Blog

2019
December
18

IP Drives IoT Convergence for Thread and Project Connected Home over IP

By Grant Erickson, President, Thread Group; Sujata Neidig, Vice President, Marketing, Thread Group; Jonathan Hui, Vice President, Technology, Thread Group

We at Thread Group see today’s introduction of Project Connected Home over IP via joint announcement from Amazon, Apple, Google and the Zigbee Alliance - along with the support and contribution of Zigbee Alliance board member companies such as IKEA, Legrand, NXP Semiconductors, Resideo, Samsung SmartThings, Schneider Electric, Signify (formerly Philips Lighting), Silicon Labs, Somfy, and Wulian- as an exciting milestone to accelerate IoT market adoption.

The Challenge:

There are numerous technologies for wireless connectivity at all layers of the network stack and to-date, major platform providers, including Amazon, Apple and Google, have implemented different approaches.

While this allows flexibility, and potential competitive advantage for individual companies, for the industry as a whole it's highly problematic. Fragmentation and incompatible technologies challenge and frustrate all involved. Specifically:

Product manufacturers + developers must:

  • Incur substantial costs and overhead as they are forced to pick and choose which platforms they wish to work with
  • Support multiple SKUs (stock keeping units), one for each platform and technology with which they want to interoperate
  • Risk obsolescence of protocols, which creates support burdens and issues over the lifetime of product

Meanwhile, consumers struggle with:

  • Confusion and frustration on what choice to make when purchasing smart home products
  • Inconsistent performance and interoperability
  • General disappointment and disillusionment

What is Project Connected Home over IP?
At its core, the Project is an unprecedented commitment across the smart home-focused IoT ecosystem to formally collaborate and create a universal application layer protocol.

This new app layer (name TBD) will be built on market-proven IP-based smart home technologies, and will bring the following benefits to both developers and consumers:

  • A unified and standardized baseline product out-of-box experience.
  • Platform- and ecosystem-agnostic technology: any device, any ecosystem.
  • Reduction of burdensome and costly one-off gateways and translators by building upon Internet Protocol (IPv6) for direct yet scalable communication.
  • End-to-end data security and privacy among in-home devices, mobiles, and cloud services.
  • A widely-adopted helpful home application standard for a variety of network and connectivity technologies, including Wi-Fi (internet connectivity), Thread (low-power mesh) and Bluetooth Low Energy (setup and other mobile interactions)–essential yet complementary networking and connectivity technologies for the connected home.
  • A singular programming model for devices, mobile, and cloud.
  • A unified data model for the rest of industry to adopt and use.

Thread can support many application layer protocols

More information about the “Project Connected Home over IP” can be found at connectedhomeip.com.

Thread + Project Connected Home over IP
From the beginning, Thread provided an IP-based networking layer, creating a reliable, secure and scalable mesh network to connect low-power products in homes and buildings. Thread has always been -- and continues to be -- agnostic to the application layer. This gives product manufacturers the flexibility to choose one (or multiple) app layers for their use case. They can also maintain current platforms and ecosystems while exploring Thread-enabled benefits, without disrupting device performance.

We’re excited to see a cross-industry initiative underway to unify app layers into a single protocol that runs over IP networks (like Thread) for the smart home.

We have seen and heard demand in the marketplace to bring about increased convergence and interoperability to manufacturers and consumers alike. In order for IoT to deliver on its promise, the industry must eliminate friction and frustration, and lower costs and overhead.

The Thread Group sees network technologies that support IP as the foundation for this convergence. We’re confident, because we’ve seen IP-based success in several wireless network application scenarios. Notably WiFi -- for devices requiring higher power, high-bandwidth network applications -- as well as emerging technologies such as Thread, which addresses low-powered, low-bandwidth, and cost-sensitive applications.

When product manufacturers and developers use Thread and this new unified app layer protocol, they will see a marked reduction of their development and carrying costs, because they’ll only need to create a single SKU.

For consumers, confusion and frustration will evaporate because, “things will just work.”

Thread + Project Connected Home over IP

In Summary
Thread’s value as a low-power, secure and IP-based mesh networking layer is reaffirmed with this new initiative in the smart home market. Since Thread is already deployed and Project Connected Home over IP is being built from existing and market-proven technologies, we envision the Project Connected Home over IP collaboration to move quickly and drive an acceleration in the expansion of the smart home market.

UPCOMING EVENTS


2024
April
23-25

Thread Group Members Meeting

Toronto, Canada

Press Releases

2022
July
18

Thread Group Opens Access to Third Evolution of its Wireless Networking Protocol, Enabling Matter, Improving Seamless Connectivity in Smart Homes and Buildings

The Thread Group, an industry alliance enabling IoT convergence, and addressing challenges around secu...

