Smart meter plugin tramsmits strange MQTT messages

[willem9136]

When I look at the MQTT traffic by using my MQTT tool I see strange messages coming from the smart-meter plugin.
Please have a look at the 2 attachements.
The come in groups of 4 around every 5 seconds.

can someone tell me the cause of this and is this normal behaviour?

[waaren]

When I look at the MQTT traffic by using my MQTT tool I see strange messages coming from the smart-meter plugin.

• is your smart-meter plugin the P1 Smart Meter USB or P1 Smart Meter LAN ( on the hardware tab ) or do you refer to something else?
• what tool do you use to look at the MQTT messages?
• can you try to monitor MQTT traffic on your RPI with

  Code: Select all

  mosquitto_sub -F "%U - %t - %p" -v -p 1883 -t "#" 

[willem9136]

Hello Waaren, I use the USB version of the P1 smart-meter plug in.
I use the MQTTool on my iPad. See attachement.
And the MQTT traffic log is in the attachements as well.

[waaren]

Hello Waaren, I use the USB version of the P1 smart-meter plug in.

What you call a plugin is generally referred to as Hardware module (native part of domoticz). This to prevent confusion with the various Python plugins

I use the MQTTool on my iPad. See attachment.

So it seems this tool does see things that are not send by domoticz.

[willem9136]

There is nothing else on this PI-0 running. I killed NodeRed.
I know when I stop Domicticz these messages will stop.
Also when I remove the P1 smartMeter for USB the messages will stop.

[eddieb]

looks like domoticz is sending confirmations of the P1 signals thru MQTT using domoticz/out

[willem9136]

So nothing to worry about?
It’s strange that this showed up since last week.
Before they were not there.

[erem]

@willem9136

which poses the question: What changed? Did you update domoticz?

[willem9136]

All I did was removing NodeRed. And for testing I killed Domoticz to check if the messages disappeared. They did so I did a reboot.
Then I removed the hardware module P1 for USB.
Also the messages stopped.
Reinstalled the P1 smartmeter USB again. And the messages were there.....

[willem9136]

I did not update Domoticz. I did press the update button but Domoticz was up to date.

[waaren]

All I did was removing NodeRed.

According to this post you also started the MQTT hardware module. That would explain the MQTT message to domoticz/out but not the funny ones with only "{"
These are not send by domoticz.

[willem9136]

Why do they stop when I remove the P1 plug-in?

[waaren]

Why do they stop when I remove the P1 plug-in?

Because the real MQTT messages to domoticz/out for the P1 device are send when the P1 device is updated and this device gets updated via the P1 hardware module. The funny ones seem to be a kind of echo created by something else then domoticz.

If you want to convince yourself and your are not convinced by the mosquitto_sub command I posted earlier then install a network sniffer tool and monitor the network for port 1883

Code: Select all

sudo apt install tcpdump
sudo tcpdump -vv -X -i any  port 1883

[willem9136]

Ok, I will run WireShark on it. Good idea!

[FireWizard]

Hi, @willem9136

You wrote:

All I did was removing NodeRed.

Can you tell us, which steps you toke when you removed Node Red?

Regards

[willem9136]

I read in an American forum that these “strange” MQTT messages and by domoticz/out are normal.