ConBee II

Installation

The deCONZ application is a tool to configure, control and monitor Zigbee networks with the ConBee II.

The following sections describe the installation steps of deCONZ for various platforms.

ConBee II / deCONZ / Phoscon App

Supported platforms

Connection

To ensure a strong radio signal, the ConBee II should preferably be connected to a USB 2.0 socket with an USB extension cable.

ConBee II USB cable
  • Prevents interference with housing and peripherals
  • Provides maximum signal range and reliability

Note

Connection problems may occur if the ConBee II is attached directly to the USB port or is located near USB 3.0 devices such as external hard drives or memory sticks.

Raspberry Pi OS

Supported Raspberry Pi models and distributions

Note

The following steps describe the manual installation of deCONZ. Alternatively a preinstalled SD-card image can be used.

Installing the Operating System

  1. Download and launch Raspberry Pi Imager from the website www.raspberrypi.com/software
    Raspberry Pi Imager Start Screenshot

  2. Insert the SD card into your PC or an SD card reader.

  3. Raspberry Pi Device: Select your Raspberry Pi model.

  4. Operating System: Select a current operating system.

  5. Storage: Select the SD card drive.

  6. Use OS Customisation: Click No if the default settings are acceptable, for example, if you are using an Ethernet cable and have direct access via a connected mouse, keyboard, and monitor. Otherwise, click Yes to adjust the settings: hostname, username, password, Wi-Fi, time zone, and keyboard layout, and save them with save.
    Raspberry Pi Imager Edit Screenshot

  7. To access the Raspberry Pi remotely, i.e., without a connected mouse, keyboard, and monitor, it is important to enable the SSH interface under the Services menu. Furthermore, you should assign your own login credentials under Set username and password.

  8. Write: Start the copying process

  9. Remove the SD card from the card slot (eject it in Windows Explorer → right-click on the drive letter and select Eject)

  10. Insert the microSD card into the Raspberry Pi’s SD card slot

  11. Connect the USB cable to the Raspberry Pi. The operating system will start automatically after approximately three seconds and will be ready for use after approximately one minute.

Remote Access

Remote access to the Raspbian OS desktop is via the VNC interface. This must first be enabled after successful operating system installation.

  1. To do this, log in to the Raspberry Pi using a suitable SSH console program via its IP address, with the previously assigned Username and Password, and enter the following command:

    sudo raspi-config
  2. In the menu item 3. Interface Options, set the I3 VNC option to Enable.

  3. Restart the Raspberry Pi

    sudo reboot

You can now access the Raspbian OS desktop using a suitable VNC program.

deCONZ Installation

  1. Set user USB access rights

    sudo gpasswd -a $USER dialout

    Note: Changes to access rights only become active after logging out and in or after a restart.

  2. Import Phoscon public key

    wget -qO- https://phoscon.de/apt/deconz.pub.key | gpg --dearmor | \
              sudo tee /etc/apt/trusted.gpg.d/deconz-keyring.gpg >/dev/null
  3. Configure the APT repository for deCONZ

    Stable

    sudo sh -c "echo 'deb http://phoscon.de/apt/deconz \
                generic main' > \
                /etc/apt/sources.list.d/deconz.list"

    Beta (alternative)

    sudo sh -c "echo 'deb http://phoscon.de/apt/deconz \
                generic-beta main' > \
                /etc/apt/sources.list.d/deconz.list"
  4. Update APT package list

    sudo apt update
  5. Install deCONZ

    When using an older distribution (before Debian Bookworm)

    sudo apt install deconz

    When using a current distribution with Qt6 (from Debian Bookworm onwards)

    sudo apt install deconz-qt6

After the installation deCONZ can be started via the application menu.

Menu > Programming > deCONZ

deCONZ Raspbian

Now the first Zigbee devices can be paired via the Phoscon App. Further information can be found in the Phoscon App documentation.

Auto start of the deCONZ GUI (optional)

Start the GUI service every time the system starts.

sudo systemctl enable deconz-gui

Troubleshooting

If problems occur during the installation, the Support section answers frequently asked questions (FAQ) and provides further assistance.

Zigbee2MQTT

The installation instructions show how to start up Zigbee2MQTT with the ConBee II on a Raspberry Pi 5 with Raspberry Pi OS (Debian Trixie) installed.

Requirement

Installation with onboarding (web browser wizard)

This guide is based on the official description of Zigbee2MQTT on Linux.

  1. Installation of MQTT Broker: Instructions

  2. Installation of the necessary environment and Zigbee2MQTT: Instructions

  3. Connect ConBee II to Raspberry Pi

  4. Open the console and run the first start of Zigbee2MQTT

    cd /opt/zigbee2mqtt
    pnpm start
  5. Open the web browser on the Raspberry Pi and start the Zigbee2MQTT onboarding via the address http://localhost:8080

    or

    Start Zigbee2MQTT onboarding via the Raspberry Pi using an external web browser from a PC or laptop:

    Method 1: http://raspberrypi:8080
    Method 2: [Raspberry_Pi_Hostname]:8080
    Method 3: [Raspberry_Pi_IP_Address]:8080

  6. Select the ConBee II and check that the baud rate 115200 and the adapter deconz are set ConBee II Onboarding Selection Adapter

  7. Activate Zigbee2MQTT frontend and click Submit. Activate ConBee II Onboarding Frontend

  8. After about 30 seconds the Zigbee2MQTT frontend will be loaded Zigbee2MQTT frontend

The first Zigbee devices can now be trained via the web frontend.

Installation via console

This guide is based on the official description of Zigbee2MQTT on Linux.

  1. Installation of MQTT Broker: Instructions

  2. Installation of the necessary environment and Zigbee2MQTT: Instructions

  3. Connect ConBee II to Raspberry Pi and start the console

  4. Determine the connection port

    ls -l /dev/serial/by-id
    ConBee II connection port

Note

We recommend using the specific name of the ConBee II as the port instead of just entering the interface ttyACM0. As soon as this interface changes, e.g. when using a different USB interface, Zigbee2MQTT will no longer work.

  1. Open directory for configuring Zigbee2MQTT

    cd /opt/zigbee2mqtt/data/
  2. Create configuration file configuration.yaml

    nano configuration.yaml
  3. Enter the previously determined connection port, the baud rate 115200 and the adapter deconz and save the configuration file

    Example with generic interface name ttyACM0:

    mqtt:
         base_topic: zigbee2mqtt
         server: mqtt://localhost:1883
    serial:
         port: /dev/serial/ttyACM0
         baudrate: 115200
         adapter: deconz
    advanced:
         log_level: info
         network_key: GENERATE
         pan_id: GENERATE
         ext_pan_id: GENERATE
    frontend:
         enabled: true
         port: 8080
    homeassistant:
         enabled: false
    onboarding: false

    Example with defined ConBee II device name: ConBee II adapter configuration

  4. Start the Zigbee2MQTT application. If configured correctly, no error messages should appear.

    pnpm start
    Zigbee2MQTT Start
  5. Open the web browser on the Raspberry Pi and start the Zigbee2MQTT frontend via the address http://localhost:8080

    or

    Start the Zigbee2MQTT frontend with an external web browser from a PC or laptop via the Raspberry Pi:

    Method 1: http://raspberrypi:8080
    Method 2: [Raspberry_Pi_Hostname]:8080
    Method 3: [Raspberry_Pi_IP_Address]:8080

    Zigbee2MQTT Web Frontend

The first Zigbee devices can now be trained via the web frontend.

Ubuntu

Supported Ubuntu versions

Installation

  1. Set user USB access rights

    sudo gpasswd -a $USER dialout

    Note: Changes to access rights only become active after logging out and in or after a restart.

