Guide to deCONZ high level debugging

Configuration Zigbee
14

Add network_mode: host to let docker use the host network. I dit it as well in my setup but forgot to commit the change

15

Add it to the docker-compose.yml file? Just anywhere will do?

16

Anywhere inside the deconz: part will work. Just needs to have the same indentation as container_name etc. E.g.

version: "3"
services:
  deconz:
    container_name: deconz
    devices:
      - /dev/zigbee
    environment:
      - DECONZ_WEB_PORT=8080
      - DECONZ_WS_PORT=443
      - DECONZ_VNC_MODE=1
      - DECONZ_VNC_PORT=5900
      - DECONZ_VNC_PASSWORD=yoursupersecretpassword
      - DECONZ_DEVICE=/dev/zigbee
      - TZ=Europe/Zurich
    image: marthoc/deconz
    network_mode: host
    restart: unless-stopped
    volumes:
      - /etc/localtime:/etc/localtime:ro
      - ./deconz:/root/.local/share/dresden-elektronik/deCONZ

You can then also remove the “ports” part, as this is not needed when running in host network mode.

1 Like
17

@KennethLavrsen
Thank you for the information

My problems started few weeks ago.
1 of the 10 restarts will result in a working zigbee. Hope HA team will find a solution for this problem.

I have also problems in displaying the gateway page. This problem is also there for long time.

Only method to acces the page is remove “2” in url behind the gateway.

/settings-gateway2.html

18

Did you open an issue on github? Are you sure it is due to the HA implementation and not due to the ConBee/Raspbee or DeCONZ?
Everything works fine for me.

19

Not 100% sure.
But all works find inside phoscon.
Maybe a better option to do what you have done bring phoscon outside HA

I can control all my zigbee devices in phoscon and after few restart it wil also work via HA.
Sometimes there will be auto fix and it will work after sometime without doing any thing.

HA is running in VM. (Proxmox) Conbee is connected to the host.

20

I can definitely recommend that path. I can remember that I had to remove ad re-add the integration in the past when I was still running it on the same Proxmox VM that HA is running in and I restarted the Proxmox host. As far as I can remwmber this issues resolved themselves later, but didn’t check again.

21

Thanks going to try that.
Do you have a good tutorial for installing in a lxe?

22

if you run it in an lxc (I assume you meant lxc not lxe?) container, you’ll probably suffer the same issues when you restart the Proxmox host. I have it on a separate Pi, which is in a more optimal position than the NUC. I also run a Z-Wave stick on the same Pi.

23

Correct lxc.
Position of the nuc is fine. Never need to restart proxmox. Zwave is running on Fibaro with more then 120 device’s. I use the Fibaro as a basic hub it’s working perfect.

24

After some testing find out that the startup time of my system is to fast for conbee initialization (2-3 second) and almost never will zigbee work after a reboot.

Workaround:
After reboot just restart HA from the web interface. Conbee devices are than directly available.
Restarting of conbee addon will not solve the problem. Looks like after first timeout HA will not check availability.
Any tips how this problem can be solved without restating of HA?

25

Update: with the latest version 0.114 is my conbee problem solved. HA will auto connect to conbee after a reboot.

26

Coming back to this thread because a lot of folks here helped me get set up initially - but I’m stumped on how to trouble shoot a problem I’m having now.

I just got my first smart light bulb (aqara zigbee) from AliExpress. I have a bunch of other zigbee devices integrated via Deconz (on a standalone Pi3B), and the bulb paired immediately to the gateway (Conbee II), and shows up in HA after a restart…but the bulb will not come on. I paired it with a button in the Phoscon app, and the state changes within Phoscon, but the physical bulb does not come on.

I don’t know if this is related, but after encountering this issue, I VNC’d into the Pi3B, and tried to open the Deconz app (for the first time in 3-4 months) and nothing happens - program doesn’t launch, so I can’t see my zigbee network…but the rest of the network is functioning fine, so I don’t think this is related.

