Integrating Hardware

Overview

Most physical integrations in TelemetryOS custom applications follow this pattern:

1. Devices or gateways publish sensor/state data to an MQTT broker.
2. Your TelemetryOS app subscribes to relevant topics with mqtt().
3. The app updates its UI and storage in near real time.
4. User actions or automation logic publish control commands back to actuators.

Use this for real-time operational workflows where external systems must influence what is displayed on-device.

Important: MQTT support requires Node Pro and is not available on Node Mini.

What to use MQTT for

MQTT is best when your app needs low-latency updates, persistent state changes, or bi-directional device communication.

Common use cases include:

• Environmental monitoring (temperature, humidity, occupancy, air quality)
• Equipment telemetry (PLC/sensor readings, runtime status, fault alarms)
• Facility operations (door/window contact, lighting status, motion events)
• Kiosk and signage control (show/hide content based on sensor input)
• Actuator workflows (open vents, dim lights, acknowledge events)

Integration pattern

At a high level, connect these pieces:

• Sensors / field devices publish to MQTT topics like factory/line-a/temperature.
• Actuators / controllers subscribe to command topics like facility/display-12/set-brightness.
• TelemetryOS app:
  • uses mqtt().discover() to find available brokers
  • uses mqtt().connect() to establish a connection
  • uses mqtt().subscribe() to receive sensor data
  • uses mqtt().publish() to send actuator commands
  • uses mqtt().subscribeConnectionStatus() for robustness monitoring

Store short-lived operational state in store().device only when device context is needed; mirror critical values into store().instance or store().application for UI consistency across render/settings if required.

Security and reliability notes

• Use TLS transport (mqtts / wss) whenever available.
• Keep retained topics limited to values you want late joiners to read immediately.
• Use topic naming that reflects ownership and environment (site/floor/zone/equipment).
• Validate command payloads before forwarding actions to physical equipment.
• Watch connection state and reconnect behavior for unattended deployments.

Next steps

• MQTT Methods - Complete API reference for discover/connect/publish/subscribe
• Device and platform configuration - Manage deployments and hardware assignments