I can also confirm that this issue showed up in 2024.8.X (I can not pinpoint which patch release it was). My Zigbee network didn’t change and was really robust previously.
When I updated to 2024.8.3 my ZHA couldn’t finish initializing and all devices refused to connect. Also, it could not find new zigbee devices when I tried to pair a tradfri bulb. I noticed that they all dropped at the time of the upgrade, reverted to 8.2 and everything showed back up on the network, and I was able to pair the bulb.
My gateway is a SkyConnect, and I’m running HAOS 13.1.
Chiming in here with a link to the github issue related to this:
Was not getting this issue before 2024.8.3 tried to rollback to 2024.8.1 but am now still getting the same problem.
As mentioned there in that issue by zha devs, that is not a ZHA application-level wrror but instead a low-level error that comes from the Zigbee Coordinator stack which manages your Zigbee network the root cause must be enviromental, meaning interference or other which is best resolved by following best practices which includes taking actions to avoid interference and also adding many more Zigbee Router devices to strengthen your overall Zigbee network mesh (because Zigbee is very sensitive to interference and depend/relies heavily on mesh networking so need loads of Zigbee Routers) → Zigbee networks: how to guide for avoiding interference + optimize using Zigbee Router devices (repeaters/extenders) to get a stable mesh network with best possible range and coverage
I haven’t had this specific issue pointed out for the past year+ until I upgraded this week to 2024.8.X.
Makes me doubt it’s an environmental issue when others are suddenly seeing the same thing suddenly.
Unless something was being passed as a warning that is now erroring out, or potentially less lenient on passing data along.
FWIW, I downgraded to 2024.7.4 and it works fine now. Something is up.
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Now that did change as ZHA integration split out the Zigbee Gateway component into an external zha library in 2024.8.0 release where more errors are floated that did not do so before, see:
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https://www.home-assistant.io/blog/2024/08/07/release-20248/#zigbee-home-automation-zha-updates
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ZHA as an external library by puddly · Pull Request #120190 · home-assistant/core · GitHub
The longer back-story anout that change is summerized here:
So might be that you always had that problem but it was hidden in earlier versions.
I can confirm this.
Before 204.8.0 I had some zigbee devices sometimes just not working.
I feel the problems were less before, but thats only a feeling.
So I think Im having connection issues from my zigbee day 1, but I didnt get any error on that.
Now that I spend some time in improving my network I can see that the amount of errors (and not working devices) is getting less and less. And this in HA version 2024.8.3 here.
Same problem here. My Zigbee devices started to fail randomly after updating to HA OS 13.1. Some work badly. Others don’t work at all. I have returned to HA OS 12.4 and everything has worked properly again. I’m getting more and more afraid to update HA OS. I always have problems…
I know added three Sonoff Dongles as router.
This makes it way better.
But firmware updateing my 3rd reallity plugs needs several attempts as it stops sometimes (and continues where it stopped before, after klicking update again).
So for me (but Im really a zigbee noob) this looks like interefereance problems (what I didnt believe in, so far).
Anyway. Because my NUC only got USB3 ports, I got the advice here to use an powered USB 2 hub.
So far Im using an USB2 extension cable. So the Coordinator is about 2.5 - 3m away from my home assistant.
I dont really understand, what makes the difference between using a hub (and my extension cable) instead of using the extension only.
Can some1 explain this to me?
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If you use the extension only the bus is ‘running’ at usb3 bus speed (near 3ghz,and interferes horribly with especially zigbee and Thread radios but also ZWave (the stick itself hates it) and in some cases Bluetooth.(same rf spectrum.)
But. A usb Hub is its. Own electrical device and maintains a USB2 bus speed which does NOT interfere with the sticks. And acts as a… Buffer? (not exactly - but close enough to understand what’s happening)
So with the cable alone you are still on a. Usb3 bus speed and therfore the wire itself is still carrying the interfering signal but - with the hub it cranks that down which changes the speed to get out of that 3ghz zone.
Make sense?
Thanks for your replay. But Im not sure if I got it correct.
If I use the USB2 cable there is still inteference at the USB3 port of my NUC.
And this intefererance goes throuhg my USB2 cable and harms the stick at the end of it.
If I use a hub there is still inteferance at the USB port of my NUC, but no inteferance inside the cable? And the USB3 ports inteferance isnt that problem if the hub is far enough away.
And this only applies if I use a hub with its own power supply.
