MQTT Stats - Measuring Number of MQTT messages per time for a topic

Configuration
1

I am trying to find a way to log/measure stats from my Hassio MQTT integration.

Does anyone know if I can set up a sensor to detect/count MQTT messages arriving for a given topic?

Ignoring the payload, just counting messages.

Cheers
P

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2

The overall stats are available in $SYS topic, but not individual topics.
You might have a look at the github code for MQTT Explorer. Maybe some ideas there:

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3

I quickly tried something, and this might work;

  - platform: mqtt
    name: counter
    state_topic: "counter/test"
    value_template: >
      {% if is_state('sensor.counter', 'unknown') %}
        1
      {% else %}
        {{ states('sensor.counter') | int + 1 }}
      {% endif %}

But the value (as expected) resets every restart


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4

I owe you beer friend
 :wink:

5

I stumbled upon this thread and just wanted to add a “short version” of this template, because the else branch of this template can handle an unknown state just fine:

  - platform: mqtt
    name: counter
    state_topic: "counter/test"
    value_template: "{{ states('sensor.counter') | int + 1 }}"

Everything that isn’t a valid number will be cast to ‘0’ (zero) by the int filter. The first time this sensor is triggered, the unknown state becomes 0 after the int and after +1 the result is 1 for the first message, just as in the original template.

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6

This gets reset to 0 every time Home Assistant restarts. Any way to keep it persistent?

7

Put it in an input_number on HA shutdown, and restore from the input_number on HA restart.

8

I suppose an automation to increment an input_number every time the MQTT sensor is incremented is called for.

I just had a hours-long research and figured out a wonky roundabout way of doing it without a counter to avoid using a prosthetic input_number, but found the familiar glaring flaw in HA: no ability to persist data after HA restarts besides marginal integrations like Input Number/Boolean/etc. and Utility Meter. Otherwise the solution above would work great.