"mesage":"invalid JSON specified"

Configuration
1

So i have a python script that i run on a remote raspberry pi with a pir hc s501 motion sensor.
i have a binary sensor setup with platform mqtt, but not sure what to use as a state_topic,

 binary_sensor:
   - platform: mqtt
     name: "MotionSensor"
     state_topic: "movement/motionsensor/motion"

my python script checks the state of a gpio pin, then based of an if statement sends a http request to the resful api like this:

 import requests
 
 url = 'http://ipaddress:8123/api/states/binary_sensor.motionsensor'
 headers = {'x-ha-access': 'password', 'content-type': 'application/json'}
 data = {"state": "on", "attributes": {"friendly_name": "motionsensor"}}
 response = requests.post(url, headers=headers, data=data)

im receiving an error back from home assistant:

{ā€œmessageā€:ā€œinvalid JSON specifiedā€}

anyone ever run into this issue before and how to resolve it?

2

First what does this have to do with Zwave config?

Why do you think that subscribing to a MQTT topic will allow a rest request to populate an MQTT service?

Your remote PI should publish to a MQTT broker on the state_topic defined above and thatā€™s assuming you have a broker setup in the first place thoā€™

3

well i have an mqtt broker running for several cameras with motion using motioneyeos, and a curl command with the json object seems to work fine with it. but i understand what youre saying i should probably use mosquitto publish from the remote pi to the home assistant server. ill give that a tryā€¦thanks! i am new to this(insert excuse here) just started back in jan. and im not that familiar with mqtt.

4

:slight_smile: no problem tho you should move this out of zwave config as itā€™s not related at all, probably better off in normal config :slight_smile:

MQTT seems to confuse a lot of peeps (me to in the early days if Iā€™m honest), but itā€™s really simple. Think of the mqtt broker as a message board that anyone can send a message to and can pick up a message from provided they know the message route, where the message route is the topic. So one side publishes a message to a topic and the other side that wants to receive it subscribes to that topic, thatā€™s it really, simple :slight_smile:

Edit: moved to config

5

yup, i think my confusion was based off how i was applying notification commands to the mqtt broker via curl and the restful api. maybe setting up an http binary sensor for the zwave would work as well.

6

What zwave?

7

This one:
HC S501

8

Thatā€™s not a zwave device, its a PIR sensor (passive infrared sensor), nothing what so ever to do with zwave :stuck_out_tongue:

9

lol true, i also have a zwave device monoprice with motion temperature battery and humidity, just no hub yet. and i have no idea how to wire the damn thing to my raspberry pi(so far)ā€¦i purchased a ha1000, but that was a waste, they had been discontinued (staples connect) and the device was already registered. Then i tried the uboot exploit to drop into a shell so i could control it since i kept getting a 503.x certificate error when i would try to access the http user interface. but i think its bricked lol.

10

You donā€™t ā€œwireā€ it to your pi you need a usb zwave stick to control it and any other zwave devices you may have, you can get them very cheap these days. Mine cost about Ā£35 when I bought it about 1.5 yrs ago, but I just saw this ā€¦
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Everspring-SA413-Z-Wave-Plus-USB-Adapter-Stick/282638002736?epid=2222971112&hash=item41ce89aa30:g:T0gAAOSwcndZrS11

How good it is I canā€™t say but for 5 quid :stuck_out_tongue:

I might get one as a spare :slight_smile:

1 Like
11

yeah i know i need a z stick but i was trying to make it a little cheaper, then just 3d print a case for the raspberry pi and the zwave device.i mean i should be able to wire it to the gpioā€™s some how straight off the zwave board, theres several holes in it for that purpose i believe, just need to find the schematics.

12

Good luck with that, I wouldnā€™t even try for the cost of a zwave stick.

If your still talking about the PIR yes you can wire that directly it has a very simply I/F just 5v, gnd and signal.

13

no im talking about the zwave, i already have the pir sensor working just now trying to finish up the script using paho-mqtt for python, im gonna have that script run on boot, then when it picks up motion it will send a connect to the broker and publish to the topic, then go back to standby after 5 seconds, once i figure out how to place the password in the connect parameters with paho-mqtt i should be good to go.

1 Like
14

lol so youre gonna find this hilarious!!

import requests
url = ā€˜http://ipaddress:8123/api/states/binary_sensor.motionsensorā€™
headers = {ā€˜x-ha-accessā€™: ā€˜passwordā€™, ā€˜content-typeā€™: ā€˜application/jsonā€™}
data = ā€˜{ā€œstateā€: ā€œonā€, ā€œattributesā€: {ā€œfriendly_nameā€: ā€œmotionsensorā€}}ā€™
response = requests.post(url, headers=headers, data=data)

all i had to do was add quotes to the json dictionary and it works fine LOLOLOLOL.
compare data above to my data below, just had to put in quotes.
configuration.yaml:

binary_sensor:

  • platform: mqtt
    name: ā€œMotionSensorā€
    state_topic: ā€œmovement/motionsensor/motionā€

python script:

import RPi.GPIO as GPIO
import time
import requests

GPIO.setmode(GPIO.BCM)

GPIO.setup(pinnumber, GPIO.IN) #PIR
#GPIO.setup(24, GPIO.OUT) #BUzzer
url = 'http://ipaddress:8123/api/states/binary_sensor.motionsensor'
headers = {'x-ha-access': 'password', 'content-type': 'application/json'}
data = '{"state": "on", "attributes": {"friendly_name": "MotionSensor"}}'

url1 = 'http://ipaddress:8123/api/states/binary_sensor.motionsensor'
headers1 = {'x-ha-access': 'password', 'content-type': 'application/json'}
data1 = '{"state": "off", "attributes": {"friendly_name": "MotionSensor"}}'

try:
    time.sleep(2) # to stabilize sensor
    while True:
        if GPIO.input(pinnumber):
            #GPIO.output(24, True)
            #time.sleep(0.5) #Buzzer turns on for 0.5 sec
            #GPIO.output(24, False)
            #print("Motion Detected...")
            #localtime = time.asctime( time.localtime(time.time()) )
            #print(localtime)
            response = requests.post(url, headers=headers, data=data)
            #print(response.text)
            time.sleep(5) #to avoid multiple detection
            response1 = requests.post(url1, headers=headers1, data=data1)
            #print(response1.text)

        time.sleep(0.1) #loop delay, should be less than detection delay

except:
    GPIO.cleanup()
15

Well itā€™s funny in a strange way as this still has nothing to do with MQTT or zwave, what you are doing is calling in to the HA api to set the state of a variable, that variable could just as well be a standard binary sensor or just a sensor, it has nothing to do with mqtt. However congrats on solving it :smiley:

16

youre right!!, i got confused with my zwave sensor and my pir sensor. but once i learn how to wire the zwave device to the raspberry piā€¦ ill let you know, so if someone wants to bypass purchasing a zstick or hub and run straight from the gpio, youll just need a raspberry pi and any zwave device(and a 3d printer for a case), i mean a raspberry pi zero w is only 15 bux and a raspberry pi is like 35 bux, where as z stick runs around 40 - 50, and if you just have 1 zwave sensor, youre good to go.

17

Have a look at the link I posted above, the zwave stick can be had for Ā£5, thatā€™s a UK version, for the US you would need a different one but the cost wouldnā€™t be much more than $7 i would think :slight_smile:

18

i cant find any zsticks for less than 44 bux lol