I’ve put the bulb in a few different lamps, no luck. Is the bulb default in the “off” setting and Phoscon app/HA isn’t actually switching it, or…do I maybe have a bad bulb?

Edit: This is the specific bulb. I think I screwed up - it says its voltage rating 220 - 240V bulb. But who knows with Ali Express product descriptions. With incandescent I think it would still work at (half?) power, but maybe not LEDs?

27

Thanks @KennethLavrsen for the extremely helpful post! Two questions:

I think I need a couple of these devices so that my outlying devices can be reached, however I don’t need smart bulbs or sockets at the moment. Do you have any suggestions regarding the cheapest way to implement a few repeaters? Do know if any zigbee smart socket will work as a repeater even if nothing is plugged into it, and/or is a ‘repeater only’ device the best option?

28

The cheapest way is to buy a USB dongle on ebay from China (3 USD) and program it with repeater software. But that is pretty geeky and requires that you have all the stuff to program it. But it is the cheapest.

But besides this - I would buy smart-socket. They just say a click when you turn them on and off but other than that - just work as repeaters. Avoid old Osram smart sockets. I only had problems with them.

IKEA makes cheap smart sockets. They actually also make a small repeater device.

For most stable firmware - a Philips Hue smart socket is best but not the lowest cost.

One day that smart socket will become useful and can turn something on and off.

1 Like
29

Thanks very much Kenneth, that’s very helpful. I shall buy some smart sockets.

30

Hi Kenneth, thanks again for your help a few weeks ago.

I have bought a couple of Meross smart plugs (https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B08D69M19G) but I can’t figure out how to get them into my Zigbee network. I’d be very grateful for any hints you can give me or guidance on how to work it through. I’m sure I’m missing something.

This is what I have & what I’ve done:

  • ConBee USB stick with deCONZ running on a Pi in our loft and integrated into HA.
  • Four Aqara temperature/humidity/etc multi-sensors. They were all working fine when close to the ConBee but they have since been relocated around the house. I can see 3 of them in Phoscon (and HA) but the 4th is unreachable, presumably because it’s too far away.
  • I’ve set up one of the Meross smart plugs and put it roughly in between the outlying sensor and the ConBee.
  • I tried doing ‘Add switch’ in PhosCon, but I can’t see what to press on the Meross to get it to detect it. I tried long-pressing the button on it within the 3 minutes but it didn’t work.
  • It doesn’t appear in deCONZ, so the outlying sensor still doesn’t work.

How do I get the Meross plug to behave as a ZigBee repeater/router for the 4th sensor? Is there a process (other than setting it up with it’s own app) that I need to go through? Am I right in assuming I should be able to see it in the deCONZ network diagram?

31

The plugs you link to are WiFi and not Zigbee. They can never be paired with any Zigbee hub or work as Zigbee repeater.

These will work.

That is the Philips Hue smartplug. It works both with Bluetooth and Zigbee and they are the ones I use (in the Schuko EU version naturally)

1 Like
32

Thanks so much Kenneth. I was sort-of coming to that conclusion myself.
I do wish there was a way to tell from the manufacturer’s description of these things what protocols etc they use/support. All they do is witter on about ‘Alexa compatible’ etc…
I’ll order the one you suggest :slight_smile:

33

Hello everyone,

first of all a big thanks for the extensive guide.
Unfortunately however I have the known issue of not being able to access the phoscon WebUI of my deconz home assistant integration.
When opening the web UI for the deconz plugin I can still access the Virtual deconz UI however when I want to go to the phoscon UI it says that “the website under http://myip:8123/api/hassio_ingress/oIWAUi3-h2GaDnk3kcaUD7SFPLmJqhRkVqSXzqW5TTk/pwa/index.html is having problems or it may have been permanently moved to a new web address”.

What can I do to solve this?
I updated both the deconz integration to version 6.8.0 and home assistant core to core-2021.3.4. I am running home assistant supervised on my debian 10 server.