The Thread Group Selects GRL and UL

GRL and UL to develop the Thread Certification Process and Test Harness

Granite River Labs (GRL), the global leader in engineering services and test solutions for high speed connectivity, and UL, the global leader in test and certification solutions, announced today that they have been selected by the Thread Group to develop the Thread Certification Process and Test Harness.

Thread is a new IP-based low-power wireless networking protocol designed specifically for the home. Using proven standards such as IPv6 technology with 6LoWPAN and standard 802.15.4 radios as its foundation, Thread offers product developers numerous technological advantages over existing wireless standards. Founding members of The Thread Group, the industry alliance chartered with guiding the widespread adoption of Thread, include ARM, Freescale Semiconductor, Nest, Samsung, and Silicon Labs among others. Thread Group has grown to more than 50 members since membership opened up on Oct 1st, 2014.

GRL will develop the Thread test harness, providing Thread product developers with an integrated software and hardware automation tool to validate the Thread protocol stack. GRL will work closely with UL, who was chosen to collaborate with the Thread Group’s Technical Task Group in the development of the certification test plan and manage the validation process and product certification program. Thread product certification is expected to be available in the first half of 2015.

“The certification program is critical to the successful launch of the Thread products. UL’s industry leadership and Certification development expertise coupled with GRL’s support developing the test harness in cooperation with UL will ensure that product developers have a seamless experience building, testing and certifying Thread-enabled products,” said Chris Boross, president of the Thread Group and technical product marketing manager at Nest.

“The dramatic increase we are seeing with connected devices demands that the experts provide a seamless solution for connectivity…” says Mike Kuo, UL Regional General Manager “…in the world of the Internet of Things (IoT), devices need to negotiate a connection and communicate instantly without human intervention and it’s important to have a consistent and reliable certification process in place. UL is delighted to work with GRL to provide Thread with the required expertise for device validation.” UL is leading the industry with experience and deep understanding of the issues of interoperability and performance and the ability to develop comprehensive test and certification processes.

“We are excited to support the Thread ecosystem by developing the first test harness,” said Johnson Tan, Chief Executive Officer at GRL. “We will leverage our expertise in test automation solutions and are committed to providing Thread members with a robust and reliable tool to help them release their products to market with confidence.”