As a homeowner who’s been diving into the world of smart home automation, I’ve been fascinated by the endless possibilities that MQTT device triggers offer. While I’ve managed to set up some basic automations, I’ve hit a bit of a roadblock when it comes to fully leveraging device triggers for more complex scenarios.
One of the challenges I’ve encountered is finding clear documentation on how to effectively use device triggers in YAML configurations. I’ve spent hours searching through forums and documentation, only to find scattered information that doesn’t quite piece together. For instance, understanding how to correctly use discovery_id and device_id has been a hurdle, especially when trying to integrate these into blueprints.
I stumbled upon some discussions where users mentioned that MQTT events are sometimes easier to handle than device triggers, which made me wonder if there’s a gap in the current feature set. It would be fantastic if there were more examples or a dedicated section in the documentation that walks through common use cases, such as setting up a multi-button remote control or automating a dimmer switch with different press actions.
Here’s a quick example of what I’m trying to achieve: a simple automation that responds to button presses on a Zigbee2MQTT remote. The goal is to have distinct actions for single, double, and long presses. While I’ve managed to get it working through the UI, translating that into a YAML configuration has been tricky due to the lack of templating support for device triggers.
yaml
alias: Remote Control Automation
trigger:
- platform: device
domain: mqtt
type: action
subtype: button_1_single
device_id: “d54bba99c4c741b8bc41118918730630”
discovery_id: 0x04cf8cdf3c7d8f7a
action: - service: mqtt.publish
data:
topic: “home/remote”
payload: “button_1_single”
Despite the challenges, I remain optimistic about the potential of MQTT device triggers. They hold the promise of creating more seamless and powerful automations, especially when combined with other platforms like Zigbee2MQTT. I’m hopeful that with more community input and perhaps some updates from the development team, we can bridge the gap between legacy and modern trigger systems.
If anyone has tips or resources on mastering MQTT device triggers, I’d love to hear about them! Let’s keep the conversation going and help each other unlock the full potential of our smart homes.