Thread troubleshooting

oh no! thread/matter/openthread/otbr/home assistant/some other part of this terrible mess isn't working!! have you tried:

general

  • checking if OTBR can see your RCP?
  • checking if there are any devices on your thread network using the web UI?
  • checking if there are any devices on your thread network using the (much better) Thread Tools mobile app?
  • switching to the matterjs-server instead of the python one? it is somehow more reliable despite claude having the second highest number of commits to the repo in the past 3 months, which is really saying something
  • making sure ipv6 is working properly?
  • toggling igmp snooping on your router? (people on reddit seem to be mixed on what it should be set to, but generally agree that one of the settings is better than the other)
  • making sure that, on your OTBR, the kernel sysctl ipv6 forwarding settings and such are set according to the OTBR documentation?
  • if your RCP is a USB dongle, plugging it into a USB extension cord to move it away from your usb ports?
  • looking at the congestion of different wifi channels and setting your thread network to use a channel that avoids said congestion? often thread networks default to channels which do not make any sense to use!
  • checking the connection strength of your devices? (somehow the openthread web ui is horrible for this, just use matterjs or the app)
    • if a router node has a really weak link to another, setting up some other router node and placing it physically in between them?
  • checking if some random unreliable device has been elected the leader of your network?
  • checking if there's a partition in your network (or a separate matter fabric on the same thread network?) from some device you might have kicked out that decided to try and form its own autonomous state that will not accept instructions from its former leader? (sorry, in order to get your lightbulbs to work you have to pretend to be the CIA and overthrow democratically elected leaders and suppress separatist movements)
  • using ot-ctl to set your OTBR's leaderweight to 255, then running thread stop and thread start?
  • setting up something to automatically run the ot-ctl command when OTBR starts, because the setting is not persisted?

adding new device

  • "settings -> companion app -> troubleshooting -> sync thread credentials" in the home assistant app?
    • trying that twice if it fails the first time?
    • if the button isn't there, installing it from aurora store or google play store instead of f-droid?
  • clearing the data for google play services (or creating a new user on your device), and re-syncing thread credentials in home assistant as explained in the previous bullet point?
    • because for some reason, google doesn't allow you to reset thread state on your device???? if anyone from google is reading this please please please get someone to fix this, holy shit it is bad
  • making sure you're signed into a google account? (yes this is required on android, otherwise you will get the message "there was an error while trying to generate credentials for the device")
  • trying whatever the fuck happened here?

none of this is working i hate thread aaaaaa

  • switching your IKEA KAJPLATS bulbs to the hidden zigbee mode and throwing your OTBR RCP in the trash (or reflashing it to work with zigbee instead of thread)?
    • sorry if you bought any ikea lightswitches or other sensors i guess