---
layout: page
title: "MQTT Brokers"
description: "Instructions how to setup MQTT brokers for Home Assistant."
date: 2015-08-07 18:00
sidebar: true
comments: false
sharing: true
footer: true
logo: mqtt.png
redirect_from: /components/mqtt/#picking-a-broker
---

The MQTT component needs you to run an MQTT broker for Home Assistant to connect to. There are four options, each with various degrees of ease of setup and privacy.

### {% linkable_title Embedded broker %}

Home Assistant contains an embedded MQTT broker. If no broker configuration is given, the [HBMQTT broker](https://pypi.python.org/pypi/hbmqtt) is started and Home Assistant connects to it. Embedded broker default configuration:

| Setting | Value |
| ------- | ----- |
| Host | localhost
| Port | 1883
| Protocol | 3.1.1
| User | homeassistant
| Password | Your API [password](/components/http/)
| Websocket port | 8080

```yaml
# Example configuration.yaml entry
mqtt:
```

<p class='note'>
This broker does not currently work with OwnTracks because of a protocol version issue.
</p>

If you want to customize the settings of the embedded broker, use `embedded:` and the values shown in the [HBMQTT Broker configuration](http://hbmqtt.readthedocs.org/en/latest/references/broker.html#broker-configuration). This will replace the default configuration.

```yaml
# Example configuration.yaml entry
mqtt:
  embedded:
    # Your HBMQTT config here. Example at:
    # http://hbmqtt.readthedocs.org/en/latest/references/broker.html#broker-configuration
```

### {% linkable_title Run your own %}

This is the most private option but requires a bit more work. There are multiple free and open-source brokers to pick from: eg. [Mosquitto](http://mosquitto.org/), [EMQ](http://emqtt.io/), or [Mosca](http://www.mosca.io/).

```yaml
# Example configuration.yaml entry
mqtt:
  broker: 192.168.1.100
  port: 1883
  client_id: home-assistant-1
  keepalive: 60
  username: USERNAME
  password: PASSWORD
  protocol: 3.1 
```

Configuration variables:

- **broker** (*Optional*): The IP address or hostname of your MQTT broker, e.g. 192.168.1.32.
- **port** (*Optional*): The network port to connect to. Default is 1883.
- **client_id** (*Optional*): The client ID that Home Assistant will use. Has to be unique on the server. Default is a randomly generated one.
- **keepalive** (*Optional*): The time in seconds between sending keep alive messages for this client. Default is 60.
- **username** (*Optional*): The username to use with your MQTT broker.
- **password** (*Optional*): The corresponding password for the username to use with your MQTT broker.
- **protocol** (*Optional*): Protocol to use: 3.1 or 3.1.1. By default it connects with 3.1.1 and falls back to 3.1 if server does not support 3.1.1.

<p class='note warning'>
There is an issue with the Mosquitto package included in Ubuntu 14.04 LTS. Specify `protocol: 3.1` in your MQTT configuration to work around this issue.
</p>

<p class='note'>
If you are running a mosquitto instance on a different server with proper SSL encryption using a service like letsencrypt you may have to set the certificate to the operating systems own `.crt` certificates file. In the instance of ubuntu this would be `certificate: /etc/ssl/certs/ca-certificates.crt`
</p>

### {% linkable_title Public broker %}

The Mosquitto project runs a [public broker](http://test.mosquitto.org). This is the easiest to set up, but there is no privacy as all messages are public. Use this only for testing purposes and not for real tracking of your devices or controlling your home.

```yaml
mqtt:
  broker: test.mosquitto.org
  port: 1883 or 8883

  # Optional, replace port 1883 with following if you want encryption
  # (doesn't really matter because broker is public)
  port: 8883
  # Download certificate from http://test.mosquitto.org/ssl/mosquitto.org.crt
  certificate: /home/paulus/downloads/mosquitto.org.crt
```

### {% linkable_title CloudMQTT %}

[CloudMQTT](https://www.cloudmqtt.com) is a hosted private MQTT instance that is free for up to 10 connected devices. This is enough to get started with for example [OwnTracks](/components/device_tracker.owntracks/) and give you a taste of what is possible.

<p class='note'>
Home Assistant is not affiliated with CloudMQTT nor will receive any kickbacks.
</p>

 1. [Create an account](https://customer.cloudmqtt.com/login) (no payment details needed)
 2. [Create a new CloudMQTT instance](https://customer.cloudmqtt.com/subscription/create)
    (Cute Cat is the free plan)
 3. From the control panel, click on the _Details_ button.
 4. Create unique users for Home Assistant and each phone to connect<br>(CloudMQTT does not allow two connections from the same user)
      1. Under manage users, fill in username, password and click add
      2. Under ACLs, select user, topic `#`, check 'read access' and 'write access'
 5. Copy the instance info to your configuration.yaml:

```yaml
mqtt:
  broker: CLOUTMQTT_SERVER
  port: CLOUDMQTT_PORT
  username: CLOUDMQTT_USER
  password: CLOUDMQTT_PASSWORD
```

<p class='note'>
Home Assistant will automatically load the correct certificate if you connect to an encrypted channel of CloudMQTT (port range 20000-30000).
</p>

