Enhanced Control: Fully Kiosk Browser, MQTT, and Home Assistant

This article outlines how to leverage the Fully Kiosk Browser with MQTT integration to enhance control within your Home Assistant ecosystem. This setup provides remote control over device features like screen brightness, volume, and application launching, all managed through Home Assistant.

Prerequisites:

• Home Assistant installed and configured.
• Fully Kiosk Browser installed on your tablet/device.
• MQTT broker set up and integrated with Home Assistant.

Setup Steps:

1. Configure Fully Kiosk Browser:
• Open Fully Kiosk Browser on your tablet.
• Go to Settings > Remote Administration (PLUS).
• Enable Remote Administration and set a password.
• Enable MQTT and configure the MQTT broker details: Broker address, port, username, and password. Ensure the MQTT topic is unique.
2. Home Assistant Configuration:
• In Home Assistant, configure the MQTT integration if you haven't already.
• Create MQTT sensors and switches to control Fully Kiosk Browser features. Example configuration in configuration.yaml:

sensor:
  - platform: mqtt
    name: "Tablet Screen Status"
    state_topic: "fully/mytablet/status/screenOn"
    value_template: '{{ value }}'

switch:
  - platform: mqtt
    name: "Tablet Screen"
    state_topic: "fully/mytablet/status/screenOn"
    command_topic: "fully/mytablet/command/screenOn"
    payload_on: "TRUE"
    payload_off: "FALSE"
    state_on: "TRUE"
    state_off: "FALSE"
    optimistic: false
    qos: 0
    retain: true

3. Automations:
• Create automations to respond to events or trigger actions in Fully Kiosk Browser. For example, turn on the screen when motion is detected:

automation:
  - alias: "Tablet Screen On Motion"
    trigger:
      - platform: state
        entity_id: binary_sensor.motion_sensor
        to: 'on'
    action:
      - service: mqtt.publish
        data:
          topic: "fully/mytablet/command/screenOn"
          payload: "TRUE"

Device Integration Tips:

• Use Fully Kiosk Browser's MQTT topic to monitor device status (battery level, screen status, etc.).
• Implement custom MQTT commands for specific app launching or website navigation.
• Secure your MQTT broker with strong passwords and, if possible, TLS encryption.

Best Practices:

• Consistent Naming: Use consistent and descriptive names for MQTT topics and Home Assistant entities.
• Centralized Configuration: Keep your MQTT configurations organized in a dedicated file (e.g., mqtt.yaml) and include it in configuration.yaml.
• Regular Backups: Back up your Home Assistant configuration regularly to prevent data loss.
• Monitoring: Monitor the MQTT broker and Fully Kiosk Browser for any errors or connection issues.

By integrating Fully Kiosk Browser with MQTT and Home Assistant, you gain enhanced control and monitoring capabilities for your smart home devices. This setup empowers you to create a more personalized and responsive smart home environment.