Open Connectivity > MQTT broker to define where Protonest Master publishes readings. Complete Broker connection first, then configure Publish topics.
Delivery activity
The counters at the top update while the gateway runs.
| Counter | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Sent | Messages published to the broker. |
| Failed | Messages the broker did not accept. |
| Dropped | Readings discarded, such as while no broker is connected. |
| Reconnects | Times the gateway re-established the broker connection. |
Configure the broker connection
Open the broker connection
Under Configure MQTT, select Broker connection.
Identify the broker and gateway
Enter the Broker address, Port, and a unique Client ID.
Configure authentication
Choose an authentication method and provide its credentials.
Secure the connection
Keep TLS encryption enabled when the broker supports it and upload the broker's root CA certificate.
Review advanced behavior
Change the keepalive, reconnect, or timeout values only when your broker requires non-default behavior.
Continue to publish topics
Select Publish topics and complete the routing settings before saving the full MQTT configuration.
| Field | What to enter | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Broker address | Broker host name or IP address | mqtt.example.com |
| Port | Usually 1883, or 8883 with TLS | 8883 |
| Client ID | A unique identifier for this gateway | gateway001 |
The example values are placeholders. Use the values issued by your broker administrator.
Authentication
Enter the broker account Username and Password. Use a broker account restricted to the gateway's required publish and control topics.
Connection defaults
| Setting | Purpose | Default |
|---|---|---|
| TLS encryption | Encrypts the broker connection; requires a root CA. | On |
| Automatic reconnect | Reconnects after a dropped session. | On |
| Keepalive (s) | Interval for checking that the session is alive. | 60 |
| Reconnect delay (s) | Delay before another connection attempt. | 5 |
| Network timeout (s) | Time allowed for a broker response. | 10 |
Connection limits
| Setting | Accepted value |
|---|---|
| Broker address | Required host name or IP address |
| Broker port | Whole number from 1-65,535 |
| Client ID | Required |
| Keepalive | Whole number from 1-255 seconds |
| Reconnect delay | Whole number from 1-65,535 seconds |
| Network timeout | Whole number from 1-65,535 seconds |
Certificate authentication requires TLS. TLS requires a root CA; certificate authentication additionally requires both a client certificate and private key.
Configure publish topics
Open publish topics
Under Configure MQTT, select Publish topics.
Enter the base topic
Enter a route such as
protonest/gateway001/stream/master.Choose delivery quality
Select the required Delivery quality (QoS).
Review every subtopic
Confirm or change the subtopic for each data type and check the complete-path previews.
Save the configuration
Select Save MQTT settings.
The gateway publishes each reading to base topic/subtopic. For example:
protonest/gateway001/stream/master/environment
| Data | Factory-default subtopic |
|---|---|
| Environment | environment |
| Analog inputs | analog-inputs |
| Thermistor probe | thermistor-probe |
| Precision probe | precision-probe |
| Contact inputs | contact-inputs |
| Outputs | outputs |
| Modbus values | modbus-values |
Choose a QoS level
| QoS | Delivery behavior | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| 0 - at most once | Sent once without confirmation; a message can be lost. | Frequent telemetry where an occasional missed value is acceptable. |
| 1 - at least once | Repeated until confirmed; duplicates can occur. | Most operational telemetry. |
| 2 - exactly once | Delivered once through the slowest handshake. | Data where duplicates and losses are unacceptable. |
Topic rules
The base topic and every subtopic are required. Each may contain at most 128 UTF-8 bytes and cannot contain spaces, control characters, a leading or trailing slash, an empty level such as //, or the + and # wildcard characters. Full-path previews show the exact publish routes before you save.