Vamshi Kandalla
GRL Chief Strategy Officer
In case you haven’t heard, contemporary smartphones of tomorrow are slated to come equipped with Thread radio capabilities, allowing more users to directly control Thread-enabled smart home appliances. Let’s explore how this will impact the smart home ecosystem.
How Thread radio works with smart homes and IoT
Reduced energy consumption & improved usability
As a low-power wireless mesh networking protocol designed to facilitate stable and secure communication between Internet-of-Things (IoT) devices, Thread is already being used to enhance motion sensors, light bulbs, door locks, motorized blinds, and other appliances within the home environment. With reduced latency, the first smartphones with Thread radio are expected to bring improved reliability and user experience of connected devices, making smart switches respond just as quickly as physical ones, all while minimizing energy use and prolonging battery life.
Thread protocol structure
Alongside Wi-Fi and Ethernet, Thread is currently one of the main protocols deployed by Matter. Thread structure does have its advantages. Thread devices can continue working as expected even if one device drops offline or leaves the network range. Sleep mode is also beneficial to a long battery life which makes it easy to implement without worrying about power supply issues.
For Thread only Matter smart home devices, border routers will be required to transfer Wi-Fi or Ethernet signals to the Thread signal to facilitate interaction..
Thread radio-capable smartphones allow you to interact with Thread devices directly without implementing a border router, however, a border router makes it possible to control Matter home appliances that support Thread radio from outside the home through the internet and other IP-based networks. End users now can choose either with or without the border router to control the Thread smart home devices with Thread smartphones depending on their needs.
Greater tech inclusivity in smart homes
The integration of Thread radio into smartphones is expected to offer a more seamless experience for users at home, including those with limited physical mobility. As wireless networks grow in complexity, major manufacturers are shifting more of their focus towards interoperability, with accessibility and user-friendliness quickly becoming the name of the game.
Be part of the growing smart Thread ecosystem
As global leader in engineering test services and automated test solutions for digital connectivity, charging technologies, professional market access services, GRL’s long-term mission lies in supporting manufacturers to realize their vision of integrating every product with Thread radio in terms of critical performance, interoperability, and security benchmarks.
Through our three-pronged wireless testing capabilities (Thread/Matter/Zigbee) combined with an extensive repertoire of wired connectivity technologies (including USB, Thunderbolt, DisplayPort, HDMI, and more), we can imbue the confidence that manufacturers need to roll out superior products to end-users. The magic happens here, at our one-stop shop labs that cater to all your designing, testing, and debugging needs.
Contact us for all your Thread testing needs.
About the author
Vamshi Kandalla
GRL Chief Strategy Officer
Vamshi has a strong 20-year track record in the semiconductor industry. He previously held position as head of Symmetricom’s Global Embedded Solutions Division and was responsible for global marketing, product management, technical management and business creation. He also spearheaded teams with Applied Micro, MosChip Semiconductor, and Standard Microsystems (SMSC). Vamshi holds a B.E. in Instrumentation Engineering and an MBA.
