Setting up MQTT

To enable MQTT based communication for a device, the following steps are required:

  1. Create an MQTT-based model in the partners portal.
  2. Register the device using the HTTP-based Register Device API.
  3. Connect via MQTT using the authorization data returned by the registration API.

Create an MQTT model in the partners portal

To set up a device using MQTT, you must first create a model for your device in the partners portal.

In the Add Model dialog, select MQTT under Communication Protocol. This setting must be configured at model creation time and cannot be changed afterwards.

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Register a device

Next, call the HTTPS-based Register Device API. A successful call will return the following parameters, required for establishing MQTT communication:

{
    "id": "11111111-2222...",
    "access_key": "Secret key for this device...",
    "hub_url": "hub-url.com",
    "hub_url_static_cert": "hub-url-static.com",
    "mqtt_hub_url": "mqtt://mqtt-url.com:port"
}

From this response, you will need three fields:

  • id - Unique device ID
  • access_key - Access key used to authenticate with the MQTT service
  • mqtt_hub_url - MQTT hub server assigned to this device

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The data returned from the Register Device API is shared between the MQTT and HTTPS protocols.

Connect via MQTT

MQTT connection to Xyte requires an MQTT client supporting MQTT v5 for the target programming language.

Node.JS MQTT.js MQTT.js C C Eclipse Paho C C++ C++ Eclipse Paho MQTT Java Java Eclipse Paho Java Python Python Paho Python

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A comprehensive list of MQTT client implementations can be found at the official MQTT website.

Example of connecting with MQTT.js

To connect, specify the following parameters (from the Register Device API response):

  • protocolVersion - 5 (this is the MQTT v5 protocol)
  • username - The unique device ID
  • password - The access key for the device
  • clientId - The unique device ID

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MQTT protocol version

Make sure you pass in the protocol version in your chosen client library in order to enable the full features of the v5 protocol.

import mqtt from 'mqtt';

const client = mqtt.connect(URL, {
  protocolVersion: 5,
  username: DEVICE_ID,
  password: ACCESS_KEY,
  clientId: DEVICE_ID,
});

Once the client is connected, even subscription becomes enabled.