2022
June
13

Thread Group Establishes New Marketing Chapter in China

The Thread Group, an industry alliance addressing IoT convergence, and challenges around security, energy footprint, and architecture at the network layer, today announced the addition of a Regional Marketing Working Group in China to educate...

2021
November
03

Amazon Joins Thread Group Board of Directors

The Thread Group, an industry alliance addressing IoT convergence, and challenges around security, energy footprint, and architecture at the network layer, today announced the addition of Amazon to its Board of Directors. Amazon’s increased backing of Thread Group further demonstrates its commitment to Matter, over both Thread and Wi-Fi, and to supporting a broad range of smart home protocols, which benefits both device makers and their customers.
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Thank you for your interest in Thread!

Please provide your contact information below and we will keep you informed about our activities.


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This email will be used for all email list subscriptions & all other Thread Group automated communications.

NEWSLETTERS

In The News

2024
January
10

Thread Border Router Fix Should Improve Smart Home Networking

By: Apple Insider

Read More

2024
January
09

Thread Group Unveils Credential Sharing Feature to Propel Smart Home Interoperability

SamMobile

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2024
January
08

Thread Group to Fix Smart Home Protocol's Biggest Problem

Thurrott

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PAST EVENTS

  • CES 2024 January 9-12, 2024  Las Vegas, Nevada  
  • Thread Group Members Meeting Oct 23-26, 2023 Budapest, Hungary 
  • Thread Group Members Meeting April 25-27, 2023 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 
  • CES 2023 January 5-8, 2023 Las Vegas, Nevada 
  • Thread Group Members Meeting OCTOBER 25-17, 2022 Málaga, Spain 
  • Light+Building 2022 OCTOBER 2-6, 2022 Frankfurt, Germany 
  • WEBINAR: Thread 1.3.0  SEPTEMBER 29, 2022 Watch Webinar, View Presentation 
  • Thread Group Members Meeting APRIL 26-28, 2022 Charlotte, North Carolina
  • Thread Group Members Meeting OCTOBER 5-7, 2021 Virtual
  • Thread Group Members Meeting APRIL 20-22, 2021 Virtual
  • Thread Group Members Meeting NOVEMBER 3-5, 2020 Virtual
  • Works With By Silicon Labs SEPTEMBER 9-10, 2020 Virtual Conference Endorsed by Thread Group Read More
  • WEBINAR: How to Keep Your Solar Plant Safe With Google's Full-wireless OpenThread System SEPTEMBER 3, 2020 View Presentation 
  • IoT World US AUGUST 11-13 2020 Virtual Event Endorsed by Thread Group
  • WEBINAR: IoT Convergence With Thread And Project CHIP  APRIL 21, 2020 Listen to Webinar, View Presentation 
  • Thread Technology Day NOVEMBER 22 2019 Taipei, Taiwan View Presentations 
  • Smart Home Summit NOVEMBER 20-21 2019 San Francisco, California View Presentation 
  • Thread Group Members Meeting NOVEMBER 5-7 2019 Zug, Switzerland, Hosted at Siemens 
  • Arm TechCon OCTOBER 8-9 2019 San Jose, California, Thread Endorsed Learn More
  • WEBINAR: New Membership Tier, IPR Considerations And Certification
    MAY 30, 2019 View Webinar
  • Internet of Things World
    MAY 13-16, 2019 Santa Clara, California Thread Endorsed  
  • WEBINAR: Dotdot + Thread: Learn About The Specification And Streamlined Certification Programs
    JANUARY 30, 2019 View Webinar
  • Connections Summit At CES
    JANUARY 8, 2019 Las Vegas, Nevada
  • Wireless Congress
    NOVEMBER 14-15, 2018 Munich, Germany
  • Arm TechCon
    OCTOBER 16-18, 2018 San Jose, California
  • Thread Group Members Meeting
    OCTOBER 16-18, 2018 Munich, Germany
  • Particle Webinar: Going Beyond The Connected Home
    OCTOBER 11, 2018 View Webinar
  • Spectra
    OCTOBER 3, 2018 San Francisco, California
  • Thread Group Members Meeting
    JUNE 26-28, 2018 Austin, Texas
  • Thread Webinar: Developing IoT Devices With Thread
    JUNE 20, 2018 View Webinar
  • Connections
    MAY 22-24, 2018 San Francisco, California
  • Light + Building
    MARCH 18-23, 2018 Frankfurt, Germany
  • Smart Energy Summit
    FEBRUARY 19-21, 2018 Austin, Texas
  • Strategies In Light
    FEBRUARY 13-15, 2018 Long Beach, California
  • Digital Experience! @ CES 2018
    JANUARY 8, 2018 Las Vegas, Nevada
  • Thread Group Members Meeting
    NOVEMBER 15-17, 2017 Lisbon, Portugal
  • Thread + One IoT Stakeholders Summit
    SEPTEMBER 14, 2017 Munich, Germany
  • Thread Group Technology Workshop
    SEPTEMBER 14, 2017 Munich, Germany
  • Thread Group Members Meeting
    JUNE 27-29, 2017 Vancouver, Canada
  • Connected Plus
    JUNE 20-21, 2017 Vancouver, Canada
  • CONNECTIONS 2017
    Speakers Panel: Connected CE Strategies: Building Product Ecosystems
    MAY 23-25, 2017 San Francisco, California
  • IoT World Speakers Panel: Understanding The Complexity And Interoperability Of IoT Platforms
    MAY 16-18, 2017 Santa Clara, California
  • CABA Forum
    APRIL 26-28, 2017 Santa Clara, California
  • Thread Technology Workshop
    MARCH 27, 2017 Mountain View, California
  • Thread Group All Members Meeting
    FEBRUARY 14-16, 2017 Atlanta, Georgia
  • CONNECTIONS Summit At CES
    JANUARY 5, 2016 Las Vegas, Nevada
  • CES 2017
    JANUARY 5-8, 2016 Las Vegas, Nevada
  • Strategies In Light Europe
    NOVEMBER 23-24, 2016 London, UK
  • Internet Of Things World
    NOVEMBER 21-22, 2016 Dublin, Ireland
  • Thread Group All Members Meeting
    NOVEMBER 15-17, 2016 Lisbon, Portugal
  • Wireless Congress
    NOVEMBER 9-10, 2016 Munich, Germany
  • Electronica
    NOVEMBER 8-11, 2016 Munich, Germany
  • CONNECTIONS Europe
    NOVEMBER 2-3, 2016 Amsterdam, Netherlands
  • Smart Home Summit
    NOVEMBER 1-2, 2016 Palo Alto, California
  • Thread Group Webinar
    JUNE 28, 2016, 2016 Online
  • Smart Home World
    JUNE 21-22, 2016 London, UK
  • Computex CPX Conference
    MAY 31-JUNE 4, 2016 Taipei, Taiwan
  • Connected Conference
    MAY 25-27, 2016 Paris, France
  • Connections
    MAY 24-26, 2016 San Francisco, California
  • CES Asia
    MAY 11-13, 2016 Shanghai, China
  • Informa IoT World 2016
    MAY 10-12, 2016 Santa Clara, California
  • Thread Group Open House
    MAY 10, 2016 Shanghai, China
  • SMAHome
    APRIL 21-22, 2016 San Francisco, California
  • IoT West 2016
    APRIL 19-21, 2016 Taipei, Taiwan
  • Thread Group All Members Meeting
    MARCH 22-24, 2016 Redwood City, California
  • Wearable Tech Show 2016
    MARCH 15, 2016 London, UK
  • Strategies In Light
    MARCH 1-3, 2016 Santa Clara, California
  • CES
    JANUARY 6-9, 2016 Las Vegas, Nevada
  • Thread Group All Members Meeting
    NOVEMBER 18-19, 2015 Evian Resort, France
  • Cedia
    OCTOBER 16, 2015 Dallas, Texas
  • Internet Of Things World Europe
    OCTOBER 5-7, 2015 Berlin, Germany
  • Thread Open House
    OCTOBER 5, 2015 Berlin, Germany
  • Connected + Conference & Exhibition
    SEPTEMBER 28-29, 2015 Toronto, Canada
  • IoT Security 2015
    SEPTEMBER 22-23, 2015 Boston, Massachusetts
  • Thread Group All Members Meeting
    JULY 23-24, 2015 Austin, Texas
  • O'Reilly Solid, Platforms, Devices And Interoperability In The Smart Home
    JUNE 25, 2015 San Francisco, California
  • Pepcom! Digital Experience
    JUNE 18, 2015 New York City, New York
  • IoT Silicon Valley Meetup
    JUNE 18, 2015 Mountain View, California
  • Connections, Innovative Partnerships: The Connected Home Panel
    MAY 19, 2015 San Francisco, California
  • Internet Of Things World 2015
    MAY 13, 2015 San Francisco, California
  • Mobile World Congress
    MARCH 5, 2015 Barcelona, Spain
  • Stack Tutorials & First All Members Meeting
    FEBRUARY 9-11, 2015 San Jose, California
  • Thread Group Information Event
    SEPTEMBER 30, 2014 Google Campus, Mountain View, California
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