diff --git a/src/devices/boiler.cpp b/src/devices/boiler.cpp
index 5b35d0911..4e15114bc 100644
--- a/src/devices/boiler.cpp
+++ b/src/devices/boiler.cpp
@@ -812,8 +812,8 @@ void Boiler::process_UBAErrorMessage(std::shared_ptr<const Telegram> telegram) {
         }
     }
 }
-// 0xC2
 
+// 0xC2
 void Boiler::process_UBAErrorMessage2(std::shared_ptr<const Telegram> telegram) {
     if (telegram->offset > 0 || telegram->message_length < 14) {
         return;
diff --git a/src/mqtt.cpp b/src/mqtt.cpp
index 7ac599ec5..2018d4264 100644
--- a/src/mqtt.cpp
+++ b/src/mqtt.cpp
@@ -260,11 +260,11 @@ void Mqtt::on_message(const char * topic, const char * payload, size_t len) {
     StaticJsonDocument<EMSESP_JSON_SIZE_LARGE_DYN> output_doc;
     JsonObject                                     input, output;
 
-    // convert payload into a json doc, if it's not empty
-    // if the payload is a single parameter (not JSON) create a JSON with the key 'value'
+    // convert payload into a json doc
+    // if the payload doesn't not contain the key 'value' or 'data', treat the whole payload as the 'value'
     if (len != 0) {
         DeserializationError error = deserializeJson(input_doc, message);
-        if (!input_doc.containsKey("value") || error) {
+        if ((!input_doc.containsKey("value") && !input_doc.containsKey("data")) || error) {
             input_doc.clear();
             input_doc["value"] = (const char *)message; // always a string
         }
diff --git a/src/test/test.cpp b/src/test/test.cpp
index 9ee938159..d0a6fe8d8 100644
--- a/src/test/test.cpp
+++ b/src/test/test.cpp
@@ -671,6 +671,8 @@ void Test::run_test(uuid::console::Shell & shell, const std::string & cmd) {
         EMSESP::mqtt_.incoming("ems-esp/boiler/wwseltemp", "59");
         EMSESP::mqtt_.incoming("ems-esp/boiler/wwseltemp");
 
+        EMSESP::mqtt_.incoming("ems-esp/thermostat", "{\"cmd\":\"mode\",\"data\":\"heat\",\"id\":1}");
+
         // MQTT bad tests
         EMSESP::mqtt_.incoming("ems-esp/thermostate/mode", "auto");     // unknown device
         EMSESP::mqtt_.incoming("ems-esp/thermostat/modee", "auto");     // unknown command
@@ -757,7 +759,7 @@ void Test::run_test(uuid::console::Shell & shell, const std::string & cmd) {
         request.url("/rest/writeValue");
         EMSESP::webDataService.write_value(&request, json);
 
-        emsesp::EMSESP::logger().notice("*");
+        // emsesp::EMSESP::logger().notice("*");
 
         // should fail
         char data8[] = "{}";
diff --git a/src/test/test.h b/src/test/test.h
index ba62d7215..1a7a9a7fc 100644
--- a/src/test/test.h
+++ b/src/test/test.h
@@ -39,10 +39,9 @@ namespace emsesp {
 // #define EMSESP_DEBUG_DEFAULT "shower_alert"
 // #define EMSESP_DEBUG_DEFAULT "310"
 // #define EMSESP_DEBUG_DEFAULT "render"
-// #define EMSESP_DEBUG_DEFAULT "api"
+#define EMSESP_DEBUG_DEFAULT "api"
 // #define EMSESP_DEBUG_DEFAULT "crash"
-#define EMSESP_DEBUG_DEFAULT "dv"
-
+// #define EMSESP_DEBUG_DEFAULT "dv"
 
 class Test {
   public: