Integrating oven into Home Assistant: MQTT switch works but is very different from examples?

[dekiesel]

I am trying to integrate my oven into Home Assistant and I am looking at the wiki to find out to turn it off and on.

This is the example from the wiki I adopted:

switch:
  - name: "Power State"
    unique_id: "dishwasher_powerstate_SERIAL"
    icon: mdi:dishwasher
    state_topic: "homeconnect/dishwasher/state"
    value_template: "{{ value_json.PowerState|default('unavailable') }}"
    availability:
      - topic:  "homeconnect/LWT"
      - topic:  "homeconnect/dishwasher/LWT"
    availability_mode: all
    state_off: "Off"
    state_on: "On"
    payload_on: '[{"uid":539,"value":2}]'
    payload_off: '[{"uid":539,"value":1}]'
    command_topic: "homeconnect/dishwasher/set"
    json_attributes_topic: "homeconnect/dishwasher/state"
    device:
      identifiers: "dishwasher_SERIAL"
      name: "Dishwasher"
      manufacturer: "Neff"
      model: "N90 S189YCX02E/38"
      serial_number: "SERIAL"

And this is how it turned out. It works, which is great.

homeassistant:~/app/persistant-data/home-assistant/config/packages# cat ofen_hbg976mb1_h7.yaml 
mqtt:
  switch:
    - name: "PowerState"
      unique_id: "ofen_powerstate_HBG976MB1_H7"
      icon: mdi:stove
      state_topic: "homeconnect/Ofen/state/bsh_common_setting_powerstate"
      state_off: Standby
      state_on: On
      payload_on: '[{"uid":539,"value":2}]'
      payload_off: '[{"uid":539,"value":3}]'
      command_topic: "homeconnect/Ofen/set"
      #value_template: "{{ value_json.bsh_common_setting_powerstate|default('unavailable') }}"
      availability:
        - topic:  "homeconnect/LWT"
        - topic:  "homeconnect/Ofen/LWT"
      availability_mode: all
      device:
        identifiers: "ofen_hbg976mb1_h7"
        name: "Ofen HBG976MB1_H7"

But it's so different from the yaml provided in the wiki that I am not sure that I made a mistake somewhere even though it works?

Since both devices use the same app shouldn't the topics be called the same and be in the same formet? I am not getting a json back for example.

This is what the state topic looks like in MQTT Explorer:

[Meatballs1]

Documentation needs an update 🫣

[dekiesel]

I considered adding the packages I plan on creating for my devices, but instead of creating these packages and asking people to add them to their config wouldn't it make more sense to use home assistants automatic device discovery?

https://www.home-assistant.io/integrations/mqtt/#device-discovery-payload

I'd like to help, but I am a mqtt newbie.

I think it's best I get the package ready for one device and then try to structure a device discovery payload? I'd probably need your help setting it up in hcpy then.

That'd save the extra work of keeping the documentation up to date since these devices would just auto-set-up.

[Meatballs1]

The hadiscovery should handle most power states automatically, but it looks like yours is standby and on which could throw things off.

Is it on off and standby in the devices.json or just standby/on?

Because it's a common entity (powerrstate) it's probably best handled using the override yaml file to set the correct values. I'll see if I can put. Sample together for you to test.

[dekiesel]

            "539": {
                "name": "BSH.Common.Setting.PowerState",
                "access": "readWrite",
                "available": "true",
                "refCID": "03",
                "refDID": "80",
                "values": {
                    "2": "On",
                    "3": "Standby"
                }

I could sent it a "1" to see what happens? My guess though that even if that works the device will likely fall off the wifi :D

I still think it'd be a good idea to send a discovery payload, that way one person could create a pull request and everybody else would be able to just use the device, without creating their own packages. It also means that when you change the topic names somebody only needs to create a pr to adapt the new names once. It also means there is a lower chance of updates to topic names breaking peoples automations.

[Meatballs1]

It should already be auto discovered? Just maybe not as a switch but as a enum? Have you got the HA auto discovery enabled in the config?

[dekiesel]

Hmmm, you are right, it seems I have misunderstood how this is supposed to work, apologies.

I think the first "Power" is for the light inside the oven, but I'll have to check.

