Update IOT device parameters

Question

I have IOT device based on Espressif ESP32 processor that communicates with owners mobile device via MQTT server. I found that sometimes I need to update IOT device parameters. Updates are initiated by system provider. For example, I need to change MQTT server. What is the best practice to update device configuration? Is it good style just to send message with parameters to IOT device via MQTT?

Answer 1

Yes. It is actually a valid approach to send a message or command with parameters via MQTT in IoT environment. Here is how you can implement it.

1. Create a unique MQTT topic specific to update the configurations. For example, you can have a topic like, devices/{device_id}/config.
2. Define a format (Eg: JSON containing key-value pairs) for the configuration message.

{"mqtt_server" : "your_server", "update_interval": 200, "parameter" : "new_value"}

3. Make sure that your ESP32 device subscribes to the configuration topic (devices/{device_id}/config) so that it can receive configuration updates.
4. You should also implement a logic in your ESP32 firmware to handle received configuration messages. You need to parse the message received and update the device's configuration accordingly.

I hope this helps!