  2. Import Phoscon public key

    wget -qO- https://phoscon.de/apt/deconz.pub.key | gpg --dearmor | \
              sudo tee /etc/apt/trusted.gpg.d/deconz-keyring.gpg >/dev/null
  3. Configure the APT repository for deCONZ

    Stable

    sudo sh -c "echo 'deb [arch=amd64] http://phoscon.de/apt/deconz \
                generic main' > \
                /etc/apt/sources.list.d/deconz.list"

    Beta (alternative)

    sudo sh -c "echo 'deb [arch=amd64] http://phoscon.de/apt/deconz \
                generic-beta main' > \
                /etc/apt/sources.list.d/deconz.list"
  4. Update APT package list

    sudo apt update
  5. Install deCONZ

    When using an older distribution (before Ubuntu 24.04)

    sudo apt install deconz

    When using a current distribution with Qt6 (from Ubuntu 24.04 onwards)

    sudo apt install deconz-qt6

After the installation deCONZ can be started via the application menu. deCONZ Ubuntu

Now the first Zigbee devices can be paired via the Phoscon App. Further information can be found in the Phoscon App documentation.

Auto start of the deCONZ GUI (optional)

  1. Open the Startup Application Preferences via the application menu

    gnome-session-properties
  2. Add a new entry with the following commandline:

    deCONZ --http-port=80 --auto-connect=1
    deCONZ Ubuntu

Troubleshooting

If problems occur during the installation, the Support section answers frequently asked questions (FAQ) and provides further assistance.

Linux Headless

The SD card images as well as the standard installation method start automatically with graphical user interface.

Switch off graphical user interface (headless)

To switch off the graphical user interface (GUI), the following commands must be entered in the console:

  1. Stop the GUI service immediately.

    sudo systemctl disable --now deconz-gui
  2. Start the headless service now and every time the system starts.

    sudo systemctl enable --now deconz

Switch on graphical user interface (GUI)

To switch on the graphical user interface (GUI), the following commands must be entered in the console:

  1. Stop the headless service immediately.

    sudo systemctl disable --now deconz
  2. Start the GUI service now and every time the system starts.

    sudo systemctl enable --now deconz-gui

Docker

Supported host systems

To run deCONZ in a Docker container, we recommend the Docker image deconz-community/deconz-docker, which is maintained by the community.

The installation steps are described on https://github.com/deconz-community/deconz-docker.

macOS installation

  1. Download deCONZ.

    https://deconz.dresden-elektronik.de/macos

  2. Unzip and start deCONZ.

    Unzip the file deCONZ_macOS.zip in Downloads and start the application deCONZ.app.

Windows 11 installation

  1. Download deCONZ software

    https://deconz.dresden-elektronik.de/win

  2. Install USB driver

The drivers are installed automatically after connecting the ConBee II. If necessary, the drivers are downloaded from the Internet.

Windows 10 installation

  1. Download deCONZ software

    https://deconz.dresden-elektronik.de/win

  2. Install USB driver

The drivers are installed automatically after connecting the ConBee II. If necessary, the drivers are downloaded from the Internet.

Windows 7 installation

  1. Download deCONZ software

    https://deconz.dresden-elektronik.de/win

  2. Download and extract the driver ZIP file

    ConBee_II_USB_Driver_V1_00.zip

  3. Manual driver installation

    After plugging in the ConBee II, Windows automatically starts the search for a suitable driver.

    Win7 1
  4. Select Skip Windows Update driver software download.

    Win7 2
  5. Open Device Manager

    Enter the key combination <Win> + <Pause> and select Device Manager in the dialog that appears.

    Win7 3
  6. Right click on ConBee II and select Update driver in the context menu.

    Win7 4
  7. Select the option Search for driver software on the computer.

    Win7 5
  8. Select the directory with the extracted drivers and follow the instructions.

    Win7 6
    Win7 7
    Win7 8
    Win7 9

Firmware Update

The firmware of the ConBee II can be updated manually. An tutorial video for the update under Windows is available on Youtube:

Furthermore, the individual steps, also for other operating systems, are described in the FAQ.