Matter Server cannot initialize Thread networking (IKEA BILRESA E2490 not discoverable)

Configuration Matter/Thread
1

Hi everyone,

I’m trying to onboard an IKEA BILRESA (E2490) Matter-over-Thread controller, but Home Assistant is not able to see the device at all, even when it is in pairing mode.

I believe my Matter Server / Thread network may not be advertising correctly. I have spent hours troubleshooting and would really appreciate help.

System details

  • Home Assistant OS supervised on Debian 12
  • Matter Server add-on: 8.1.2
  • OpenThread Border Router add-on (core_openthread_border_router)
  • SkyConnect in Thread Border Router mode
  • Home Assistant Core: 2025.12.5
  • Supervisor: 2025.12.3

What works

:heavy_check_mark: OTBR is working

docker exec -it addon_core_openthread_border_router ot-ctl state
leader

:heavy_check_mark: OTBR has IPv6 prefixes and devices

Everything expected shows up.

:heavy_check_mark: mDNS browsing works

Other (random not mine ikea bulb)Matter commissionable devices appear in:

avahi-browse -rt _matterc._udp

The actual problem

:x: My IKEA BILRESA E2490 never appears in _matterc._udp

Even when I put it in pairing/reset mode, nothing new shows.

Example output:

avahi-browse -rt _matterc._udp
(only unrelated devices appear)

No IKEA vendor code (VP=4107+XXXX) ever appears.

The remote only flashes yellow or red, never white, which is supposed to indicate Matter pairing mode.

Matter Server logs indicate networking errors

Repeated errors:

CHIP_ERROR [chip.native.DIS] Failed to advertise records:
OS Error 0x02000065: Network is unreachable

CHIP Error 0x00000046: No endpoint was available to send the message

This repeats every time Matter Server starts.

What I have already tried

  • Created a dummy eth0 interface so Matter has a link-local interface
  • Ensured IPv6 RA acceptance:
sysctl -w net.ipv6.conf.all.accept_ra=2
sysctl -w net.ipv6.conf.default.accept_ra=2
sysctl -w net.ipv6.conf.eth0.accept_ra=2
  • Restarted network / Matter Server
  • Verified Thread network is up
  • Verified Border Router connectivity
  • Reset BILRESA multiple times (button next to the batteries)

Despite all of this, Matter Server still reports DNSSD failures and the BILRESA never appears in discovery.

My question(s)

  1. Is Matter Server failing because my dummy eth0 doesn’t receive valid IPv6 RA?
  2. Should Matter Server be using the real NIC (enp2s0) instead of eth0?
  3. Does the IKEA BILRESA require an IKEA Dirigera hub firmware update before it can enter Matter pairing mode?
  4. Does anyone see anything in the logs indicating a deeper issue with Thread or mDNS?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

2

Not sure about the LED colors not being white as this may be the problem. I don’t have Bilresa, but I have commissioned the Alpstuga which does have a white LED which “breathes” while it awaits commissioning.
But otherwise this is likely a Thread credentials problem. Are you using the HA Companion App with a mobile device (Android/iOS) to do the commissioning? If yes, then tell us what steps you performed to get the HA Thread credentials to the mobile device (or vice-versa).

1 Like
3

Thanks for replying!

I’m using the HA Companion App on Iphone for the commissioning, but my issue is that the BILRESA remote never enters the correct pairing mode.

Everyone says it should “breathe” white, but mine only ever flashes yellow or red, no matter how long I hold the pairing button. I have never seen a white LED on it.

Because of that, I think it never actually goes into Matter commissioning mode.

Here’s what I’ve checked so far:

  • Running avahi-browse -rt _matterc._udp never shows the BILRESA.
    The only advertisements I see belong to existing IKEA lights/drivers on my network.
  • Removing the batteries from the remote makes no difference, the same devices keep advertising, so the remote is definitely not one of them.
  • My Thread network is working (OTBR leader, proper IPv6, etc.).
  • HA Matter Server is running without errors.

So it seems like a device-side problem with the BILRESA, maybe firmware, maybe I’m resetting it wrong.

If anyone can confirm:

  1. Should BILRESA definitely breathe WHITE in pairing mode?
  2. Is there a correct reset sequence specifically for BILRESA (E2490)?
  3. Is there a way to check its firmware version without commissioning it first?
4

Just a guess, but could red/yellow mean low battery?

5

my Bilresa blinks slowly in amber for pairing mode (I didn’t see any different color yet)

6

nop fresh new batteries

7

How did you put them in pairing mode? did you had success on connecting them to HA?

8

I made a video: Cloud-Speicher

The device is in pairing mode by default but can be reset by very long holding the pairing button as you can see in the video.