MQTT sensor automation problem

Configuration
1

Hoping that somebody can point me in the right direction with this simple automation I am trying to set-up using an MQTT sensor which is measuring humidity.
This is the MQTT message: Topic: humidor/sensor1, message: {“temperature”:“21.10”,“humidity”:“58.20”}

In my configuration I have

  • platform: mqtt
    state_topic: “humidor/sensor1”
    name: “Humidor_Temperature”
    unit_of_measurement: “oC”
    value_template: “{{ value_json.temperature }}”

  • platform: mqtt
    state_topic: “humidor/sensor1”
    name: “Humidor_Humidity”
    unit_of_measurement: “%”
    value_template: “{{ value_json.humidity | float }}”

(I have added | float to the template as I think the MQTT message sends humidity as a string, but with or without float doesn’t work)

Automation:

  • action:
    • data:
      message: Humidor vochtigheid onder 65% of boven 74%!
      service: persistent_notification.create
      alias: Humidor
      id: ‘1499539668475’
      trigger:
    • below: ‘65.00’
      entity_id: sensor.humidor_humidity
      platform: numeric_state
      value_template: ‘{{ state.state }}’

(I have tried various options for value_template and also without value_template, doesn’t seem to make a difference)
Don’t get any error messages either.

Can somebody help and explain where I am going wrong? Thanks.

2

I think your value_template for the trigger should look like this…

‘{{states.sensor.humidor_humidity.state | float}}’

and remove the “| float” from the mqtt line.

infact I think you can do just …

  trigger:
    platform: numeric_state
      entity_id: sensor.humidor_humidity
      above: 65
3

Hi Keith, thanks for your help. I tried your suggestions, but unfortunately it doesn’t work. I created a new automation.yaml file with only this automation in it, just to make sure nothing else was interfering.
When I call up the automation card for this automation and I click on trigger, the notification pops up, so that bit works. Therefore the problem is in the trigger section. Is the numeric_state platform correct for an MQTT sensor? Ronald

4

Please can you post your current code using the code blocks so we can see the formatting. And yes I use numeric state all the time tho’ only for temperature.

5

Keith,

I have used this code

- action:
  - data:
      message: "Humidor vochtigheid onder 65% of boven 74%!"
    service: persistent_notification.create
  alias: Humidor
  id: '1499539668475'
  trigger:
  - entity_id: sensor.humidor_humidity
    platform: numeric_state
    below: 65

and this

  alias: Humidor
  trigger:
    platform: numeric_state
    entity_id: sensor.humidor_humidity
    below: 65
  action:
    service: persistent_notification.create
    data:
      message: "Humidor vochtigheid onder 65% of boven 74%!"

The first block of code is built with the new HomeAssistant Automation function. the second I created in a separate ‘automations.yaml’ file.
Thanks for your help.

6

The first block I can’t really help with it looks like OK, but it also looks completely wrong to me :stuck_out_tongue:
The second block needs some hyphens and the spacing is not quite correct, btw I’m not sure if you can have both types of automation in the config yaml file, I would pick one and stick to it.My preference would be for the second type :slight_smile:

- alias: Humidor
  trigger:
    - platform: numeric_state
      entity_id: sensor.humidor_humidity
      below: 65
  action:
    - service: persistent_notification.create
      data:
        message: "Humidor vochtigheid onder 65% of boven 74%!"

Hopefully that will make the difference :slight_smile:

7

Thanks again. That was sloppy of me, missing those hyphens. Unfortunately this corrected version still didn’t work. When I manually trigger the message appears, so still an issue with the trigger condition.
Therefore I tried something different and used the template platform, after some testing I got this to work:

- alias: Humidor
  trigger:
    - platform: template
      value_template: '{{states.sensor.humidor_humidity.state | float < 65.00 }}'
  action:
    - service: persistent_notification.create
      data:
        message: "Humidor vochtigheid onder 65% of boven 74%!"

which in the new HomeAssistant automation looks like:

- action:
  - data:
      message: "Humidor vochtigheid onder 65% of boven 74%!"
    service: persistent_notification.create
  alias: Humidor
  id: '1499539668475'
  trigger:
  - platform: template
    value_template: '{{states.sensor.humidor_humidity.state | float < 65.00 }}'

Now I need to figure out how to make a “<65 OR >74” value template.
Thanks, Ronald

8

you should be able to do …
value_template: ‘{{states.sensor.humidor_humidity.state | float < 65.00 or states.sensor.humidor_humidity.state | float > 74.00}}’

So it should return false if inbetween 65 and 74 else true