diff --git a/nodes/core/io/10-mqtt.html b/nodes/core/io/10-mqtt.html
index 72a8557bc..0b9911620 100644
--- a/nodes/core/io/10-mqtt.html
+++ b/nodes/core/io/10-mqtt.html
@@ -115,7 +115,7 @@
 
 <script type="text/x-red" data-template-name="mqtt-broker">
     <div class="form-row">
-        <ul style="background: #fff; min-width: 550px; margin-bottom: 20px;" id="node-config-mqtt-broker-tabs"></ul>
+        <ul style="background: #fff; min-width: 600px; margin-bottom: 20px;" id="node-config-mqtt-broker-tabs"></ul>
     </div>
     <div id="node-config-mqtt-broker-tabs-content" style="min-height: 170px;">
         <div id="mqtt-broker-tab-connection" style="display:none">
@@ -159,6 +159,28 @@
                 <label for="node-config-input-verifyservercert" style="width: 70%;" data-i18n="mqtt.label.verify-server-cert"></label>
             </div>
         </div>
+        <div id="mqtt-broker-tab-birth" style="display:none">
+            <div class="form-row">
+                <label for="node-config-input-birthTopic"><i class="fa fa-tasks"></i> <span data-i18n="common.label.topic"></span></label>
+                <input type="text" id="node-config-input-birthTopic" data-i18n="[placeholder]mqtt.placeholder.birth-topic">
+            </div>
+            <div class="form-row">
+                <label for="node-config-input-birthQos"><i class="fa fa-empire"></i> <span data-i18n="mqtt.label.qos"></span></label>
+                <select id="node-config-input-birthQos" style="width:125px !important">
+                    <option value="0">0</option>
+                    <option value="1">1</option>
+                    <option value="2">2</option>
+                </select>
+                &nbsp;&nbsp;<i class="fa fa-history"></i>&nbsp;<span data-i18n="mqtt.retain"></span> &nbsp;<select id="node-config-input-birthRetain" style="width:125px !important">
+                    <option value="false" data-i18n="mqtt.false"></option>
+                    <option value="true" data-i18n="mqtt.true"></option>
+                </select>
+            </div>
+            <div class="form-row">
+                <label for="node-config-input-birthPayload"><i class="fa fa-envelope"></i> <span data-i18n="common.label.payload"></span></label>
+                <input type="text" id="node-config-input-birthPayload" data-i18n="[placeholder]common.label.payload">
+            </div>
+        </div>
         <div id="mqtt-broker-tab-will" style="display:none">
             <div class="form-row">
                 <label for="node-config-input-willTopic"><i class="fa fa-tasks"></i> <span data-i18n="common.label.topic"></span></label>
@@ -207,9 +229,13 @@
             keepalive: {value:15,validate:RED.validators.number()},
             cleansession: {value: true},
             willTopic: {value:""},
-            willQos: {value:0},
+            willQos: {value:"0"},
             willRetain: {value:false},
-            willPayload: {value:""}
+            willPayload: {value:""},
+            birthTopic: {value:""},
+            birthQos: {value:"0"},
+            birthRetain: {value:false},
+            birthPayload: {value:""}
         },
         credentials: {
             user: {type:"text"},
@@ -235,6 +261,10 @@
                 id: "mqtt-broker-tab-security",
                 label: this._("mqtt.tabs-label.security")
             });
+            tabs.addTab({
+                id: "mqtt-broker-tab-birth",
+                label: this._("mqtt.tabs-label.birth")
+            });
             tabs.addTab({
                 id: "mqtt-broker-tab-will",
                 label: this._("mqtt.tabs-label.will")
@@ -260,6 +290,14 @@
                 this.keepalive = 15;
                 $("#node-config-input-keepalive").val(this.keepalive);
             }
+            if (typeof this.willQos === 'undefined') {
+                this.willQos = "0";
+                $("#node-config-input-willQos").val("0");
+            }
+            if (typeof this.birthQos === 'undefined') {
+                this.birthQos = "0";
+                $("#node-config-input-birthQos").val("0");
+            }
 
             function updateTLSOptions() {
                 if ($("#node-config-input-usetls").is(':checked')) {
diff --git a/nodes/core/io/10-mqtt.js b/nodes/core/io/10-mqtt.js
index 089f1bd30..ca94bfcd1 100644
--- a/nodes/core/io/10-mqtt.js
+++ b/nodes/core/io/10-mqtt.js
@@ -51,6 +51,14 @@ module.exports = function(RED) {
         this.queue = [];
         this.subscriptions = {};
 
+        if (n.birthTopic) {
+            this.birthMessage = {
+                topic: n.birthTopic,
+                payload: n.birthPayload || "",
+                qos: Number(n.birthQos||0),
+                retain: n.birthRetain=="true"|| n.birthRetain===true
+            };
+        }
         events.EventEmitter.call(this);
         this.setMaxListeners(0);
 
@@ -159,6 +167,11 @@ module.exports = function(RED) {
                         node.client.subscribe(topic, options);
                     }
 
+                    // Send any birth message
+                    if (node.birthMessage) {
+                        node.publish(node.birthMessage);
+                    }
+
                     // Send any queued messages
                     while(node.queue.length) {
                         var msg = node.queue.shift();
diff --git a/nodes/core/locales/en-US/messages.json b/nodes/core/locales/en-US/messages.json
index d014d2192..74373246a 100644
--- a/nodes/core/locales/en-US/messages.json
+++ b/nodes/core/locales/en-US/messages.json
@@ -224,12 +224,14 @@
         "tabs-label": {
             "connection": "Connection",
             "security": "Security",
-            "will": "Will Message"
+            "will": "Will Message",
+            "birth": "Birth Message"
         },
         "placeholder": {
             "clientid": "Leave blank for auto generated",
             "clientid-nonclean":"Must be set for non-clean sessions",
-            "will-topic": "Leave blank to disable will message"
+            "will-topic": "Leave blank to disable will message",
+            "birth-topic": "Leave blank to disable birth message"
         },
         "state": {
             "connected": "Connected to broker: __broker__",
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index 47ca41696..a394e9315 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -29,7 +29,7 @@
         "when": "3.7.3",
         "bcryptjs": "2.2.0",
         "nopt": "3.0.3",
-        "mqtt": "1.3.x",
+        "mqtt": "1.4.x",
         "ws": "0.7.2",
         "fs-extra": "0.22.1",
         "clone": "1.0.2",