This blog explores Thread mesh networking technology, the devices that operate on the Thread network and how Thread is proving to be the network of choice for smart home and commercial building network applications.
Thread Overview
Thread technology is supported by the Thread Group, an industry consortium that develops and promotes the protocol. The Thread Group consists of companies from various industries, including technology, home automation, and consumer electronics, who collaborate to drive the adoption and development of Thread-enabled products.
Thread technology, a mesh networking solution for home automation and IoT devices, stands out for its low power consumption, robust security features, and future-proof design. It facilitates seamless connections and communication between devices, allowing them to collaborate effortlessly, ultimately creating smart and interconnected environment.
What Exactly Is Thread?
Thread is a wireless communication protocol that enables the establishment of an interconnected network comprising numerous devices that communicate seamlessly with each other while consuming minimal power. At its core, the Thread stack adheres to open standards set by the Institute for Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) and the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF). This adherence ensures device interoperability and cost-effective bridging to other IP networks. Moreover, Thread is fully compliant with IPv6, eliminating the need for translators or gateways to convert IP packets to proprietary protocols.
Built on the foundation of 6LoWPAN, Thread utilizes data packet compression to minimize energy consumption and enhance packet forwarding efficiency. Leveraging low-power mesh networking technology, devices within the network can efficiently receive and relay data, leading to a highly stable and extensive network coverage.
Built on the foundation of 6LoWPAN, Thread utilizes data packet compression to minimize energy consumption and enhance packet forwarding efficiency. Leveraging low-power mesh networking technology, devices within the network can efficiently receive and relay data, leading to a highly stable and extensive network coverage.
Built for Internet of Things
Thread as a wireless mesh networking protocol is constructed upon established and open standards, focusing on low power consumption and minimal latency. By tackling the intricacies of IoT, Thread effectively addresses challenges related to interoperability, range, security, energy efficiency, and reliability. Notably, Thread networks are designed without a single point of failure and possess the capability to self-heal, further enhancing their robustness and resilience.
The Internet runs on IP. From phones, to routers, to connections across the globe, IP is how devices communicate directly with each other, regardless of what connectivity technologies they use (Ethernet, Wi-Fi, 5G and LTE). Thread brings the Internet to the Internet of Things by using the Internet’s proven, open standards to create Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6) based mesh network.
Thread devices seamlessly integrate with larger IP networks and don’t need proprietary gateways or translators. This reduces infrastructure investment and complexity, removes potential points of failure and reduces maintenance burdens. Thread also securely connects devices to the cloud, making it easier to control IoT products and systems from devices such as mobile phones and tablets.
Thread Network Architecture
Thread Version 1.1 (Residential Architecture) and its essential components
Thread was developed with the primary aim of seamlessly connecting and managing home products, designed specifically for residential applications. Users interact with residential Thread network through their personal devices such as smartphones, tablets, or computers, either via Wi-Fi or by utilizing cloud-based applications. The diagram below illustrates the essential components of the Thread network architecture.
i. Border Routers:
Border Routers serve as the link between the 802.15.4 network and other adjacent networks operating on different physical layers, such as Wi-Fi or Ethernet. Within the 802.15.4 network, these Border Routers offer essential services, including routing functionalities and service discovery for off-network operations. A Thread network can have one or multiple Border Routers, depending on its requirements and architecture.
ii. Leader:
In a Thread network, the Leader plays a vital role in managing a registry of assigned router IDs and handling requests from router-eligible end devices (REEDs) to become routers. The Leader is responsible for selecting which devices should serve as routers.However, all the information stored in the Leader is also present in the other Thread Routers. As a result, if the Leader experiences a failure or loses connectivity with the Thread network, an automatic election process takes place, leading to the selection of a new Thread Router as the new Leader without requiring any user intervention.
iii. Thread Router:
Thread Routers hold the responsibility of providing routing services to devices within the network. Additionally, they play a crucial role in managing the joining and security services for devices attempting to connect to the Thread network. Unlike some devices designed for low power consumption, Thread Routers are not intended to enter a sleep mode. However, when necessary, they can adjust their functionality and act as router-eligible end devices (REEDs).
iv. REED:
Router-Eligible End Devices can become a Thread Router or a Leader but not necessarily Border Router that has special properties such as multiple interfaces. Because of the network topology or other conditions REEDs do not act as routers. REEDs do not relay messages or provide joining or security services for other devices in the network. The network manages and promotes router-eligible devices to routers, if necessary, without user interaction.
v. End devices
End devices that are not router-eligible can be either FEDs (Full End Devices) or MEDs (Minimal End Devices). MEDs do not need to explicitly synchronize with their parent to communicate.
vi. Sleepy devices
Sleepy End Devices communicate only through their Thread Router parent and cannot relay messages for other devices.
x. Synchronized Sleepy End Devices (SEEDs):
Synchronized Sleepy End Devices are a class of Sleepy End Devices that use CSL from IEEE 802.15.4-2015 to maintain a synchronized schedule with a parent, avoiding the use of regular data request.
Thread Version 1.1 (Residential Architecture) and its essential components
Thread 1.1 have significant limitation and restriction on the number of nodes it can handle. While this limitation might be acceptable for a single home network, commercial IoT applications usually demand a higher number of nodes. To address this limitation, Thread 1.2 was introduced, introducing the capability to combine multiple Thread networks into a single extensive virtual network. This enhancement empowers Thread 1.2 to efficiently manage thousands of nodes, making it well-suited for commercial-scale IoT implementations.
The Thread Commercial model builds upon the essential device types used in residential networks while introducing innovative concepts. In a commercial network, users interact with their devices (such as smartphones, tablets, or computers) through Wi-Fi or via their enterprise network. The figure below illustrates the topology of a commercial network.
i. Thread Domains
Thread Domains allow scalability of up to 10,000s of Thread devices in a single deployment, and allow multiple Thread networks to communicate with each other, thus extending the range to cover many mesh subnets. The main benefit of the Thread Domain is that devices are to some extent flexible to join any available Thread Network configured with a common Thread Domain, which reduces the need for manual network planning or costly manual reconfigurations when network size or data volume are scaled up.
ii. Backbone Router (BBR)
BBR function for Thread Border Routers facilitates intercommunication outside the Thread Network with a backbone network segment. Backbone routers communicate with each other over a backbone that connects multiple Thread networks.
iii. Backbone Link
A Backbone Link is a non-Thread IPv6 link to which a BBR connects via the Thread Backbone Link Protocol (TBLP) to synchronize with other BBRs.
Thread Version 1.1 (Residential Architecture) and its essential components
The following diagram demonstrate the how Thread devices communicate directly with each other, regardless of what connectivity technologies they use (Ethernet, Wi-Fi, 5G and LTE). Thread brings the Internet to the Internet of Things by using the Internet’s proven, open standards to create mesh network.
Thread Version 1.1 (Residential Architecture) and its essential components
Thread Benefits
• Reliability
The Thread mesh network always active at all times, ensuring that devices are always prepared to respond promptly when needed. This self-healing mesh networking architecture disregards any single point of failure and the implementation of spread-spectrum methods ensures immunity to interference.
• Extended Range
Thread forms a network between smart devices where the strength of the network and its coverage increase with each additional device. In case one device experiences a failure, the remaining devices seamlessly compensate for it.
• Future Proof
Thread and Matter are collaborating to enhance the IoT experience, simplifying life in the smart home. Matter, a growing smart home standard, incorporates Thread as one of its foundational elements. By integrating both Matter and Thread, you’re ensuring your smart home is future-proofed and ready for the advancements ahead.
Written by Anil Kumar, Tech Lead – Embedded Engineering Thingularity