As someone deeply interested in smart home automation, I’ve been experimenting with MQTT and device trackers to streamline my setup. I recently set up two Home Assistant instances in different locations—one in Belgium and another in France—and I wanted to share my journey and some insights. My Setup and Goal I’ve configured MQTT to transfer the state of a device_tracker between these two instances. On the first HA instance, I added the following lines to my configuration.yaml to publish device_tracker states via MQTT: yaml mqtt_statestream: base_topic: homeassistant publish_attributes: true publish_timestamps: true include: entities: - device_tracker.gsm1 The state and attributes of device_tracker.gsm1 are correctly appearing in the MQTT Broker. My goal is to display the state of this device_tracker on the second HA instance via Lovelace. Challenges and Solutions While this setup works for publishing states, I’m still figuring out the best way to subscribe to these MQTT messages and display them as a device_tracker on the second instance. I’ve tried a few approaches but haven’t found the perfect solution yet. If anyone has tips or alternative methods, I’d love to hear them! Practical Tip: Automating Exhaust Fans with a Thermistor Speaking of automation, I’ve been thinking about using a thermistor wrapped around my hot water line to trigger an exhaust fan automatically when showering. This could save energy and ensure proper ventilation. I’d love to hear if anyone has tried something similar or has suggestions for implementing this. Community Feedback and Collaboration It’s amazing to see how many creative solutions and ideas are shared in this community. From integrating different brands to troubleshooting complex setups, the collective knowledge here is invaluable. If anyone has questions or needs advice, don’t hesitate to ask—I’m always happy to help or collaborate on projects! Automation and smart home integration are constantly evolving, and it’s exciting to be part of this journey. Let’s keep sharing our experiences and learning from each other! 