can ESPEasy be used as MQTT Gateway for RFLink ?

[ChrisP]

Hi,

I have a working ser2net interface on NodeMCU with ESP easy 2.0.0.dev12 to RFlink.

Now I would like to use it with MQTT, with every line coming from the serial interface published to a specific topic, (or with a topic per devices), and a topic subscribed by the ESP where every message will be sent to the serial line.

Is it possible? What would be needed ? rules ?

Thanks.

[LisaM]

I fail to see an important point here: Why?
Why choose a very limited platform like the ESP8266 for a very complex task like this when there are others who are only slightly more expensive but much more equipped for a task like this...

[ChrisP]

Hi Lisa,

would that be such a complex task ? I guess my request is not that clear.

What I'm talking about is just a dumb Gateway, message coming from MQTT specific topic being send as is on the serial line to the RFlink and Vice-Versa. Of course the MQTT server is running somewhere else.

ESP Easy already provide both features (MQTT feeding and Serial Line gateway with ser2net), what I just miss is something to make both working together.

[ChrisP]

Mmmmh, I just realized that I just decribed "how" I want to do it but did not described "what" I want to do !

So what I want to do is to connect RFLink to OpenHab2, where no specific binding exist for RFLink, but where managing messages with regexes and mqtt layer will implementation extensive, by formating messages for specific remote devices not too much complicated.

So "complex" task will remain on OpenHab2 and MQTT server side, and I'm fine with that, where the "simple" task remain on the ESP side, by just making a serial2mqtt gateway.

[enc]

Hi,

I'm using this bridge https://github.com/enc-X/mqtt-rflink-bridge almost year without any problems.

[ChrisP]

Mmmmh, thanks for the hint, I had a look and it looks very like what I wanted to do.

It even transform to json message I didn't asked for

[reinhold]

FWIW, I have now implemented an RFLink to MQTT bridge plugin for ESPEasy. It can be found as P197 in the ESPEasyPluginPlayground on GitHub: https://github.com/letscontrolit/ESPEas ... Bridge.ino

It basically combines ESPEasy's ser2net serial bridge plugin with the mqtt-rflink-bridge (which I was using previously, too). The plugin simply listenes to the serial port (TX/RX pins) and sends all output received from RFLink to the first configured MQTT controller. Either the raw message from RFLink or the parsed contents in JSON format can be sent.

It also listens to a configurable MQTT topic for commands to be sent to the RFLink over serial.
Additionally, ESPEasy commands "rflinksend" and "rflinkreceive" are implemented to either submit something to the RFLink or process a string as if it was received by the RFLink.

Local rules processing is basically taken from the serial gateway plugin, so I suppose it should work identical for my plugin than with the serial gateway plugin. However, I have never tested this part of the bridge plugin, as I'm interested in sending the parsed JSON to my MQTT controller (to be picked up by OpenHAB).

[martiniman]

Yes, i use Robotdyn Mega+esp8266 on board and RFLink shield, it receives RF and post to MQTT.
Here is rules:

This is working for me with "RFLink" selected for event processing and this rule:

Code: Select all

On !RFLink#* do
Publish test,%eventvalue%
endon

Or if you select "Generic" for event processing:

Code: Select all

On !Serial#* do
Publish test,%eventvalue%
endon

I had to put a "RX Receive Timeout" of 10 ms or it would strip off a few characters.

Settings:

[woody4165]

Hi @martiniman

I'm interested in this solution using MQTT
I have the Robotdyn Mega+esp8266 on board and RFLink shield

I use it with Home Assistant and it's possible in an easy way to configure it.
Now I'm trying also OpenHab and there in no binding to use over TCP.

So on the same installation I'm using with HA, I added an OpenHab MQTT controller which has

Code: Select all

/%sysname%/#

as Controller Subscibe and

Code: Select all

/%sysname%/%tskname%/%valname%

as Controller Publish

Controller lwl topic is set to @ and LWT Connect Message and LWT Disconnect Message are empty.

My UnitName is called Pippo.

Using now the rule

Code: Select all

On !RFLink#* do
Publish test,%eventvalue%
endon

In Ser2Net I've choosen RFLink as Event processing.

I use MQTTBox to check messages, I have subscribed to Pippo/# but I don't see any message.

What's wrong in my config?

Thanks

[martiniman]

Hi!

My UnitName is called Pippo.
Using now the rule

Code: Select all

On !RFLink#* do
Publish test,%eventvalue%
endon

What's wrong in my config?
Thanks

Here you post to topic "test", you need to change your rules to something like this:

Code: Select all

On !RFLink#* do
Publish Pippo,%eventvalue%
endon

or

On !RFLink#* do
Publish /%sysname%,%eventvalue%
endon

[jobarjo]

Hi

I'm using rflink with an esp12.
I added a domoticz controller, and added the above rule. (enabled rflink event)
It works!
But: for each rflink event, I get 2 mqtt posts (one is empty):
2019-01-22 09:54:32 Topic: test Qos: 0 !RFLink#
2019-01-22 09:54:19 Topic: test Qos: 0 !RFLink#1527;ID=0a65f0;SWITCH=01;CMD=ON;

Do you know any workaround?

Also, how do you transmit something to rflink from mqtt?

Thanks

[dmq]

Maybe someone can help me out.

I also use RF-Link on a Robotdyn ATmega2560+ESP8266. My plan is to use ESP-Easy as the Serial to MQTT bridge for RF-Link.

I've tested all units with the code I found here ( see below (1) - it is in russian, but this is the only tutorial I found which is well structured and logical and actually works):

- esp8266 part (works)
- Arduino Mega part (works)
- Inter-Connection between both (works) - I can use the onboard led through the web-interface (esp) -> serial (arduino).

But with RF-Link and ESP-Easy I can not get it to work.

I created a device in ESP-Easy with ‘Communication - Serial Server’ and the following attributes:

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a.	Name: RFLINK
b.	Enabled: checked
c.	TCP Port: 5333
d.	Baud Rate: 57600
e.	Data bits: 8
f.	Parity: No Parity
g.	Stop bits: 1
h.	Reset target after boot: - none –
i.	RX receive timeout: 0
j.	Event processing: RFLINK

When I connect to tcp/5333 I can not see any output. Further I tried to forward it to a mqtt-server with the following rule:

Code: Select all

On !RFLink#* do
Publish test,%eventvalue%
endon

Result: nothing

I can not get to the point, that ESP-Easy reads the values from serial.

This is the dip-switch combinations I tried (serial3 and mode independent from each other):

USB <-> ATmega2560<-> ESP8266 ON ON ON ON OFF OFF OFF To RXD3/TXD3
USB <-> ATmega2560<-> ESP8266 ON ON ON ON OFF OFF OFF To RXD0/TXD0

With the 1st combination I can connect to Serial of the Arduino and see the output.

Maybe @martiniman , @reinhold or someone else has an idea?

Should I see something in the ESP-Easy Web-UI? In the Logs or in the device column?

Thank you very much for any help

(1): http://www.sysengineering.ru/blog/%D1%8 ... 1-esp8266/