Hey everyone! I wanted to share my recent success in integrating my OEG KMS solar boiler controller with Home Assistant using MQTT. It’s been a fantastic journey, and I’m excited to walk you through how I did it and what a difference it has made to my smart home setup.
First off, I stumbled upon this integration through some research on the Domoticz forum. The user ced2dom had already done some amazing work with the OEG controller using Modbus over USB. I decided to fork his project and tweak it to work seamlessly with Home Assistant and MQTT. If you’re interested in the technical details, I’ve documented everything on my website: OEG KMS Data in Home Assistant.
The setup involves a few key steps:
- Hardware Setup: Connecting the OEG controller to a Raspberry Pi using a USB-to-serial converter.
- Software Configuration: Installing and configuring the modified code to publish data to MQTT topics.
- Integration in Home Assistant: Setting up MQTT sensors for all the data points like roof temperature, boiler temperatures, and pump power.
What’s really cool is how much insight this integration provides. I now have real-time monitoring of my solar system’s performance right from the Home Assistant dashboard. It’s incredibly satisfying to see how much energy my solar panels are generating and how efficiently the system is running.
One thing I’d like to mention is the importance of proper documentation. I spent a good chunk of time ensuring everything was clearly laid out so others could follow along without getting lost. I truly believe in sharing knowledge, especially within the smart home community.
If you’re looking to get more out of your solar setup or just want to dive deeper into your home’s energy systems, I highly recommend exploring MQTT integrations. It’s a powerful tool that opens up endless possibilities for home automation.
I’d love to hear if anyone else has tried similar integrations or has tips for others looking to do the same. Let’s keep the momentum going and continue pushing the boundaries of what’s possible with smart home tech! 