Go to Settings > People > Users
Create a new User account for use by your Tasmota devices.
In my case, the account is used exclusively by my Tasmota devices. I have another User account for use by other MQTT entities as well as a general purpose account I use for debugging via an MQTT client.
Is there some test I can do without Tasmota so that I can isolate whether it is a Tasmota problem verses a broker problem? Or maybe there is some issue with my NAS?
Yes. Use a client like MQTT Explorer. If you can’t login with it using the account you created then you know the problem isn’t limited to the Tasmota devices.
2023-12-10 20:26:13: Client <unknown> disconnected due to protocol error.
2023-12-10 20:26:14: New connection from 192.168.0.161:62169 on port 1883.
2023-12-10 20:26:14: Client <unknown> disconnected due to protocol error.
2023-12-10 20:28:01: New connection from 192.168.0.161:62191 on port 1883.
2023-12-10 20:28:01: Client mqtt-explorer-3f99eb57 disconnected, not authorised.
Using MQTT Explorer, you have confirmed the User account you created and the MQTT Broker are functional. That’s progress.
If the Tasmota device fails to connect to the broker, to the extent the broker’s log doesn’t even have a record of the attempt, then it makes me wonder if there’s a network issue.
Confirm the Tasmota device is connected to your network (ping it).
Let’s pick this up tomorrow (when you can post again) because multiple replies within a single post isn’t practical (plus it’s past midnight here).
It occurred to me this morning that if the Tasmota device has a network connection problem, you wouldn’t have been able to get to its web page but your screenshot above is evidence that you did. So maybe it’s not a network issue (unless, perhaps, you have the Home Assistant server and your Tasmota device on separate VLANs).
Reset the Tasmota device and re-configure it. Then observe what it reports in its console.
The http:// was my careless mistake when i pasted it from my browser.
Thank you for helping me through this. When you are just starting out on a new platform with no prior experience its hard to know what part of the system to focus on when you are questioning everything. Having someone with more experience is so helpful. I will send some coffees your way.