Support multiple instances of the OpenThread Border Router (OTBR) add-on

[jmarcelomb]

What type of request is this?

Enhancement to existing add-on

Existing add-on name

OpenThread Border Router

Describe the add-on or add-on enhancement

Currently I have OTBR add on configured with an SLZB-MR4 in my basement connected over Ethernet. And everything is working fine, but I would like to be able to create a second instance of the add-on, or be able to add a new OTBR configuration instance. To be able to add another router connected to a USB dongle device in my home assistant server so I have a thread network close to it in my home, without needed to spin another device/server. I would like to reuse the home assistant OS server.

Use cases

Being able to have one/or more Ethernet border router and USB dongle connected into the server. Being able to configure more than one OTBR.
This would allow for better physical distribution of Thread Radio coverage across large homes without needing multiple physical Home Assistant servers (RPis/NUCs). It also allows for hardware redundancy.

Upstream project

No response

Anything else?

No response

[pratikrath126]

That's a really interesting use case! Currently, Home Assistant OS doesn't support multiple instances of the same official add-on directly through the UI. However, as a fellow tinkerer, there's a 'hacky' way you might be able to achieve this if you're comfortable with local add-ons.

You can try copying the source of the OTBR add-on into your /addons folder (usually via the Samba or SSH add-on). If you rename the folder and change the name and slug in the config.json file, the Supervisor should treat it as a separate, local add-on. This would let you install a second instance.

Just a heads-up: you'll need to be very careful with the hardware and port mapping in the configuration for the second instance so they don't fight over the same USB resources or network ports.

It would definitely be cleaner if the Supervisor supported this natively, so your feature request is spot on!