ZHA Device Firmware Update Ikea Symfonisk

Configuration Zigbee
1

I’ve waited to make this post after doing as much research and testing on my own as I could but can’t seem to figure this out. Even while typing this out i’ve been checking the “your topic is similar to…” posts but I can’t seem to find the answers i’m looking for so here we go…

I purchased x2 Ikea Symfonisk, gen 2 remotes a while back after reading that they play really well with HASS if you can update them to the 0x01000035 firmware. After going through a lot of the same issues I’ll describe below and still not knowing what I did to get them to finally recognize they needed an update, I was eventually able to to update them and absolutely love all the functionality I was able to pack into these remotes (I’ll have to share these ideas at some point in the future).

So, I naturally decided to buy a couple more the next time I was in Ikea but am having a hell of a time getting these to recognize they need an update (just like before) and I thought maybe I’d try my hand at properly asking the questions and see if anyone can help me figure out what the problem is.

WHAT I’M WORKING WITH:

  • Home Assistant Green
    HASS Firmware at the time of posting: 2025.1.4 (but i’ve had these problems for previous versions too)

  • Ikea Symfonisk Sound Remote, gen 2
    Current firmware: 0x00010012

  • Sonoff Zigbee 3.0 USB Dongle Plus-E Gateway
    Current Firmware: 6.10.3.0 build 297

  • I do not have or want to purchase the Ikea hub

WHAT I WANT TO DO:

  • Update the Symfonisk Remotes from 0x00010012 to 0x01000035

*I have successfully done this using the same setup listed above on two other of the same remotes but it wasn’t easy and I have no idea what caused HA to finally recognize that there was new firmware and allow me to update them.

WHAT’S HAPPENING

  • Once I’ve added the remotes to HASS via ZHA, it will say “firmware up-to-date” and show the out of date firmware 0x00010012.
  • Most of time (prior to removing and re-adding a remote) it will eventually say “firmware unknown”. I was hoping this meant the system noticed the current and latest firmware are different and that it was just taking a while to figure out but this isn’t the case.
  • Other times, the remotes will just stay at “firmware up-to-date” even when there are other of the same devices with newer firmware installed in the same HASS setup.

WHAT I’VE TRIED:

  • I’ve added both remotes waited a week + with them right next to the Zigbee antenna.

  • I’ve removed the remotes from HASS and re-added them:

    • At various times of night and day.
    • Directly after restarting HASS
    • Taking the batteries out and putting them back in
    • While pushing various remote buttons

  • I’ve tried dropping the yaml code I found across multiple posts into the .config file and restarting HASS and waiting.

  • I’ve also tried performing an action to force HASS to recheck the firmware via the developer tools tab. I will admit I may not have done this one properly but I know doing this wasn’t what got the original two remotes to allow me to click the “update” button.

MY QUESTIONS

  • Can anyone help me understand what I may be doing wrong and how I can get my HASS to allow me to update my remotes via ZHA?

  • Is it just that this process is tricky and the getting communication between these devices and the location that Ikea houses the firmware?

  • Of all the similar solves I’ve found and read through, it seems like a lot of those methods are outdated…is there a new proper way to go about this?

  • I’ve seen that there may be a way to upload the actual firmware into a HASS folder and update it from there directly but I haven’t been able to find a place to download the latest firmware that I trusted enough to be the correct file so that I don’t brick the remotes. Is there a place that I’m just completely missing? Is this method recommended?

Any help would be greatly appreciated and with my luck, as soon as I post this, I know I will get the ability to update the remote, just because that’s how things work, but I figured this may help out other people with the same problem too.

Thanks!

2

Have you added this part to your configuration.yaml? I believe the syntax changed not to terribly long ago, as I was getting errors telling me a previous syntax was wrong up until I replaced it with this.

zha:
  zigpy_config:
    ota:
      extra_providers:
        - type: ikea

Don’t think I ever had to update the firmware on my Symfonisk remotes, but they all have 35 so must’ve come that way from the factory. Yours must’ve been really old stock?

Not had any trouble with getting firmware updates to show up in HASS, but it is a hassle initiating the updates on battery operated devices. Usually you have to keep pushing the buttons to keep it awake at the same time as clicking the Update button in HASS to start the transfer…

3

I’ve tried variations of that code when trying to update my first two remotes (and most likely the code you shared) but it didn’t seem to affect whether or not it triggered HASS/ZHA to recognize that the firmware needs updating. However, I could be wrong and will add this back in and see.

I was frustrated that each pair of remotes I’ve purchased came from different locations and still all four came with the old firmware (I had seen some posts from lucky people like you who had the updated versions).

It’s just weird because one of the first pair of remotes I purchased seemingly randomly realized it needed updating relatively soon after adding to HASS but the other took like a week and a half (which is when I was trying all these different methods to try and get it to allow me to attempt the update). However, once I was able to start the actual update, both of the first two remotes went through the actual update process relatively smoothly.

I’m just not sure how to get HASS to recognize that the new pair of remotes are not actually “up to date” and activate that “update” button.

Maybe I just need to stay patient and wait until all the planets align, the temperature is just right outside and I’m wearing the right pair of socks. Lol

4

Well interesting update after dropping that line of code into my config file and restarting…I immediately got a prompt to update a different type of ikea zigby remote I picked up when I got the second pair of symfonisk remotes.

So I guess that yaml works but maybe the gen 2 synfonisk remotes are just kinda buggy? So weird.

5

This repository is by one of the HASS/ZHA developers so should be considered trustworthy if you dare to install HASS:

It has the firmware file for Symfonisk gen 2:

As for how to force an install of it though… :person_shrugging: