Proposal: Allow changing names through UI for MQTT Discovery

[ciotlosm]

Proposal

Allow for a method to change names of entities through the UI just like with unique_id for MQTT Discovery component

Use Case

There is development for a drop in replacement of xiaomi_aqara using CC2531 stick to save some round trips and avoid the proprietary gateway. Currently there is https://github.com/Koenkk/zigbee2mqtt for the actual functionality using Home Assistant discovery setup, coupled with https://github.com/danielwelch/hassio-zigbee2mqtt hassio addon.

Current state

• Installation of addon is done through UI
• Pairing of devices can be done through MQTT or with some settings UI (input_boolean + automations)

Configuration of devices names can be done either:

• Manually if you avoid MQTT discovery in Home Assistant configuration yaml
• Manually inside zigbee2mqtt configuration yaml

As xiaomi_aqara already has Discovery through the gateway and unique_id is allowed, would be nice to have the same for zigbee2mqtt.

[dgomes]

I'm also involved in zigbee2mqtt and this is something that has also bother me.

Using HA MQTT discovery mechanism, zigbee2mqtt can already expose any supported paired device in HA upon successful pairing. This is great for users. Unfortunately the only manual step remaining is device naming that requires editing in zigbee2mqtt device database file in order to do the name mapping in zigbee2mqtt and save HA the trouble.

I've imagined possible integrations:

• sidestepping MQTT components and creating a parallel platform
  edit: this might come in the future since many zigbee device provide several "sensors" and even "services" that cannot currently be exposed. The most basic one being the battery level.
• adding the mentioned change (albeit Add MQTT Sensor unique_id core#13318 (comment))

[balloob]

I think that this can easily be solved by allowing MQTT devices to specify a unique ID. That way they will end up in the Entity Registry and you can use the normal frontend flow for renaming entities.

The zigbee2mqtt project will be able to use Zigbee device serial numbers for unique IDs.

(this won't solve the services etc that @dgomes mentioned, but I think that is out of scope of the current discussion (and its own platform is probably best solution))

[ciotlosm]

Thanks @dgomes, @OttoWinter and @balloob.