MQTT integration

To make your robot talk to your MQTT broker and integrate with home automation software, such as but not limited to Home Assistant and Node-RED, configure MQTT via Nimbus’s web interface (Settings → MQTT).

Autodiscovery

See the specific integration pages for instructions on how to set up autodiscovery for your home automation software platform:

• Home Assistant
• Node-RED

Other home automation software that follows the Homie convention should also be able to automatically discover your Nimbus instance.

Map

Note that, in order to view the map provided over MQTT, you additionally need I Can’t Believe It’s Not Valetudo to generate PNG maps. You can then configure it to serve the PNG map over HTTP or install the Lovelace Nimbus Card Map for Home Assistant.

Custom integrations

If you’re planning to use one of the home automation platforms listed above, this is all you need to know to get started.

If you’re instead planning to do something more custom, in this document you will find a reference to all MQTT topics provided by this software. Values such as <TOPIC PREFIX> and <IDENTIFIER> are those configured in the MQTT settings page.

Tip: It is recommended to leave Homie autodiscovery enabled, even if you’re not planning to use it, if you want to develop custom integrations or access the MQTT topics directly: the Homie protocol is very readable and self-documenting. It will provide additional context and information on how to use specific APIs.

Homie autodiscovery info is best viewed with something like MQTT Explorer.

Table of contents

• MQTT integration
  • Autodiscovery
  • Map
  • Custom integrations
    • Table of contents
    • State attributes index
    • Home Assistant components index
• MQTT API reference
  • Robot
    • Capabilities
      • Auto Empty Dock Manual Trigger (AutoEmptyDockManualTriggerCapability)
        • Auto Empty Dock Manual Trigger (trigger)
      • Basic control (BasicControlCapability)
        • Operation (operation)
      • Consumables monitoring (ConsumableMonitoringCapability)
        • Consumable (minutes) (<CONSUMABLE-MINUTES>)
        • Consumable (percent) (<CONSUMABLE-PERCENT>)
      • Current Statistics (CurrentStatisticsCapability)
        • Current Statistics Area (area)
        • Refresh current statistics (refresh)
        • Current Statistics Time (time)
      • Fan speed control (FanSpeedControlCapability)
        • Fan speed (preset)
      • Go to location (GoToLocationCapability)
        • Go to location (go)
      • Locate (LocateCapability)
        • Locate (locate)
      • Segment cleaning (MapSegmentationCapability)
        • Clean segments (clean)
      • Speaker volume control (SpeakerVolumeControlCapability)
        • Speaker volume (value)
      • Water grade control (WaterUsageControlCapability)
        • Water grade (preset)
      • Wi-Fi configuration (WifiConfigurationCapability)
        • Frequency (frequency)
        • IP addresses (ips)
        • Refresh configuration (refresh)
        • Signal (signal)
        • Wireless network (ssid)
      • Zone cleaning (ZoneCleaningCapability)
        • Start zoned cleaning (start)
    • Map data
      • Map (map)
      • Raw map data (map-data)
      • Raw map data for Home Assistant (map-data-hass)
      • Map segments (segments)
    • Status
      • Attachment state (AttachmentStateAttribute)
        • Dust bin (dustbin)
        • Mop (mop)
        • Water tank (watertank)
      • Battery state (BatteryStateAttribute)
        • Battery level (level)
        • Battery status (status)
      • Vacuum status (StatusStateAttribute)
        • Status detail (detail)
        • Robot Error (error)
        • Error description (error_description)
        • Status (status)

State attributes index

• AttachmentStateAttribute
• BatteryStateAttribute
• ConsumableStateAttribute
• PresetSelectionStateAttribute
• StatusStateAttribute

Home Assistant components index

• Consumable (minutes) (sensor.mqtt)
• Consumable (percent) (sensor.mqtt)
• Current Statistics Area (sensor.mqtt)
• Current Statistics Time (sensor.mqtt)
• Dust bin attachment (binary_sensor.mqtt)
• Error (sensor.mqtt)
• Map data (camera.mqtt)
• Map segments (sensor.mqtt)
• Mop attachment (binary_sensor.mqtt)
• Speaker volume (number.mqtt)
• Vacuum (vacuum.mqtt)
• Water grade (select.mqtt)
• Water tank attachment (binary_sensor.mqtt)
• Wi-Fi configuration (sensor.mqtt)

MQTT API reference

Robot

Device

Home Assistant components controlled by this device:

• Vacuum (vacuum.mqtt)

Capabilities

Auto Empty Dock Manual Trigger (AutoEmptyDockManualTriggerCapability)

Node, capability: AutoEmptyDockManualTriggerCapability

Auto Empty Dock Manual Trigger (trigger)

