core: FRITZ!Box Tools device_tracker.* won't update

The problem

After upgrading my FRITZ!Box 7490 to the latest version (FRITZ!OS 7.57) the device trackers for this integration won’t update anymore.

For example - device in the FRITZ!Box UI is absent:

But Home-Assistant / FRITZ integration won’t update the device tracker:

There was no problem with FRITZ!OS 07.29.

What version of Home Assistant Core has the issue?

core-2023.9.2

What was the last working version of Home Assistant Core?

No response

What type of installation are you running?

Home Assistant Container

Integration causing the issue

AVM FRITZ!Box Tools

Link to integration documentation on our website

https://www.home-assistant.io/integrations/fritz/

Diagnostics information

config_entry-fritz-8c61544d15d07c55d82c809b97969726.json.txt

Example YAML snippet

No response

Anything in the logs that might be useful for us?

Sep 17 11:13:23 acepc docker-compose[1775262]: home-assistant    | 2023-09-17 11:13:23.706 ERROR (MainThread) [homeassistant.components.fritzbox] Timeout fetching b0d0f96208f85a2f855e1d5b08dbf8b0 data



### Additional information

Things I tried already:

* Cleanup function for FRITZ!Box over Home-Assistant
* Remove entire integration and add them from scratch (seems to work for a few hours / days, afterward it's broken again)

About this issue

Original URL
State: closed
Created 9 months ago
Comments: 26 (10 by maintainers)

Most upvoted comments

I can confirm this:

However, the device is also not shown as an active connection in the FritzBox network list! So could it be that this is a bug with the FritzBox OS rather than the HA integration?

Whenever a tracked device changes its connection type (from LAN - because of 3rd Party Access Point - to Wireless - because direct connection to WiFi of the Fritzbox or vice-versa) it becomes idle. This didn’t use to happen with older OS’s but it happens with the new OS. AVM seems to acknowledge this, but don’t classify it as a bug but rather as a limit to their new Mesh system: https://en.avm.de/service/knowledge-base/dok/FRITZ-Box-7590/3384_Incorrect-entries-in-the-Mesh-Overview/

My work-around is to simply not use the WiFi of the FritzBox and only let devices connect through 3rd party Access Points. All wireless devices are then registered as LAN connected and they will not show as idle.

A worrying quote from the link above is this:

Depending on the size and structure of the home network, it can take up to 10 minutes for the Mesh Overview to display all of the devices correctly. This applies to new devices, devices whose connection type changes, and devices that have been removed from the home network.

So any change to the connection type, including disconnecting can take up to 10 minutes before it gest properly registered in the Fritz!Box. In my experience so far this seems limited to connection type changes. Devices going offline seem to be instant. This would basically mean that the FritzBox with its own WiFi (and probably with its own mesh) is no longer a reliable source for device tracking and could explain the long delay in state change.

JeroenTuinstra on Oct 4, 2023

For me, it makes no difference at all : it detects a couple of devices more (or less), but it stays an absolute mess. Just like on the router’s own network & mesh pages. HOWEVER : although it is clear that the router’s new firmware is the main culprit, the fact that the integration’s on-/offline oversight does not correspond fully (maybe like 90 to 95 %) with the router’s connection table proves that it is not without its own faults …

Paul-Vdp on Sep 23, 2023