![using mosquitto on windows using mosquitto on windows](https://i.stack.imgur.com/mSSjJ.png)
In this example I'll use the free MQTT Explorer from as the client: Step 4) To download MQTT Explorer from the product's homepage, scroll down and select the version that matches your operating system: Step 5) Now that we have our Broker and Client software downloaded, the next step is to install both. Step 3) To test your broker you'll also need a client.
![using mosquitto on windows using mosquitto on windows](http://www.steves-internet-guide.com/wp-content/uploads/netstamqtt-broker.jpg)
Step 1) To download the Mosquitto MQTT Broker, head over to and click on the downloads page: Step 2) Next, select the appropriate download for your system. In this example I chose the Windows 圆4 edition since that will be the operating system I'll be using: In short, MQTT clients publish and/or subscribe to topics from an MQTT Broker, which is sometimes referred to as an MQTT Server: Image from While the RTA MQTT Gateway I'll be testing works with AWS and Azure as well as generic MQTT gateways, I chose the latter as the first two systems require a credit card to setup an account, as well as an open internet connection (which may not be available in all test applications.) After doing some research, it seemed like the most popular free, self-hosted MQTT Broker was Mosquitto, and that is the broker I'll use in this example. If you're new to MQTT, the below image from does a great job explaining how a system works.
![using mosquitto on windows using mosquitto on windows](https://miro.medium.com/max/1838/1*_leh5q5_kj5nA3iZnj38YQ.png)
To demonstrate it in this week's episode of The Automation Show, I needed to setup my own test system, and today I'll share what I learned in the hopes that it will help you get your test system up and running quickly. Recently I received a sample of the brand new MQTT Gateway from the good folks over at Real Time Automation.