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NEWSLETTER Q1 2024 |
PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE
I’m incredibly grateful for the Thread Group members and their valuable contributions that were pivotal in achieving the milestones of the past year. We have made substantial strides by enabling Matter, KNX-IoT, and DALI+ and as we embark on 2024, we anticipate not only the release of new products, but also the enhancement of existing products' capabilities, reliability, and performance. The coming year holds exciting things for Thread Group, and we look forward to continuing this journey together with our dedicated members.
2023 saw one of Thread’s largest percentages of membership growth in a single year. Our membership increased by 26%, resulting in a total of 170 members. Our members include representatives from over 24 countries, with China having notable membership growth last year. This reflects Thread’s diversified ecosystem and demonstrates the possibilities for future products. We would like to welcome member companies Athom B.V, British Telecommunications Plc, Cisco Systems, Infibrite Inc, and Inovelli Labs Corporation who have joined Thread Group since our last members meeting in Budapest in October 2023.
We also reached a milestone of over 300 cumulative Thread products and components last year, with over 70 end products and 65 components being introduced in 2023 alone. Over 52% of these products support Matter, and we expect this number to continue to rise throughout the upcoming year.
One main focus last year was to increase the education of end users on how to buy Thread devices and understand Thread Border Router capabilities in their homes. In 2023, all four of the largest ecosystems — Amazon, Apple, Samsung, and Google — supported Thread Border Routers in both new and existing products. Additionally, we have ecosystem partners such as Amazon, Apple, Google, Lumi, and Samsung, supporting Thread Border Router functionality in their products today. Customers may now purchase Thread products with confidence and knowledge that at least one product in their smart home likely already has the capabilities of a Thread Border Router. Thread Group is also actively increasing its collaboration with CSA to better educate the market about Matter controllers supporting Thread.
Additionally, last year, Apple announced their respective plans to support Thread on mobile devices. Google is working on adding native Thread support to Android. We have already begun to develop and specify the requirements for Thread on mobile devices and are looking forward to the interesting use cases that this will enable in 2024.
This year is a significant year for Thread Group in many ways. Thread Group will celebrate its 10th anniversary on July 15, 2024. It's been a long journey, and we are more optimistic about the future than ever before, thanks to progress on Matter, KNX, and DALI+ ecosystems supporting Thread.
We kicked off 2024 by announcing significant improvements to the Thread specifications to support credential sharing across multiple ecosystems, ubiquitous internet connectivity, Thread over Infrastructure, network diagnostics, secure commissioning at scale, and many other enhancements to improve robustness and scalability. These capabilities were designed as a result of feedback from early adopters, customers, and ecosystem partners. We are excited about the implementation of these enhancements into products.
Thread Group made major advancements in 2023 and we are so proud of how far we’ve come. We look forward to reaching even more product and collaboration milestones, and the continuing growth of our membership in 2024. Onward and upward, thanks to the help of our members!
Best Regards,
Vividh Siddha
President
Thread Group
Q1 Highlights
- Announced Thread 2024 Enhancements with strong and positive feedback from the industry
- Released new Thread consumer video and promoted on Thread Group social media channels
- Highlighted Thread-based products and solutions at CES 2024 with 38 member companies demonstrating Thread products; live social media posting and participated in a panel discussion on Smart Home Connectivity
- Published two blogs: “Thread’s 2024 Enhancements and What They’ll Mean to You” by Thread Group and “Robust IoT Connectivity With Thread How Thread Compliments Wi-Fi And Ethernet In A Matter Network” by Vividh Siddha and Jorg Kennis
- Published the “Thread for Pro Home and Buildings” white paper by Jorg Kennis
- Certified new Thread products and components from Skylux, Tuya, TUO, Insta GmbH, Realtek, and more, hitting a milestone of over 300 Thread-certified devices and components
- Acquired 3 new Thread Group members
HOT TOPICSNEW WHITE PAPER: THREAD FOR PRO HOME AND BUILDINGSThread Group is excited to have recently published our latest white paper, Thread for Pro Home and Buildings. This is white paper delves into how Thread connectivity transforms building networks by seamlessly integrating with enterprise systems, offering flexibility, enhanced features, simplified maintenance, and global scalability, all while ensuring security and supporting diverse application protocols. Read our latest white paper here. |
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THREAD AT LIGHT AND BUILDING 2024At Light + Building 2024, the premier trade fair for lighting, climate control, energy management, and building automation, Thread Group saw a surge in the adoption of Thread technology. Thread wireless networking was seen as a critical component of the widely used KNX’s process of expanding its offering to IP-based networks in the form of KNX-IoT. Additionally, the DALI standard showcased its incorporation of wireless networking capabilities through DALI+, leveraging Thread technology. Furthermore, Matter, another Thread-enabled protocol, demonstrated its expansion into the commercial sector, with many leading building solution providers announcing seamless integration with the Matter standard. Thread’s IP-based architecture and low-power mesh capabilities have been acknowledged as key drivers behind its increase in popularity in commercial applications, offering flexibility and cost-effectiveness like we’ve never seen. THREAD ENHANCEMENTSThread Group announced six enhancements for their smart home and building technology in 2024, emphasizing an open and interoperable era. These improvements include credential sharing, ubiquitous internet connectivity, Thread over Infrastructure, network diagnostics, secure commissioning at scale, and robustness and scalability enhancements. Developers gain opportunities for innovation, and installers can improve profitability, while end users will experience a more secure and scalable smart home experience. The features, such as standardized credential sharing and network diagnostics, aim to simplify integration and troubleshooting, enhancing the overall deployment and performance of Thread-enabled devices and networks. Read the full blog here. HOW THREAD COMPLIMENTS WI-FI AND ETHERNET IN A MATTER NETWORKThread’s latest blog, “Robust IoT Connectivity with Thread: How Thread Complements Wi-Fi and Ethernet in a Matter Network,” explains the connection between Wi-Fi and Thread protocols in IoT devices and how Thread, with its low-power and low-bandwidth attributes, can enhance connectivity. Three key use cases are explored: leveraging both Wi-Fi and Thread for robust connectivity, using Thread to manage Wi-Fi network changes seamlessly, and simplifying IoT device provisioning post-installation. This blog also discusses the growing support for Thread in smartphones and how it has impacted the ease of use and installation for IoT devices. Read the full blog here. INNOVATION ENABLER AWARD WINNER AND ENTRYCongratulations to our Innovation Enabler Award winner, Arpobot! Thread Group’s Innovation Enabler Award Program recognizes IoT start-ups and provides innovative companies with the opportunity to join the Thread Group and play a role in defining the connected home through access to Thread technology. The program provides up to two promising companies with a complimentary two-year Thread Group membership* to enable them to build new products using Thread. Winners are selected twice a year; submissions are accepted January through June and July through December with awards granted in July and January. Interested companies can learn more about the program and complete the application here. *First year, complimentary membership at the Contributor level, and Second year, the winner may either elect to pay reduced dues and continue at the Contributor level or elect to participate at the Implementer level free of charge. |
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THREAD GROUP UPCOMING EVENTSThread Group Members Meeting |
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