Property, command, not retained

• Command topic: <TOPIC PREFIX>/<IDENTIFIER>/AutoEmptyDockManualTriggerCapability/trigger/set
• Command response topic: <TOPIC PREFIX>/<IDENTIFIER>/AutoEmptyDockManualTriggerCapability/trigger
• Data type: enum (allowed payloads: PERFORM)

Basic control (BasicControlCapability)

Node, capability: BasicControlCapability

Operation (operation)

Property, command, not retained

• Command topic: <TOPIC PREFIX>/<IDENTIFIER>/BasicControlCapability/operation/set
• Command response topic: <TOPIC PREFIX>/<IDENTIFIER>/BasicControlCapability/operation
• Data type: enum (allowed payloads: START, STOP, PAUSE, HOME)

Consumables monitoring (ConsumableMonitoringCapability)

Node, capability: ConsumableMonitoringCapability

Warning: Some information contained in this document may not be exactly what is sent or expected by actual robots, since different vendors have different implementations. Refer to the table below.

What	Reason
Properties	Consumables depend on the robot model.
Property datatype and units	Some robots send consumables as remaining time, others send them as endurance percent remaining.

Status attributes managed by this node:

• ConsumableStateAttribute

Consumable (minutes) (<CONSUMABLE-MINUTES>)

Property, readable, retained

This handle returns the consumable remaining endurance time as an int representing seconds remaining.

• Read topic: <TOPIC PREFIX>/<IDENTIFIER>/ConsumableMonitoringCapability/<CONSUMABLE-MINUTES>
• Data type: integer

Sample value:

29520

Home Assistant components controlled by this property:

• Consumable (minutes) (sensor.mqtt)

Consumable (percent) (<CONSUMABLE-PERCENT>)

Property, readable, retained

This handle returns the consumable remaining endurance percentage.

• Read topic: <TOPIC PREFIX>/<IDENTIFIER>/ConsumableMonitoringCapability/<CONSUMABLE-PERCENT>
• Data type: integer percentage (range: 0 to 100, unit: %)

Sample value:

59

Home Assistant components controlled by this property:

• Consumable (percent) (sensor.mqtt)

Current Statistics (CurrentStatisticsCapability)

Node, capability: CurrentStatisticsCapability

Current Statistics Area (area)

Property, readable, retained

• Read topic: <TOPIC PREFIX>/<IDENTIFIER>/CurrentStatisticsCapability/area
• Data type: integer (unit: cm²)

Sample value:

630000

Home Assistant components controlled by this property:

• Current Statistics Area (sensor.mqtt)

Refresh current statistics (refresh)

Property, command, not retained

• Command topic: <TOPIC PREFIX>/<IDENTIFIER>/CurrentStatisticsCapability/refresh/set
• Command response topic: <TOPIC PREFIX>/<IDENTIFIER>/CurrentStatisticsCapability/refresh
• Data type: enum (allowed payloads: PERFORM)

Current Statistics Time (time)

Property, readable, retained

This handle returns the current statistics time in seconds

• Read topic: <TOPIC PREFIX>/<IDENTIFIER>/CurrentStatisticsCapability/time
• Data type: integer (unit: seconds)

Sample value:

1440

Home Assistant components controlled by this property:

• Current Statistics Time (sensor.mqtt)

Fan speed control (FanSpeedControlCapability)

Node, capability: FanSpeedControlCapability

Status attributes managed by this node:

• PresetSelectionStateAttribute

Fan speed (preset)

Property, readable, settable, retained

This handle allows setting the fan speed. It accepts the preset payloads specified in $format or in the HAss json attributes.

• Read topic: <TOPIC PREFIX>/<IDENTIFIER>/FanSpeedControlCapability/preset
• Set topic: <TOPIC PREFIX>/<IDENTIFIER>/FanSpeedControlCapability/preset/set
• Data type: enum (allowed payloads: off, min, low, medium, high, turbo, max)

Warning: Some information contained in this document may not be exactly what is sent or expected by actual robots, since different vendors have different implementations. Refer to the table below.

What	Reason
Enum payloads	Different robot models have different fan speed presets. Always check $format/json_attributes during startup.

Sample value:

max

Go to location (GoToLocationCapability)

Node, capability: GoToLocationCapability

Go to location (go)

Property, command, not retained

This handle accepts a JSON object identical to the one used by the REST API.

Please refer to the “General Help” section in Nimbus for more information.

Sample payload:

{
  "coordinates": {
    "x": 50,
    "y": 50
  }
}

• Command topic: <TOPIC PREFIX>/<IDENTIFIER>/GoToLocationCapability/go/set
• Command response topic: <TOPIC PREFIX>/<IDENTIFIER>/GoToLocationCapability/go
• Data type: string (format: same json as the REST interface)

Locate (LocateCapability)

Node, capability: LocateCapability

Locate (locate)

Property, command, not retained

• Command topic: <TOPIC PREFIX>/<IDENTIFIER>/LocateCapability/locate/set
• Command response topic: <TOPIC PREFIX>/<IDENTIFIER>/LocateCapability/locate
• Data type: enum (allowed payloads: PERFORM)

Segment cleaning (MapSegmentationCapability)

Node, capability: MapSegmentationCapability

Clean segments (clean)

Property, command, not retained

This handle accepts a JSON object identical to the one used by the REST API.

