With this topic I try to summarize the different possibilities I figured out to get data from Victron into home assistant. For now I figured out three options, feel free to continue this list.
1. via ModBus integration
I installed
https://github.com/sfstar/hass-victron
and followed the instructions (do not forget to turn on Modbus TCP-Server on your victron device).
pros:
- it worked out of the box and it gives a (full-)access to a lot of functions
cons:
- seems to be slow
2. via MQTT access
I only turned on ‘MQTT-Zugang’ on my victron device and it starts sending a lot of MQTT messages which can be used in home assistant.
setup instructions I found here:
https://gist.github.com/KidA001/dc5584db340cf3ad513f9415b20ed5fa
and/or
https://www.imval.tech/index.php/blog/victron-mqtt-server-bridging
and/or
https://github.com/Daddy1976/mqtt
pros:
- very fast and sends 1885 topics (on my system) with a high update rate
cons:
- needs keep alive message from home assistant side
- needs bridge configuration in mosqitto broker on home assistant side
- did not figure out how to reduce the update rate because it spams my network
3. via MQTT sent via node red
I use large image on cerbo which provides node red.
I followed instruction from here:
https://community.victronenergy.com/t/homeassistant-victron-gx-modbustcp-integration-tipps-und-tricks-gesucht/5781/4
… still evaluating
Sensor example for configuration.yaml:
mqtt:
sensor:
- name: "Cerbo P_MPPT"
unique_id: "cerbo_p_mppt"
state_topic: "cerbo/P_MPPT"
unit_of_measurement: "W"
suggested_display_precision: 1
device:
name: "Cerbo"
identifiers: "cerbo"
pros:
- full control of update rate via node red
- you can define which messages are sent
cons:
- needs more effort
additional tools I use:
MQTT explorer (app author: Thomas Nordquist)