Thread (network protocol)

Thread (network protocol) - Citizendium Thread (network protocol) From
Citizendium Jump to navigationJump to search Main Article Discussion
Related Articles  [?] Bibliography  [?] External Links  [?]
Citable Version  [?]              This editable Main Article
is under development and subject to a disclaimer. [edit intro]
Contents 1 Thread device roles: Router, End Device, Border Router 2
Any device can be unplugged without ruining the network 3 Thread
network capacity (250+ devices) 4 Applications that run on top of
Thread 5 Thread is fast and thus conserves battery life 6 Security
cameras are not a fit for Thread 7 Thread traffic is encrypted 8
Status of Thread 9 Notes Thread is an emerging standard for a mesh
network protocol developed by a consortium of competing smart home
companies[1], using IP version 6 over an IEEE 802.15.4 wireless
network (on the 2.4 GHz spectrum) designed for low-power, fast,
reliable messaging among IoT devices. Thread is a lot like existing
smart home protocols Zigbee and Z-Wave, except that no central hub or
bridge is needed; Thread devices talk directly to each other in a
wireless mesh configuration and can talk directly to any other
IP-based device, including smart phones, tablets, computers, and Wi-Fi
routers. Thread is the first low-power, wireless mesh networking
protocol to allow low-power devices to use IP. Thread device roles:
Router, End Device, Border Router[edit] Devices on a Thread network
are divided into two main categories--those plugged into power (i.e.,
a light bulb or smart plug) vs. those that are battery-powered (i.e.,
a motion sensor or a smart lock). Always-powered devices on a Thread
network play the role of a router that forwards traffic along to other
devices as needed. Any battery-powered device on a Thread network is
called an "end device". An always-powered device that also connects to
the internet (such as a smart speaker or Wi-Fi router) can, if it
contains the necessary software capability, also act as a Thread
"border router", passing messages between the Thread network and
servers on the internet. A smart home will usually want to have at
least one border router so that its Thread-capable devices can reach
the internet. A Thread border router is not usually going to be a
dedicated device like a hub or bridge; instead, it is a feature that
can be integrated into any powered device that has access to the
internet. Any Thread-capable device should be able to use any border
router to reach the internet, regardless of manufacturer. Any device
can be unplugged without ruining the network[edit] The advantage of
using a mesh network is that there is no single point of failure. Any
device can be removed, and all the other devices should continue to
work, although at least one border router must be present for devices
to access the internet. Thread network capacity (250+ devices)[edit] A
Thread network can support more the 250 devices. A Thread network can
have as many as 64 routers (i.e., always-powered devices), although no
more than 32 can be active simultaneously. Among the routers, multiple
instances of border routers may exist, or none (if internet access is
not required or available). Applications that run on top of
Thread[edit] The new smart home standard, Matter, is an application
that runs on top of a Thread network. Matter supports both Wi-Fi and
Thread for connecting its devices, and its use of Thread means that
there is no single point of failure in the home network--any one
device may fail or be unplugged, but the rest of the network can
continue to work normally. Other applications that may run over Thread
include HomeKit[2], Google/Weave, or Open Thread, etc. Because it's an
IP-based network, a Thread network could support multiple of these
application laters running simultaneously. Thread is fast and thus
conserves battery life[edit] Unlike earlier technologies, Thread has
been optimized from its inception to run on low-power devices that
require near real-time access to rapidly changing data, and thus to
handle a high volume of data messages with minimal delay (latency).
Early benchmarking of Thread, as compared with Zigbee and Bluetooth
networks, show Thread networks to have much less delay, especially
when scaled to large numbers of devices, and the quicker activity of
Thread translates into less power usage, which is especially important
for battery-driven devices. Security cameras are not a fit for
Thread[edit] The one kind of smart home device currently in use that
does not work well on Thread is security cameras, because those
require high-bandwidth internet connections, whereas Thread is
designed for much lower-bandwidth applications. Thread is specifically
intended to do well for small, low-powered devices such as leak
detectors, CO detectors, and motion sensors. Such devices may be left
untouched and unused for months but need to spring into action
reliably when required and need still to have battery life left when
that happens. In addition to sensors, Thread is designed to send
commands to devices such as door locks, window shades, light bulbs,
and thermostats. Thread traffic is encrypted[edit] Finally, unlike
with a bridge of hub, a Thread border router cannot read the traffic
that it passes along, because all communications in a Thread network
are encrypted. Status of Thread[edit] Supporting thread as of April
2023 are: Apple HomePod (border router) Apple HomePod Mini (border
router) Apple TV 4K, 2021 or later (border router) Eve Energy smart
plug Eve Window and Door sensors Eve Aqua Eve Light Switch Google Nest
Wi-fi (border router) Google Nest Wi-Fi Pro (border router) Google
Nest Hub Max (border router) Google 2nd-gen Nest Hub (border router)
Nanoleaf Essentials A19 smart bulb Nanoleaf Essentials Smart Light
Strip Thread, and the Matter application layer which can run over it,
are both emerging standards in 2023. The latest release of Thread as
of April 2023 is version 1.3. Notes[edit] ↑ The Thread consortium is
a non-profit group formed in 2013 with a mission to develop and
maintain Thread as an industry networking standard for IoT devices. In
addition of maintaining the specification of the standard, the group
provides testing and certification of products to ensure adherence to
the specification. The founding members of Thread were Yale Security,
Silicon Labs, Samsung Electronics, Nest Labs (a subsidiary of Google),
Freescale Semiconductor, Big Ass Fans and ARM. Thread now also
includes Apple and at least several other companies. ↑ HomeKit is a
software framework made by Apple that lets users control smart-home
appliances using Apple devices. Retrieved from
"https://citizendium.org/wiki/index.php?title=Thread_(network_protocol)&oldid=890358"
Categories: CZ LiveEngineering WorkgroupComputers WorkgroupPhysics
WorkgroupArticles written in American EnglishAll ContentEngineering
ContentComputers ContentPhysics ContentHidden categories: Engineering
tagComputers tagPhysics tag Navigation menu Page actions
PageDiscussionReadEditHistoryZWI ExportDeleteMoveProtectUnwatch Page
actions PageDiscussionMoreTools Personal tools Pat
PalmerTalkPreferencesWatchlistContributionsLog out Read Welcome to
CitizendiumCitable ArticlesAll ArticlesRandom ArticleAll Recent
Changes Search About Us IntroductionFAQsHelpPoliciesGovernance Contact
Us EnquiriesApply to JoinPersonnel Get Started Get InvolvedForumQuick
StartStart ArticleArticle MechanicsHow to EditMore Help Finance
Financial ReportDonate Tools What links hereRelated changesUpload
fileSpecial pagesPrintable versionPermanent linkPage informationCite
this page This page was last modified 09:22, 21 April 2023.CZ is free.
All written content is available under the Creative
Commons-Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported license or any later.
Written content that originated in part from Wikipedia is also
available under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike.
  Help • Financial Report • Follow Citizendium on Twitter •
Facebook Privacy policyAbout CitizendiumDisclaimers