Protocol Wizard for Home Assistant

The Protocol Wizard helps you build your home assistant devices without need for any yaml!
See DOCUMENTATION for details

Configure and control devices entirely from the UI — no YAML, no restarts!

Protocol Wizard lets you discover, test, and integrate devices (Modbus, SNMP, MQTT, BACnet) directly in Home Assistant — all through a simple, powerful interface.
All run-time!

Add and configure sensors at runtime — no reboots required

Work in progress — actively developed and improving!

Features

• Supports already MQTT, Modbus, SNMP, BACnet
• Zero YAML configuration — everything done via the Home Assistant UI
• Device templates support! Just present your device as a json template! (see below)
• Full support for Modbus serial (RS485/USB) and IP-based (TCP & UDP)
• Runtime entity management — add, edit, or remove sensors without restarting HA
• Dedicated Lovelace cards for live reading/writing any register/ OID / Topic /etc. (perfect for testing and debugging)
• Create only the entities you need — keep your setup clean and efficient
• Modbus: Multiple slaves supported (up to 255 per bus/network) with individual slave IDs
• Modbus: Multiple masters possible (HA as master; coexists with other masters if no conflicts)
• Configurable refresh intervals per device
• Full automation support — use sensors in automations, scripts, and dashboards
• Advanced options: scaling, offset, byte/word order, endianness, bit handling, and more

Probe and control any register in real-time with the included card

Installation

Option 1: HACS (Recommended — coming soon)

Once available in HACS default repository, install with one click.

Option 2: Manual Install

1. Go to HACS → Integrations → ⋮ → Custom repositories
2. Add repository:
   URL: https://github.com/partach/protocol_wizard
   Category: Integration
3. Click Add
4. Go to devices and service, add integration, Search for "Protocol Wizard" and install.
5. Restart Home Assistant
6. Go to Settings → Devices & Services → + Add Integration → Search for Protocol Wizard

The included Lovelace card is automatically registered on startup.
A browser refresh may be needed the first time to see it.

Setup Guide

RS485 Termination Note for Modbus devices

For reliable serial Modbus (RS485), install 120Ω termination resistors at both ends of the bus only.
Too many resistors degrade the signal; none can cause reflections and errors.

how to apply the 120 ohm resistor with multiple devices attached on the bus

Step 1: Select your protocol

1. Click + Add Integration → Choose Protocol Wizard
2. Select Modbus / SNMP / etc.

Choose Protocol - no restarts required

Step 2: Add Your Device (Modbus Example shown)

1. Select connection type: Serial or IP (TCP/UDP)
2. Enter:
   • Slave ID (usually 1)
   • A test register address (often 0 or 30001 → use 0 in the integration)
   • Test register size (usually 1 or 2)
3. Provide connection details (port, baudrate, host, etc.)
4. The integration will auto-test connectivity

→ Success? You're ready!

Simple device setup

Step 3: Explore with the Card (Recommended for Discovery)

Add the Protocol Wizard Card to a dashboard:

• Edit dashboard → Add card → Search for "Protocol Wizard Card"
• Select your device (depending on type of device the UI of the card adapts) ! You need to have a card per device (To ensure you are communicating with the right device)

Now you can:

• Read any register instantly
• Write values to test device behavior
• Experiment with data types, byte order, and scaling

Perfect for reverse-engineering undocumented devices!

Step 4: Create Permanent Sensors

Once you know which registers you want:

• Go to your Protocol Wizard device → Configure → Add register

Add and/or configure your device, add/delete/edit entities

- Fill in name, address, data type, unit, scaling, etc. - Advanced options available (click "Show advanced options")

Full control over sensor configuration

Your new sensors appear immediately — no restart needed.
You can later edit or delete them from the same options menu.

Device Templates

Via the hub configuration (gear symbol) you can read device templates (in standard JSON format). These are easy to make (AI can be your friend) and help you import your device (or change) run-time with a few clicks. SDM630 basic profile is provided in the code. Just feed this to Grok, ChatGPT, Claude, etc. And ask to get this for device X/Y. Then add to the template directory of the integration `/custom_components/protocol_wizard/templates/mydevicename.json Also send them to me so i can possibly add them for a next release :)

The Format (entry per register)

[
  {
    "name": "Phase 1 Voltage",
    "address": 0,
    "data_type": "float32",
    "register_type": "input",
    "rw": "read",
    "unit": "V",
    "scale": 1.0,
    "offset": 0.0,
    "byte_order": "big",
    "word_order": "big",
    "allow_bits": false
  }
]

SNMP example

[
  {
    "name": "System Description",
    "address": "1.3.6.1.2.1.1.1.0",
    "data_type": "string",
    "read_mode": "get"
  },
  {
    "name": "System Uptime",
    "address": "1.3.6.1.2.1.1.3.0",
    "data_type": "integer",
    "read_mode": "get"
  },
  {
    "name": "System Name",
    "address": "1.3.6.1.2.1.1.5.0",
    "data_type": "string",
    "read_mode": "get"
  },
  {
    "name": "Interface Speeds",
    "address": "1.3.6.1.2.1.2.2.1.5",
    "read_mode": "walk"
  }
]

Register Configuration Fields (Modbus)

When adding or editing a register, the following fields are available:

Field	Required	Default	Description
name	Yes	-	Human-readable name for the entity
address	Yes	-	Modbus register address (0–65535)
data_type	Yes	uint16	How to decode the value: uint16, int16, uint32, int32, float32, uint64, int64
register_type	Yes	input	Function code: auto, holding, input, coil, discrete
rw	Yes	read	Entity type: read (sensor), write (number), rw (both)
unit	No	-	Unit of measurement (e.g., "V", "A", "W")
scale	No	1.0	Multiplier applied after decoding (value × scale + offset)
offset	No	0.0	Additive offset after scaling
options	No	-	JSON mapping for select entity (e.g., {"0": "Off", "1": "On"})
byte_order	No	big	Byte order within each word (big/little)
word_order	No	big	Order of the 16-bit words (big/little) for multi-register values
format	No	-	python formating for read values like {d}d {h}h {m}m for seconds to human readible value
min	No	-	Minimum value for writeable number entities
max	No	-	Maximum value for writeable number entities
step	No	1.0	Step size for number entity adjustments

Quick Tips for Common Use Cases

• Voltages/Currents: data_type = "uint16", scale = 0.1 or 0.01, unit "V"/"A"
• Power: Often uint32 or float32 with appropriate scaling
• Status bits: Use coil/discrete + options JSON for friendly names

Why Choose Protocol Wizard?

• No more YAML hell — perfect for devices with poor documentation
• Fast iteration — test registers live, then save only what you need
• Beginner-friendly yet powerful for advanced users
• Full control — bit-level access, custom scaling, endianness, raw mode

Roadmap & Planned Features

• More Templates for common devices: More templates pre-loaded with the integration
• KNX

Support & Feedback

This integration is under active development. Found a bug? Have a feature request?

→ Open an issue on GitHub: https://github.com/partach/protocol_wizard/issues

Contributions welcome!

Discussion

Join the conversation: GitHub Discussions

Changelog

See CHANGELOG.md

Support Development

If you find Protocol Wizard useful, consider buying me a coffee! ☕

---

Made with ❤️ for the Home Assistant community