Ran into an issue with my Home Assistant setup, using a USB dongle to create a Zigbee network. Had to use a USB extension cable to move the dongle a few feet away from the Intel NUC that it was connected to.
When I was searching for solutions to my intermittent problems, I didn't believe that an extension would solve it. It just felt like "blowing into the NES cartridge" to me. But I kept seeing the same advice, so I gave it a shot and whaddyaknow? Zero issues afterward.
My Conbee II is struggling with constant disconnecting--to the point that I've had to put my Home Assistant project aside until I can find more time. I've tried putting it on an extension cable after finding a stray GitHub issue advising so, but it was no use.
I'm certainly going to be looking at the problem through a new lens now that I'm aware of these wider issues.
FWIW, the conbee II is... not a great device. It has what seems to be a fundamental flaw with its USB firmware which makes the device reset itself at regular intervals. The result is that it disconnects from the host and reconnects (as if you pulled the actual device out of the plug)
I used to run HA in a VM via qemu/libvirt and it would always fail because when the device reconnects its on a different port and the USB pass through doesn’t work anymore.
Now I’m running the HA VM on proxmox which deals with disconnects reconnects better for pass through devices: it’s able to reconnect it to the vm without my intervention.
Looking at the logs, this happens between a couple times a week to 10+ times a week.
I tried an extension lead (which had no impact, I think this solves zigbee radio issues but not USB issues), using a powered USB hub, using a USB 2 port, a USB 3 port, three different machines... no dice. It really is a bug in the device itself. And Dresden electronics has piss poor support (still waiting for any answer from their email support six months later). The only avenue for “support” is via GitHub issues where other users answer but not actual Dresden electronics employees.
You beat me to it. I have both a Conbee II and a Nortek HUSBZB, and the Nortek is much more reliable. Whether it's better hardware, or if it's the software (Home Assistant's ZHA), I don't know.
But same experience with Dresden/deCONZ. It's flaky.
Right now I have split networks while I lazily migrate devices away from deCONZ. So far every glitch I've encountered has been on the deCONZ network.
Which is a shame, because I really like the software UI. ZHA doesn't expose as much (or not as simply). But it works better, and that counts for more.
Same deployment scenario here (home assistant on libvirt, usb pass through) and my Conbee 2 has been rock solid, with xiaomi buttons, temp probes and door sensors.
Same. Latest firmware is stable for me, made sure to select a channel that didn't interfere with any wifi networks, and put it on an extension cable. Extremely stable now.
When I was searching for solutions to my intermittent problems, I didn't believe that an extension would solve it. It just felt like "blowing into the NES cartridge" to me. But I kept seeing the same advice, so I gave it a shot and whaddyaknow? Zero issues afterward.