Not possible to disable tracking of new devices without using a platform in the device_tracker component

Feature Requests
1

It should be possible to configure the defaults of the device_tracker component globally regardless of the platform being used.

This has been copied from my github bug report which was declined:
Component/platform:

device_tracker

Description of problem:
I have just started using a clean install of home assistant, using the default configuration file only adding the device_tracker component without a platform for use with an event based update of home assistant from a OpenWRT router. Running https://github.com/mueslo/openwrt_hass_devicetracker for updating home assistant from the router as described in https://www.home-assistant.io/components/device_tracker.openwrt/

According to the error message, you need to specify a platform to be able to configure defaults for the device_tracker component. However, if you do want to update home assistant from an outside device there is no way to configure defaults like track_new_devices: False and hide_if_away: True etc.

Without track_new_devices: False all new devices on the network will be added and tracked by home assistant, meaning that you will need to manually change the known_devices.yaml file each time a guest or a temporary device has been connected to the network to disable tracking of them.

Relevant configuration.yaml entries:

# Working configuration
device_tracker:

# Non-working configuration
device_tracker:
   new_device_defaults:
      track_new_devices: False

Error message shown by home assistant:

Invalid config for [device_tracker]: required key not provided @ data['platform']. Got None.
2

Yep, I’ve noticed the same thing. If I get some time, I’ll try to add the new_device_defaults to device_tracker globally with the option of overriding them on a per-tracker-platform basis.

1 Like
3

Awesome, I am having the same problem

4

Sorry for reviving an abandoned topic. But I also notice this, and it’s been over a year. Having every guest device tracked is becoming cumbersome to remove every time. I assume people must have made some workaround. What is everyone doing to not have the devices tracked with Event-Based Updates of the Device Tracker from OpenWRT? Thanks!

5

Don’t give out your wifi password.
Connect them to a guest network
Buy a wfi extender that allows configuring a subnet (ie HA can’t see it)

6

hehe, yes those work I guess. Or just allow global defaults to be set without a - platform specified.

device_tracker:
   new_device_defaults:
      track_new_devices: False

Or make it so you have to set a Platform to use passive/event-based device tracking, like with the OpenWRT component:

device_tracker:
  - platform: event-based
    new_device_defaults:
      track_new_devices: False
1 Like
7

Looks like this feature request stranded 4 years ago, which is about the same time I shelved the project, trying to get just data out of the router without all those unecessary devices being created.

I have a bunch of Tasmota and other wifi devices which I do not need tracked at all.

Please! an option to turn off creation of tracked devices in the NETGEAR integration would be HUGEly appreciated, thank you.