[Meatballs1]

            elif (
                refCID == "03"
                and refDID == "80"
                and len(values.values()) == 2
                and "On" in values.values()
                and "Off" in values.values()
            ):
                # some enums are just on/off so can be a binary_switch
                component_type = "switch"
                discovery_payload["command_topic"] = f"{mqtt_topic}/set"
                discovery_payload["state_on"] = "On"
                discovery_payload["state_off"] = "Off"
                discovery_payload["payload_on"] = f'[{{"uid":{uid},"value":"On"}}]'
                discovery_payload["payload_off"] = f'[{{"uid":{uid},"value":"Off"}}]'
                discovery_payload["device_class"] = "switch"
            elif refCID == "03" and refDID == "80":
                component_type = "select"
                discovery_payload["command_topic"] = f"{mqtt_topic}/set"
                template = f'[{{"uid":{uid},"value":"{{{{value}}}}"}}]'
                discovery_payload["command_template"] = template

We could do a check for off or standby

[dekiesel]

            elif (
                refCID == "03"
                and refDID == "80"
                and len(values.values()) == 2
                and "On" in values.values()
                and ("Off" in values.values() or "Standby" in values.values())
            ):
                if "Off" in values.values():
                    off_value = "Off"
                else:
                    off_value = "Standby"
                # some enums are just on/off so can be a binary_switch
                component_type = "switch"
                discovery_payload["command_topic"] = f"{mqtt_topic}/set"
                discovery_payload["state_on"] = "On"
                discovery_payload["state_off"] = off_value
                discovery_payload["payload_on"] = f'[{{"uid":{uid},"value":"On"}}]'
                discovery_payload["payload_off"] = f'[{{"uid":{uid},"value":f"{off_value}"}}]'
                discovery_payload["device_class"] = "switch"
            elif refCID == "03" and refDID == "80":
                component_type = "select"
                discovery_payload["command_topic"] = f"{mqtt_topic}/set"
                template = f'[{{"uid":{uid},"value":"{{{{value}}}}"}}]'
                discovery_payload["command_template"] = template``

What about something like this? It'd probably be better though to use enums instead of Standby and Off in case these names ever change.

[dekiesel]

@Meatballs1 I am not sure that works. I just noticed that my dryer has four PowerStates:

On, Off, Standby, MainsOff.

I am not sure what the difference is between the last three, the dryer seems to be off all the same.

It might be best to use Off if it exists and standby otherwise. And maybe ignore MainsOff completely?

Would you be open to a PR for that? And one that maybe includes python enums instead of hardcoded strings?

[Meatballs1]

It should be fine with the dryer, because it only becomes a binary switch if there are two options due to the length check. The dryer will remain a select control.

[dekiesel]

That's a shame, I'd prefer it to be a binary switch. Then I could use toggle to change the state.

[Meatballs1]

Should be fairly straight forwards to make your own binary switch helper in HA itself?

[dekiesel]

It's definitely possible, but I don't think it's "nice". My guess is that people expect a switch for just on and off and not an input select that they can't toggle and then have to work around. Especially since it seems to be unknown what two of those for options do.

Maybe it is worth it creating a second PowerState that just toggles the device on and off?

My dryer keeps falling off the network btw. It shows as offline for 1 minute every fifth minute. The devices are within 3m of each other and my phone shows good coverage next to the dryer.

hcpy-app-1  | 2025-09-15 09:15:42.557122 Trockner {'BSH.Common.Event.SoftwareUpdateAvailable': 'Off'}
hcpy-app-1  | 2025-09-15 09:15:42.557296 Trockner publish to homeconnect/Trockner/event/bsh_common_event_softwareupdateavailable
hcpy-app-1  | 2025-09-15 09:15:45.154843 Trockner {'BSH.Common.Event.SoftwareUpdateAvailable': 'Off'}
hcpy-app-1  | 2025-09-15 09:15:45.155004 Trockner publish to homeconnect/Trockner/event/bsh_common_event_softwareupdateavailable
hcpy-app-1  | 2025-09-15 09:16:06.529473 Trockner {'BSH.Common.Event.SoftwareUpdateAvailable': 'Off'}
hcpy-app-1  | 2025-09-15 09:16:06.529531 Trockner publish to homeconnect/Trockner/event/bsh_common_event_softwareupdateavailable
hcpy-app-1  | 2025-09-15 09:16:19.113062 Trockner Websocket error: Connection timed out
hcpy-app-1  | 2025-09-15 09:16:20.072647 Trockner websocket closed, reconnecting...
hcpy-app-1  | 2025-09-15 09:16:20.072701 Trockner not connected 10.1.104.121
hcpy-app-1  | 2025-09-15 09:17:20.073026 Trockner connecting to 10.1.104.121
hcpy-app-1  | 2025-09-15 09:17:20.881356 CON: wss://10.1.104.121:443/homeconnect
hcpy-app-1  | 2025-09-15 09:17:22.101833 Trockner {'error': 404, 'resource': '/ci/authentication'}
hcpy-app-1  | 2025-09-15 09:17:22.101905 Trockner updating {"BSH.Common.Setting.Language": "De", "BSH.Common.Setting.PowerState": "On", "BSH.Common.Setting.TimeFormat": "24Hours", "BSH.Common.Status.DoorState": "Closed", "BSH.Common.Status.OperationState": "Inactive", "LaundryCare.Common.Option.ProcessPhase": "NoPhase[....]