Please refer to the “General Help” section in Nimbus for more information.

Sample payload:

{
  "segment_ids": [
    "20",
    "18",
    "16"
  ],
  "iterations": 2,
  "customOrder": true
}

• Command topic: <TOPIC PREFIX>/<IDENTIFIER>/MapSegmentationCapability/clean/set
• Command response topic: <TOPIC PREFIX>/<IDENTIFIER>/MapSegmentationCapability/clean
• Data type: string (format: same json as the REST interface)

Speaker volume control (SpeakerVolumeControlCapability)

Node, capability: SpeakerVolumeControlCapability

Note: This is an optional exposed capability handle and thus will only be available via MQTT if enabled in the Nimbus configuration.

Speaker volume (value)

Property, readable, settable, retained

This handle returns the current speaker volume

• Read topic: <TOPIC PREFIX>/<IDENTIFIER>/SpeakerVolumeControlCapability/value
• Set topic: <TOPIC PREFIX>/<IDENTIFIER>/SpeakerVolumeControlCapability/value/set
• Data type: integer (range: 0 to 100)

Sample value:

80

Home Assistant components controlled by this property:

• Speaker volume (number.mqtt)

Water grade control (WaterUsageControlCapability)

Node, capability: WaterUsageControlCapability

Status attributes managed by this node:

• PresetSelectionStateAttribute

Water grade (preset)

Property, readable, settable, retained

This handle allows setting the water grade. It accepts the preset payloads specified in $format or in the HAss json attributes.

• Read topic: <TOPIC PREFIX>/<IDENTIFIER>/WaterUsageControlCapability/preset
• Set topic: <TOPIC PREFIX>/<IDENTIFIER>/WaterUsageControlCapability/preset/set
• Data type: enum (allowed payloads: off, min, low, medium, high, turbo, max)

Warning: Some information contained in this document may not be exactly what is sent or expected by actual robots, since different vendors have different implementations. Refer to the table below.

What	Reason
Enum payloads	Different robot models have different water grade presets. Always check $format/json_attributes during startup.

Sample value:

min

Home Assistant components controlled by this property:

• Water grade (select.mqtt)

Wi-Fi configuration (WifiConfigurationCapability)

Node, capability: WifiConfigurationCapability

Home Assistant components controlled by this node:

• Wi-Fi configuration (sensor.mqtt)

Frequency (frequency)

Property, readable, retained

• Read topic: <TOPIC PREFIX>/<IDENTIFIER>/WifiConfigurationCapability/frequency
• Data type: string

Sample value:

2.4ghz

IP addresses (ips)

Property, readable, retained

• Read topic: <TOPIC PREFIX>/<IDENTIFIER>/WifiConfigurationCapability/ips
• Data type: string

Sample value:

192.168.100.100,fe80::1ff:fe23:4567:890a,fdff:ffff:ffff:ffff:ffff:ffff:ffff:ffff

Refresh configuration (refresh)

Property, command, not retained

• Command topic: <TOPIC PREFIX>/<IDENTIFIER>/WifiConfigurationCapability/refresh/set
• Command response topic: <TOPIC PREFIX>/<IDENTIFIER>/WifiConfigurationCapability/refresh
• Data type: enum (allowed payloads: PERFORM)

Signal (signal)

Property, readable, retained

• Read topic: <TOPIC PREFIX>/<IDENTIFIER>/WifiConfigurationCapability/signal
• Data type: integer (unit: dBm)

Sample value:

-54

Wireless network (ssid)

Property, readable, retained

• Read topic: <TOPIC PREFIX>/<IDENTIFIER>/WifiConfigurationCapability/ssid
• Data type: string

Sample value:

Nimbus Wi-Fi

Zone cleaning (ZoneCleaningCapability)

Node, capability: ZoneCleaningCapability

Start zoned cleaning (start)

Property, command, not retained

This handle accepts a JSON object identical to the one used by the REST API.

Please refer to the “General Help” section in Nimbus for more information.

Sample payload:

{
  "zones": [
    {
      "iterations": 1,
      "points": {
        "pA": {
          "x": 50,
          "y": 50
        },
        "pB": {
          "x": 100,
          "y": 50
        },
        "pC": {
          "x": 100,
          "y": 100
        },
        "pD": {
          "x": 50,
          "y": 100
        }
      }
    }
  ]
}

• Command topic: <TOPIC PREFIX>/<IDENTIFIER>/ZoneCleaningCapability/start/set
• Command response topic: <TOPIC PREFIX>/<IDENTIFIER>/ZoneCleaningCapability/start
• Data type: string (format: same json as the REST interface)

Map data

Node

This handle groups access to map data. It is only enabled if provideMapData is enabled in the MQTT config.

