Project: bringing a C-Bus installation into Home Assistant

[ZerOne]

Goal
Read and control existing Clipsal C-Bus lighting (and related) groups from Home Assistant. This is a software and gateway project for a working C-Bus system. Hardware, toolkit and first-light steps remain in the existing threads: C-Bus introduction, hardware / one light and software starter.

Complexity
Moderate to advanced. You need a C-Bus PCI or CNI, and a C-Gate host. There is no official Home Assistant core integration for C-Bus. The usual path is official Schneider/Clipsal C-Gate plus a community MQTT or similar bridge. Treat the Home Assistant side as community software.

1. Official C-Gate first
C-Gate is Schneider/Clipsal's official C-Bus utility / runtime.

• The official C-Gate download page says that for Windows users, C-Gate is already included with C-Bus Toolkit, and that the same page offers a zip distribution (no installer) suitable for other operating systems. The zip needs a Java environment. The version listed on that official zip page at research time was 2.11.4.
• C-Gate talks to the C-Bus network through a PCI (serial/USB) or a CNI (network). Give a CNI a reserved IP.

Confirm C-Gate can already see your project and you can operate a test group from Toolkit or the C-Gate console before you involve Home Assistant. If Toolkit cannot see the network, Home Assistant will not fix it.

2. Then a documented community bridge
Because there is no official core C-Bus integration, pick a currently maintained community project that speaks to C-Gate (often via MQTT). Record the exact project and version in your notes. Typical shape:

• C-Gate remains the only software talking natively to C-Bus.
• The bridge maps C-Bus groups to MQTT topics or HA entities.
• Home Assistant uses MQTT or the community integration, not a made-up register map.

Do not run two write-capable clients that disagree about group state. Lighting control should still work from wall switches if Home Assistant or the PC running C-Gate is down — that is a C-Bus design feature you should keep.

3. A first test, not a whole-house rewrite

• Expose one lighting group (a single room).
• Toggle it from Home Assistant and from the wall switch, and confirm both sides follow.
• Only then add more groups, scenes, and any cautiously written "all off" automation.

4. Network and safety notes

• Keep C-Gate, the CNI and Home Assistant on a trusted LAN. Do not port-forward C-Gate or the CNI.
• Changing C-Bus programming, adding a new mains-powered output unit, or work in a switchboard remains licensed electrical work. See the electrical-compliance thread in Site News.

Hardware cost
If the C-Bus network and a PCI/CNI already exist, this is a software project. A new CNI or a dedicated small PC for C-Gate should be quoted in AUD. Toolkit / C-Gate licensing and current Schneider download terms come from the official product pages, not from a price invented here.

Official reading
Official C-Gate download page
Official C-Bus Toolkit download page
C-Bus introduction · C-Bus software starter

Researched from official documentation on 15 November 2026 (Australia/Sydney). This is a planning and how-to guide, not a claim that the exact hardware combination was assembled and tested on a live site. Please correct anything that has moved on.