", other reasonable values are 315M, 345M, 915M and 868M
frequency     433.92M, 868.30M

# as command line option:
#   [-H <seconds>] Hop interval for polling of multiple frequencies (default: 600 seconds)
# default is "600" seconds, only used when multiple frequencies are given
hop_interval  60

#endJMR

My log in the rtl addon:

Starting rtl_433 with rtl_433.conf...
[rtl_433] rtl_433 version 25.02-3-g08899fff branch master at 202503031203 inputs file rtl_tcp RTL-SDR SoapySDR with TLS
[rtl_433] MQTT: Publishing MQTT data to core-mosquitto port 1883
[rtl_433] MQTT: Publishing device info to MQTT topic "rtl_433/9b13b3f4-rtl433-next/devices[/type][/model][/subtype][/channel][/id]".
[rtl_433] MQTT: Publishing events info to MQTT topic "rtl_433/9b13b3f4-rtl433-next/events".
[rtl_433] MQTT: Publishing states info to MQTT topic "rtl_433/9b13b3f4-rtl433-next/states".
[rtl_433] Use "-F log" if you want any messages, warnings, and errors in the console.
[rtl_433] Found Rafael Micro R828D tuner
[rtl_433] RTL-SDR Blog V4 Detected
[rtl_433] Exact sample rate is: 250000.000414 Hz

I now added "verbose"on one line but does not seem to make any difference. at least it is still running.
I have not run it long enough to see if my oil sensors still update (they were catching on 433) - (edit : i think it still does)

Is there anyway I can set something so I can see it is actually scanning & hopping a particular frequency?

Is there anyway to prevent picking up a device (say for example 59 steelmate TPMS) or whatever? (or the opposite when I actually want it?)
In my list I do not have watchman sonic listed but it decodes it anyway. (I happen to want it so that is handy) but I also pick up: Interlogics-Security, Markisol, Cardin-S466 and TPMS renault-0435R. I live in a very rural location and have only 1 close neighbour. (Who does nothave a renault)

Out of interest, where does any information added in the config file go/get written too? I cannot find any file on my HA