Unstable SLZB‑06 + Zigbee2MQTT on Proxmox (devices stop reporting)

Configuration Zigbee
1

Hi everyone,

I am struggling with a very unstable Zigbee setup and would appreciate some expert help.

My setup

  • Hardware: mini PC running Proxmox VE.
  • Home Assistant: Home Assistant OS as a VM on Proxmox.
  • Zigbee2MQTT: running in a VM (previously in an LXC container on Proxmox).
  • MQTT broker: Mosquitto add-on inside Home Assistant OS.
  • Coordinator: SMLight SLZB‑06, connected via Ethernet (not USB).
  • Firmware on SLZB‑06: older 2022–23 firmware, which seems more stable for me than newer versions.

Symptoms

  • Zigbee2MQTT detects and pairs most of my devices correctly (various sensors, switches, etc.).
  • After some time, many devices stop reporting or go offline, even though they initially paired without issues.
  • The problem occurs both when Z2M was in an LXC container and now in a dedicated VM.

What I have already tried

  1. Moved Zigbee2MQTT from an LXC container to a full VM on Proxmox to rule out LXC/USB/permissions issues.
  2. Tried to use the SLZB‑06 as a USB device directly on the Proxmox host/VM, but I never managed to get it working reliably that way.
  3. Kept the SLZB‑06 on an older 2022–23 firmware version because newer firmwares seemed even more unstable in my case.
  4. Verified that the SLZB‑06 is reachable in the LAN via Ethernet and that Zigbee2MQTT is configured to use it over the network (not as a serial /dev/tty* device).
  5. Checked MQTT: Mosquitto appears to be working fine for other services/integrations in Home Assistant.

Thanks in advance for any pointers. At this point the system is not reliable enough for daily use, so any concrete configuration examples or firmware recommendations for SLZB‑06 + Zigbee2MQTT on Proxmox would be very welcome.

**

2

Without seeing your Z2M logs when this issue happens, it could be either interference, an ethernet issue or a power issue (or a mix of all 3).

Have a look at the Z2M logs and post them here. Read this too, and make sure that you have eliminated interference from Wifi.

If not all devices go unavailable (stuff like the coordinator and a few routers still work), then you may probably need to add more routers.

3

I solved the problem by switching to channel 25. That fixed it. I also set my Wi-Fi channel to 6 to improve stability.

And finally, due to several other issues, I removed Z2M from the Proxmox virtual machine and installed it directly in Home Assistant (still running as VM on Proxmox), and now it’s stable and working.