Something like this?
And if Im correct isnt this hub a must have (if there are only USB3 ports available) - even if everything would be working fine?
Because without having it, its only a question of time until something wents wrong?
The interference goes all the way to the input port of the hub. There is nothing inherent in your ‘usb2’ cable ‘blocking’ the USB3 bus oscillation. USB2 cables CAN absolutely carry USB3 signals they just aren’t tuned and optimized for it. That’s exactly WHY the hub matters and while we can’t guarantee a problem. Nobody will guarantee you WON’T have an issue without it.
Thank you very much man!
The hub is ordered.
And my apologiezes to @Hedda
You pointed out he importancie of this hub - more than once - and I (more or less) ignored your advice, because I (oviously) absolutely underestimadet this topic.
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No worries… USB3 interference is a very real problem…
Everyone setting up HA should watch this video before they start. Yes it’s that stark. A few cm is all it takes to wipe out comms.
After watching this video, which was posted here already, i thought:
Hey. The distance from my skyconnect to USB3 port is much more than in this video, so I didnt even spend a second on thoughts about interferance.
But now I think, I really should have started my “zigbee improvals” with the USB2 hub.
(As @Hedda pointed out in his first post here. So apologizes again bro!)
Im pretty sure there is no need to have the 3 Sonoff repeater dongles in my mesh, if maybe just interference is my problem (what it looks like, after your explanations).
But anyway. You cant have enough (good) routers Ive learned.
And these dongles really add a lot of green lines in my mesh)
So the only bad thing are the 100€ for the 4 dongles, plugs, and USB cables Ive spend.
In germany we say, who doesnt listen, needs to pay.
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Having a few dedicated Zigbee Router devices will make a huge difference when just getting started with Zigbee and you have not yet have added many non-dedicated Zigbee Router devices, but those dedicated Zigbee Router devices might be ok to remove if and when you added many other non-dedicated Zigbee Router devices that make up the difference. Regardless, you can never have enough Zigbee Router devices. Again that is also covered in my guide → Zigbee networks: how to guide for avoiding interference + optimize using Zigbee Router devices (repeaters/extenders) to get a stable mesh network with best possible range and coverage
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I got my USB2 hub (this one here: Amazon.de)
I turned off my HomeAssistant. Connected the hub where the Skyconnect was and plugged the skyconnect - with its extension cable - inside the hub.
The newly added USB2 hub is on the left side of my homeassistant, the skyconnect is on the right.
So I didnt change the distance from HomeAssistant to zigbee coordinator. (its about 2m).
But it didnt change anything.
Now I followed all the tipps in the guide and I really have no idea what to try next.
Any tipps?
I really wonder if its time to try z2m?
Have you tried changing to a different Zigbee channel after checking WiFi channels neighbor uses?
And did you try downgrading the firmware to latest 7.1.x.x or 7.3.x.x (as at least the 7.2.0.0 was known to be unstable, and the 7.4.x.x versions are still cutting-edge so not proven yet if stable enough for production).
FYI, the ZHA documentation has not been updated but it is now possible to change Zigbee channel (radio frequency range) from the ZHA UI/GUI interface and usually you will only need to re-pair sleepy devices (meaning normally just battery-powered devices and mains-powered products that are not Zigbee Router devices such as those that do not have neutral connected).
Important though is to first read and understand this article on (that was linked in the guide) as it covers what you should consider before changing the Zigbee channel:
PS: There is some more info on that ZHA UI interface option (not documented in ZHA docs) here :
Argh
I got your first post 18d ago wrong. And downgraded my stick to version 7.2.0.0.
This was probably the worste firmware to chose :o)
But Im a bit confused now.
If I open the github respository (silabs-firmware/EmberZNet at main · NabuCasa/silabs-firmware · GitHub) there is version 7.1.0.0.
As you said Í should downgrade to the latest 7.1.x.x. version I looked inside the archive and found 7.1.3.0 in the archive.
Putting something inside the archive looks like sayin “its there, but better dont use”.
Which version you recommend?
Edit: as the flashing website tells me, that there is nothing wrong with the firmware the stick was shipped with - Im going for 7.1.0.0.
This should be better than what I have, and flashing to another version (if you recommend anything else) isnt that hard.
edit: I know my zigbee is running on channel 11. Thats all I know.
If the firmware downgrade doesnt change anything, ill take a look at the channels (and try to understand whats happening there)