ChirpStack MQTT Integration via TLS

This guide explains how to connect your HARDWARIO ThingsBoard platform to a ChirpStack MQTT broker over an encrypted TLS connection. This method uses a generic MQTT integration, which ensures secure data transmission using client-side certificates.

Prerequisites

Before configuring the integration in ThingsBoard, ensure you have successfully generated and downloaded the following three files from the ChirpStack UI (under Applications -> Integrations -> MQTT Certificate):

• CA Certificate (ca.pem)
• TLS Certificate (client-cert.pem)
• TLS Key (client-key.pem)

Note: Ensure your MQTT broker (Mosquitto) is configured with a TLS-enabled listener on port 8883 and that your ChirpStack MQTT integration is configured with json=true.

---

Configuration Steps in ThingsBoard

Follow these steps to set up the secure MQTT integration:

1. Create Integration

1. Log in to your ThingsBoard instance.
2. Navigate to Integrations in the left-hand menu.
3. Click Add integration and select MQTT as the type.

2. Connection Settings

In the Connection tab, configure the following parameters:

Field	Value
Host	IP address of your ChirpStack server (e.g., 10.0.0.52)
Port	8883
Enable SSL/TLS	Enabled
Credentials type	PEM (certificate based)

3. Credential Upload

Upload the three files obtained from the ChirpStack UI into the corresponding fields:

• CA certificate: Upload ca.pem.
• Certificate: Upload client-cert.pem.
• Private key: Upload client-key.pem.

4. Topic Configuration

Set the Topic filter to receive uplink data from your devices: application/+/device/+/event/up

---

Verification & Troubleshooting

Once saved, ThingsBoard will establish a secure MQTT connection over TLS. The broker will authenticate the connection using the client certificate signed by your ChirpStack CA.

How to verify:

• Integration Logs: Navigate to the Logs tab of your integration in ThingsBoard. If the configuration is correct, you should see successful connection events.
• Server-side check: If the connection fails, verify that your Mosquitto server is actively listening on port 8883 by running this command on your server: ss -tlnp | grep mosquitto

Common pitfalls:

• Certificate Mismatch: Ensure you did not swap the Certificate and Private key files.
• JSON Format: If you see the connection as "active" but no data is arriving, double-check that your ChirpStack MQTT integration settings have json=true enabled.