Should one really use HA OS mostly without mqtt?

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#1

Hello,

I’m an absolute beginner in HAOS, mqtt, esphome and had some knowledge of Linux and Arduino before. Now i learn something in HA because i would like use it for any automations.

I currently have HAOS installed with mqtt esphome and Node-red.

I would like to use it to configure and connect my ESP devices and operate them in the web frontend under Home Assistant. But the comminication between my externak ESP-devices, i would like use the mqtt-broker.

I was just explained in a German forum that Home Assistant is not normally used with mqtt because then you would have two communication systems here, HA and mqtt.

Is it really like that?

I would like to fully rely on the mgtt broker for my HA. This also has something to do with my later expandability of the system.

Is it normal that HA is only used as a front end and to operate the devices (ESP’s) and as a communication protocol mqtt?
or am I really exotic because you didn’t think of it that way?

Best regards
Achim

#2

Without my Tasmota integrated devices :
afbeelding

There is nothing wrong with using mqtt.

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#3

Thank’s so much… because i thought i ttake a big misstake or i understood all wrong

#4

You have two choices for communication with ESPHome, mqtt or the native API.

Most people choose the API because it is easy, fast and works really well. MQTT is still a valid alternative though.

The relative merits are explained here https://esphome.io/components/api.html#advantages-over-mqtt

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#5

I’ve converted nearly everything I do to MQTT (I write custom firmware for ESP devices instead of using ESPHome).

James

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#6

That is probably also the reason why only the api was recommended to me in the German forum.

I thought if I use mqtt for communication, I would be more independent.

Before I started with HA, ESP’s etc. I looked at a few example configurations of such server systems and there most of them used mqtt…at least what I had seen… but these were mostly systems using HA and not HA- OS, they were put together by themselves and often ran under Docker.

that’s how I came to HA.

I don’t know whether they used it to operate all their ESPs or whether they actually communicated with completely different devices.

Since I knew that mqtt has been around for a long time and is a neutral broker, I thought I would be more independent with it. But I didn’t know anything about whether there were e.g. integration problems, e.g. in interaction with Node-red, Home Assistant and the ESphome devices.

Currently I would like to learn mqtt, my first esp also works with it… but now I would like to control it with Node-Red…
this also works… but only from Node-Red.

I don’t know the interaction of everything well yet… which is why I’m still having trouble making my configuration of Node-Red visible in the HA frontend, for example.
I’ll see if I can find any more information

#7

Hi

and, are you also using HA as a frontend?

if so, have you had problems with not being able to display any of your programmed ESPhome ESPs in the frontend of Home-assistant?

Achim

#8

that there is really good information and also promotion for this api.

the part with:
One-click configuration: ESPHome just needs one click to set up in Home Assistant - no more messing around with retained MQTT discovery messages and alike.

Yes, I had already noticed that when I also tested the api connection. It’s really quick to make an esp known in the HA.

With mqtt I’m in the process of finding out even more precisely.

For me the speed is not the problem, an mqtt server that could possibly crash is not either.

What is important to me.
That I can later configure everything with Node-Reed in such a way that I can quickly display everything on a dashboard.

If there is no difference to the api and mqtt here, I would like to continue using mqtt…

#9

I don’t use ESPhome, mine are all custom firmware.