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Home Assistant Basic Setup

You've purchased a meter reader and now want to perfectly integrate it into your Home Assistant? Great idea! In this article, I'll show you step by step how to accomplish this easily.

Prerequisites

Before you start, please make sure that your device is already connected to the internet. You need the local IP address of your Home Assistant system.

Finding IP Address

If you don't know the local IP of your Home Assistant, simply install the practical "Local IP" extension from the Home Assistant Store – this way you can find it out quickly. Further documentation

Step 1: Install MQTT Broker​

For your device to communicate with Home Assistant, you need a Mosquitto MQTT Broker.

  1. Open your Home Assistant
  2. Go to Settings → Add-ons
  3. Search for Mosquitto Broker and install it
  4. Enable the options "Start on boot" and then click "Start"

MQTT Broker Installation

Step 2: Create User for MQTT​

Now create a user that your device can use to access MQTT:

  1. Go to Settings → People → Add Person
  2. Name: mqtt-user
  3. Password: Choose a secure password
  4. Click Create

MQTT User Creation

Secure Password

Use a strong password for the MQTT user, as it will be used for device communication.

Step 3: Restart Home Assistant​

For everything to be applied correctly, restart your Home Assistant once:

Settings → System → Hardware → Restart

Step 4: Set up MQTT Integration​

Now let's make sure MQTT is configured correctly:

  1. Go to Settings → Devices & Services → Add Integration
  2. Search for MQTT, click on it and select reconfigure
  3. Enter the following data:
    • Broker: core-mosquitto
    • Port: 1883
    • Username: mqtt-user
    • Password: the password you set
  4. Then click Save

MQTT Integration Configuration

Verify Installation​

After these steps, your Home Assistant should be ready for device integration. You can verify the installation:

  1. Go to Settings → Devices & Services
  2. You should see the MQTT Integration as "Configured"
  3. The Mosquitto Broker should show as "Running" under Add-ons

Important Credentials​

After this setup, you now have the following credentials that you need for device configuration:

  • Home Assistant IP Address
  • MQTT Username: mqtt-user
  • MQTT Password: your chosen password
  • MQTT Port: 1883

These credentials are required:

  • For stromleser.tasmota: Enter in the Tasmota Dashboard
  • For all other devices (stromleser.one, Gasleser, wasserleser): Enter in the App
Next Steps

After this basic setup, you can now configure your specific device. Follow the device-specific guide for:

Common Issues​

MQTT Broker Won't Start​

  • Check if sufficient memory is available
  • Restart Home Assistant
  • Check the add-on logs for error messages

Integration Not Found​

  • Make sure the MQTT Broker is running
  • Verify credentials
  • Try removing and re-adding the integration

Connection Errors​

  • Check the Home Assistant system IP address
  • Ensure port 1883 is not blocked
  • Check firewall settings