Apple Airport hass devicetracker and Internet Connection Sensor (binary)

Turn the Apple Airport Wireless Router to a homeassistant device tracker, and an Internet Connection binary sensor.

Tested on Apple Airport Timecapsule AC with the newest firmware (7.9.1).

With rsyslog server running.

Working process:

• Apple's wireless router send out syslogs containing important and useful information for HA (WAN connection events and wireless devices connection events).

• The rsyslog service collecting the syslog messages come from Apple Airport router.

• The messages are transfered to the python script (via omprog interface of rsyslog).

• The python script parse the messages and triggers the states of the wireless devices (by mac) and the binary_sensor representting the Internet connection, via the API of homeassistant.

rsyslog service could runs on any host inside the same network, the HA host is a good choice for most people.

It's should also work with other routers that throw syslogs (maybe little modification is required).

It's totally event-driven, sensitive, and no active scan required.

Steps:

0. Save the python script on homeassistant host, for example, in the home path of homeassistant:

   /home/homeassistant

Don't forget to replace the http password.

If device_tracker is not enabled on HA, enable it.

If either frontend or api is not enabled on HA, enable one of them.

1. Enable syslog and set target address on airport router.

This could be done via Windows version of Airport Utility.

The default level 5 is fine for this purpose.

Target address should be, of course, the homeassistant host.

2. Enable rsyslog server and it's configuration in /etc/rsyslog.conf:

module(load="imudp")

input(type="imudp" port="514" ruleset="apple_airport")

module(load="omprog")

ruleset(name="apple_airport"){

       action( type="omprog"

       binary="/home/homeassistant/apple_airport.py")

       } 

3. Restart the rsyslog service:

$ sudo service rsyslog restart

or

$ sudo systemctl restart rsyslog

depending on the system.

That's all.

Below is just for confirming and testing.

4. Confirm

   run:

$ sudo netstat -tulpn | grep rsyslog

the output should looks like this:

udp    0 0    0.0.0.0:514    0.0.0.0:*      551/rsyslogd 

udp6    0 0    :::514        :::*          551/rsyslogd

then run:

$ ps ax |grep apple

there should be the process of apple_airport.py

(maybe you couldn't see the process right now, just jump to next step, receiving one message will invoke it)

15321 ? S 0:00 /usr/bin/python3 /home/homeassistant/apple_airport.py

Without rsyslog server, simplified!

tested on Synology, with python 2.

use airconn.py instead, it's will bind to 514 port and handle the syslog messages by itself.

so, the "log receiving" function of the same port must be disabled in the app "Log Center".

Steps:

1. generate long live token on hass frontend, and put the token into the script airconn.py.

2. setuid, since it will bind to the port lower than 1024.

3. autostart

Make a simple test:

On another computer (unix like), send a message to the rsyslog service:

$ echo '<54> <133>Feb 11 22:32:00 timecapsuleu pppoe: Disconnected.' >/dev/udp/ha-host/514 (the process of "apple_airport.py" or "airconn.py" will be invoked after one syslog message received on port 514)

Then check on the frontend of ha, the new binary_sensor named "Internet" will appear.

Notes:

Because the wireless devices will disconnect from the AP and reconnect in very short time (less than 1 second) frequently, and some times the router itself will disconnect and reconnect the pppoe connection rapidly, if the states of the sensor been used in automations, a suitable timer should be involved to avoid un-necessary actions.

For the device_tracker，there already is a timer (consider_home) can leverage this problem.

Edit known_devices.yaml in the right way

Time:

After a pretty long time running, for example, 1~2 days, or even 1 week, just be sure that all your wireless devices had appeared on hass.

Steps:

Stop homeassistant.

Then edit and save known_devices.yaml. Pay attention to the MAC addresses.

Start homeassistant.

about new_device_defaults

if no other device_trackers configured, then there is no way to set new_device_defaults.

in this case, put the custom_components/device_tracker/apple_airport.py under your config path (it's a dump plat_form, doing nothing), and put this in your configuration.yaml:

device_tracker:
  - platform: apple_airport
    interval_seconds: 1200
    new_device_defaults:
      track_new_devices: false
      hide_if_away: true