What's so great about the next-generation communication protocol 'Thread' of the IoT standard 'Matter'?
What is Thread and how will it help your smart home? - The Verge
https://www.theverge.com/23165855/thread-smart-home-protocol-matter-apple-google-interview
◆What is Thread?
Thread is a low-power, low-bandwidth mesh networking protocol for IoT technologies developed by Thread Group. Thread Group is an alliance established in July 2014 that includes Google's Nest Labs, Apple, Amazon, Arm Holdings, Samsung, Qualcomm, and NXP Semiconductors .
The first standard specification, Thread 1.0, was released in 2015, one year after the founding of Thread Group. It is based on IEEE802.15.4, has strong noise resistance, low power consumption, and is compatible with large-scale networks.
Thread is suitable for motion sensors, carbon monoxide detectors, gas leak detectors, and other devices that are basically inactive, but must operate reliably when needed. On the other hand, it is not suitable for devices that require high bandwidth, such as surveillance cameras.
◆What are the advantages of Thread over existing IoT communication protocols?
The point of Thread is that there is no need for a hub or bridge, and Thread-compatible devices can communicate directly with each other. Additionally, Thread is a protocol based on Internet Protocol (IPv6). This means you can connect directly to other IP-based devices, such as smartphones and tablets, computers, and Wi-Fi routers. Thread provides a highly reliable mesh function, so a major feature is that there is no single point of failure where an error in one location would cause a failure in the entire network.
The following is a diagram showing the Thread mesh network, and the cloud-shaped icon in the upper left is the external network. The pentagon is a 'thread router', which is a device connected to an external power source, such as a light bulb or smart plug. The circles are 'end devices', which are battery-powered devices such as motion sensors and door locks. Thread routers or Thread routers and end devices form a mesh-like Thread network. The square connected to the Internet is the 'border router', which plays the role of connecting the external network and the Thread network. A Thread network can support over 250 devices, including 64 routers.
Thread is designed as a 'low-power communication protocol for IoT that supports low latency.' Other communication protocols for IoT include
Jonathan Hui, vice president of technology at Thread and principal software engineer at Google, says, ``For example, BLE was designed as a protocol for low-power wireless connectivity of things that were originally wired. Thread, on the other hand, was designed as a ``protocol for devices that want to sleep for a long time, send a single packet when they wake up, and then go back to sleep to preserve battery life as long as possible.'' .
Some IoT devices are battery-powered, and these devices are not always active and may send and receive data when they wake up from sleep. Thread-enabled devices are designed to send and receive data when they wake up from sleep, and then go back to sleep immediately after that. By doing this, it is possible to minimize the consumption of the device's built-in battery.
Latency is also reduced by Thread's direct communication capabilities and ability to configure large networks that can support over 250 devices. Tests conducted by Silicon Labs showed much lower latency than BLE and ZigBee.
According to Hui, by forming a Thread mesh network, Thread-enabled devices find the optimal route to other devices, reducing power consumption and latency. Additionally, if you have multiple Thread routers in your network, if one router goes offline, the others will take over and the entire network will not go down.
Regarding backward compatibility, Sujata Neidig, VP of Marketing at Thread Group and Director of Marketing at Google, says, ``Technically, Zigbee, like Thread, operates on IEEE802.15.4. It may be possible to upgrade to Thread. However, since Thread is an IP-based protocol, it has different resource requirements, such as memory. If the product is not built with the appropriate resource structure, it cannot be upgraded.'
For example, Philips Hue, a well-known smart light bulb maker, already supports Matter, but has said it has no plans to replace existing ZigBee-enabled bulbs with Thread-enabled ones.
◆Does Thread not require a hub or bridge?
A border router is required to connect the Thread network to an external network such as the Internet. However, there is no need to prepare different bridges to connect multiple compatible devices. Any IoT device that supports Thread can connect to a Thread border router, regardless of manufacturer. Additionally, all Thread communications are encrypted, so no one can see the traffic routed from the border router.
A border router is not necessary for Thread-enabled devices to communicate with each other, but a border router is required if you want to connect to the Internet. For example, in order to control the lighting and air conditioning in your home from a smartphone outdoors, you must connect the Thread network to the external network using a border router.
◆Why are there so many versions of Thread?
Thread is a protocol standard for combining IoT devices from different manufacturers into a single mesh network. However, there are actually various versions such as Matter over Thread, HomeKit over Thread, Google/Weave over Thread, and Open Thread. According to Mr. Hui, these are all the same Thread, but the applications that run on the Thread are different.
Previously, different apps could not share Thread network authentication information, which caused compatibility issues. However, Thread 1.3.0, the latest version at the time of writing, makes it possible to share Thread credentials between different apps by combining it with APIs announced by Apple and Google.
In other words, with Thread 1.3.0, products from different manufacturers, such as Apple HomePod Mini and Google Nest Hub, can function as border routers within one network.
“For years, consumer smart home companies have tried to differentiate by connectivity, which is what platform their devices run on,” Hui said. “But that's not what consumers care about. It's a cool, fun feature. Standardizing all connectivity technology solves tough problems around reliability and power, and allows product manufacturers to create new and exciting features that consumers really care about. ”.
'Smart homes today are like the early days of the Internet, with legacy technologies that aren't integrated to make everything work,' said Vivid Siddha, president of Thread Group and director of software engineering at Apple. , multiple bridges and devices are required. IP-based Thread allows seamless access to the network, essentially completing home automation.'
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