Map (map)

Property, readable, retained

This handle is only enabled if interfaces.homie.addICBINVMapProperty is enabled in the config. It does not actually provide map data, it only adds a Homie autodiscovery property so that ‘I Can’t Believe It’s Not Valetudo’ can publish its map within the robot’s topics and be autodetected by clients.

ICBINV should be configured so that it publishes the map to this topic.

• Read topic: <TOPIC PREFIX>/<IDENTIFIER>/MapData/map
• Data type: string

Raw map data (map-data)

Property, readable, retained

• Read topic: <TOPIC PREFIX>/<IDENTIFIER>/MapData/map-data
• Data type: string

Raw map data for Home Assistant (map-data-hass)

Property, readable, retained

This handle is added automatically if Home Assistant autodiscovery is enabled. It provides a map embedded in a PNG image that recommends installing the Nimbus Lovelace card.

• Read topic: <TOPIC PREFIX>/<IDENTIFIER>/MapData/map-data-hass
• Data type: string

Home Assistant components controlled by this property:

• Map data (camera.mqtt)

Map segments (segments)

Property, readable, retained

This property contains a JSON mapping of segment IDs to segment names.

• Read topic: <TOPIC PREFIX>/<IDENTIFIER>/MapData/segments
• Data type: string (JSON)

Sample value:

{
  "16": "Hallway",
  "18": "Bathroom",
  "20": "Kitchen"
}

Home Assistant components controlled by this property:

• Map segments (sensor.mqtt)

Status

Attachment state (AttachmentStateAttribute)

Node

Status attributes managed by this node:

• AttachmentStateAttribute

Dust bin (dustbin)

Property, readable, retained

This handle reports whether the dust bin attachment is installed.

• Read topic: <TOPIC PREFIX>/<IDENTIFIER>/AttachmentStateAttribute/dustbin
• Data type: boolean

Sample value:

true

Home Assistant components controlled by this property:

• Dust bin attachment (binary_sensor.mqtt)

Mop (mop)

Property, readable, retained

This handle reports whether the mop attachment is installed.

• Read topic: <TOPIC PREFIX>/<IDENTIFIER>/AttachmentStateAttribute/mop
• Data type: boolean

Sample value:

false

Home Assistant components controlled by this property:

• Mop attachment (binary_sensor.mqtt)

Water tank (watertank)

Property, readable, retained

This handle reports whether the water tank attachment is installed.

• Read topic: <TOPIC PREFIX>/<IDENTIFIER>/AttachmentStateAttribute/watertank
• Data type: boolean

Sample value:

true

Home Assistant components controlled by this property:

• Water tank attachment (binary_sensor.mqtt)

Battery state (BatteryStateAttribute)

Node

Status attributes managed by this node:

• BatteryStateAttribute

Battery level (level)

Property, readable, retained

• Read topic: <TOPIC PREFIX>/<IDENTIFIER>/BatteryStateAttribute/level
• Data type: integer percentage (unit: %)

Sample value:

42

Battery status (status)

Property, readable, retained

• Read topic: <TOPIC PREFIX>/<IDENTIFIER>/BatteryStateAttribute/status
• Data type: enum (allowed payloads: none, charging, discharging, charged)

Sample value:

charging

Vacuum status (StatusStateAttribute)

Node

Status attributes managed by this node:

• StatusStateAttribute

Home Assistant components controlled by this node:

• Error (sensor.mqtt)

Status detail (detail)

Property, readable, retained

• Read topic: <TOPIC PREFIX>/<IDENTIFIER>/StatusStateAttribute/detail
• Data type: enum (allowed payloads: none, zone, segment, spot, target, resumable, mapping)

Sample value:

segment

Robot Error (error)

Property, readable, retained

This property contains the current NimbusRobotError (if any)

• Read topic: <TOPIC PREFIX>/<IDENTIFIER>/StatusStateAttribute/error
• Data type: string (JSON)

Sample value:

{
  "severity": {
    "kind": "none",
    "level": "none"
  },
  "subsystem": "none",
  "message": ""
}

Error description (error_description)

Property, readable, retained

• Read topic: <TOPIC PREFIX>/<IDENTIFIER>/StatusStateAttribute/error_description
• Data type: string

Sample value:

No error

Status (status)

Property, readable, retained

• Read topic: <TOPIC PREFIX>/<IDENTIFIER>/StatusStateAttribute/status
• Data type: enum (allowed payloads: error, docked, idle, returning, cleaning, paused, manual_control, moving)

Sample value:

cleaning