HOW TO: Display Real-Time Data on Your Sonoff or Tasmota Device

General
1

Hello everyone! I thought I’d share a cool feature that might not be immediately obvious to many. Using the MQTT client and a Wemos D1 mini or similar, you can actually send real-time data for display on your Sonoff or Tasmota devices. This could be super handy for various applications, like monitoring energy usage or displaying sensor data. Let me walk you through how I set this up!

What You’ll Need:

  • A Wemos D1 mini or similar board flashed with Tasmota firmware (make sure it has display support enabled).
  • A compatible display, like an OLED SSD1306.
  • Access to your Homey or similar platform with MQTT capabilities.

Setup Steps:

  1. Enable Display on Tasmota:

    • Connect to your Tasmota device via the web console.
    • Enter the command DisplayMode 0 to configure the display mode. You can find more details in the Tasmota documentation.

  2. Configure MQTT on Homey:

    • Use the MQTT client to send a ‘Displaytext’ command. Ensure you’re using the correct topic that matches your Tasmota device. Check the device’s information page to confirm the topic.
    • To save the display’s lifespan, include a delayed command to turn it off after a set period.

  3. Test Your Setup:

    • After setting up, you should see real-time data displayed on your device. For example, I use this setup to show energy consumption data from my Qubino smart meter.

Example Configuration:
Here’s a quick example of how the MQTT command might look:

{
“command”: “Displaytext”,
“topic”: “your/tasmota/device/topic”,
“payload”: “Energy Usage: 123 kWh”
}

Tips and Notes:

  • Make sure the Tasmota firmware you’re using supports displays. You can download the appropriate firmware from TheHackBox.
  • Experiment with different text parameters to optimize how information is displayed.
  • Remember to handle the display’s power efficiently to prolong its life.

This feature has been a game-changer for me, allowing me to have real-time data at a glance. I hope this guide helps you implement something similar in your setup! Let me know if you have any questions or run into any issues. Happy tinkering! :rocket: