Opera GX Enhances Smart Home Integration with MQTT Support
Opera GX has introduced a significant update, enhancing its browser capabilities for smart home integration through support for MQTT (Message Queuing Telemetry Transport). This addition allows users to utilize the browser as a conduit between their smart home devices and the web, facilitating a seamless flow of data and control.
The new “Smart Home” integration enables Opera GX users to both listen to and publish MQTT messages directly from the browser. Notably, the company has open-sourced the MQTT extension API, providing a reference extension that works with popular smart home hubs, including Home Assistant, Homebridge, and Node-RED. This development establishes a two-way communication bridge, where events occurring within a user’s room can influence the browser’s behavior, while actions initiated in the browser can trigger real-world automations.
Streamlined Automation Capabilities
While linking a PC to smart home devices is not a new concept, previous methods often required external system agents or complicated scripts. With the integration of MQTT into the Opera GX extension platform, the process is now more straightforward. Users can easily access a variety of automations outlined on the official GitHub page, which provides examples and installation instructions.
The integration supports several sensors, including:
– **Accent color**: Displays the current color in RGB format.
– **Battery level**: Indicates the battery percentage of connected devices.
– **Number of tabs**: Shows the total open tabs across all windows and workspaces.
– **Remaining RAM**: Reflects the available memory in gigabytes.
– **Playing movie**: A binary sensor that activates when a video streaming address is open.
– **Conference**: A binary sensor that activates when an online meeting is in progress.
In addition to sensors, the integration allows for a range of commands, switches, and triggers. Users can open new tabs, close private windows, mute all tabs, and initiate panic modes to hide their browser session when needed.
Practical Applications and User Control
The flexibility of this integration opens up numerous possibilities for users. For instance, combining a door sensor with Opera GX’s Panic Button could conceal browser activity as soon as someone enters the room. Furthermore, lighting can be programmed to match the browser’s theme for ambient synchronization or to create a “movie night” atmosphere that adjusts lighting, pauses music, and lowers blinds simultaneously.
Power users can take advantage of more complex automations. For example, entering a meeting can trigger a “busy” state that activates a red “do not disturb” lamp, or a smart plug can be configured to manage laptop charging for optimal battery health. The entire setup utilizes the Home Assistant MQTT Discovery protocol, which is integrated into the extension and groups all entities under one device named Opera GX.
Users can also create custom sensors and triggers, expanding beyond the predefined options provided by Opera.
To get started with the Smart Home features, users simply need to access the settings in Opera GX, navigate to the Smart Home section, enable MQTT, and input the necessary address, port, and credentials. Once these settings are applied, the state should indicate a successful connection.
Despite being based on Chromium, this extension is not compatible with other browsers, nor can users create modified versions for distribution on the Opera add-ons store. The company has clarified that certain functionalities depend on a private API exclusive to Opera GX.
The MQTT API was introduced with the launch of Opera GX version 119.0.5497.163 in July 2023. Users wishing to delve deeper can load an unpacked extension to gather and utilize their own data for customized automations.
For those interested, the official Smart Home extension is available for immediate installation in Opera GX, allowing quick integration with Home Assistant and other MQTT-compatible platforms.
