OTBR 2.16.7 fails to start without USB device

[DcnPat]

Describe the issue you are experiencing

OTBR 2.16.7 refuses to start when c9nfigured for network RCP if a USB RCP is not plugged in. Previous releases only required the USB plugged in to save configuration and would launch without a USB device if configured for network connection.

What type of installation are you running?

Home Assistant OS

Which operating system are you running on?

Home Assistant Operating System

Which app are you reporting an issue with?

OpenThread Border Router

What is the version of the app?

2.16.7

Steps to reproduce the issue

1. Install OTBR
2. Configure for network RCPwith USB device plugged in and save config
3. Unplug USB RCP
4. Start OTBR app
   ...

System Health information

System Information

version	core-2026.4.2
installation_type	Home Assistant OS
dev	false
hassio	true
docker	true
container_arch	aarch64
user	root
virtualenv	false
python_version	3.14.2
os_name	Linux
os_version	6.12.75-haos-raspi
arch	aarch64
timezone	America/New_York
config_dir	/config

Home Assistant Community Store

GitHub API	ok
GitHub Content	ok
GitHub Web	ok
HACS Data	ok
GitHub API Calls Remaining	5000
Installed Version	2.0.5
Stage	running
Available Repositories	2933
Downloaded Repositories	7

Home Assistant Cloud

logged_in	true
subscription_expiration	April 27, 2026 at 8:00 PM
relayer_connected	true
relayer_region	us-east-1
remote_enabled	false
remote_connected	false
alexa_enabled	false
google_enabled	true
cloud_ice_servers_enabled	true
remote_server	us-east-1-20.ui.nabu.casa
certificate_status	ready
instance_id	a03a588439334cefa60530a0c3bd1867
can_reach_cert_server	ok
can_reach_cloud_auth	ok
can_reach_cloud	ok

Home Assistant Supervisor

host_os	Home Assistant OS 17.2
update_channel	stable
supervisor_version	supervisor-2026.04.0
agent_version	1.8.1
docker_version	29.3.1
disk_total	468.7 GB
disk_used	15.5 GB
nameservers	172.31.132.4, 172.31.132.2
healthy	true
supported	true
host_connectivity	true
supervisor_connectivity	true
ntp_synchronized	true
virtualization
board	rpi5-64
supervisor_api	ok
version_api	ok
installed_addons	File editor (6.0.0), Let's Encrypt (6.3.1), Advanced SSH & Web Terminal (23.0.7), Matter Server (8.4.0), ESPHome Device Builder (2026.4.0), OpenThread Border Router (2.16.7)

Dashboards

dashboards	3
resources	2
views	5
mode	storage

Network Configuration

adapters	lo (disabled), end0 (enabled, default, auto), hassio (disabled), docker0 (disabled), veth678ea1a (disabled), veth02a9b96 (disabled), veth57478ae (disabled), veth2dc8737 (disabled), wpan0 (disabled), veth36b3003 (disabled), vethefcff87 (disabled), veth256e2de (disabled)
ipv4_addresses	lo (127.0.0.1/8), end0 (172.31.132.5/22), hassio (172.30.32.1/23), docker0 (172.30.232.1/23), veth678ea1a (), veth02a9b96 (), veth57478ae (), veth2dc8737 (), wpan0 (), veth36b3003 (), vethefcff87 (), veth256e2de ()
ipv6_addresses	lo (::1/128), end0 (fddc:6229:7f83:50a7:5039:d40a:60d8:618/64, fe80::7ee:affb:4ba9:880a/64), hassio (fe80::5460:2fff:fef4:284/64), docker0 (fe80::501d:c9ff:fe0c:8669/64), veth678ea1a (fe80::8ca0:c3ff:fe88:b853/64), veth02a9b96 (fe80::d818:b5ff:fee1:9187/64), veth57478ae (fe80::a826:4aff:fede:5620/64), veth2dc8737 (fe80::ac7e:a9ff:fe11:5f60/64), wpan0 (fd48:1ace:f0ad:1:1659:5246:9cb9:1a83/64, fd00:e48b:de54::ff:fe00:6400/64, fd00:e48b:de54:0:cbb:709c:f8eb:ea03/64, fe80::cc71:a3d8:5f78:9acf/64), veth36b3003 (fe80::e0bc:daff:fe6f:7b06/64), vethefcff87 (fe80::5436:78ff:fe6a:dcde/64), veth256e2de (fe80::d45c:a3ff:fe7b:6f74/64)
announce_addresses	172.31.132.5, fddc:6229:7f83:50a7:5039:d40a:60d8:618, fe80::7ee:affb:4ba9:880a

Recorder

oldest_recorder_run	April 4, 2026 at 5:12 PM
current_recorder_run	April 14, 2026 at 5:37 PM
estimated_db_size	1464.08 MiB
database_engine	sqlite
database_version	3.49.2

Anything in the Supervisor logs that might be useful for us?

Anything in the app logs that might be useful for us?

Additional information

No response