A new Thread in the wireless home networking tapestry

29 April 2015 Telecoms, Datacoms, Wireless, IoT News Editor's Choice

As if the world didn’t have enough wireless standards already, a new one will soon be making itself at home amongst the clutter.

Simply called ‘Thread’, the concept comes from a collaborative effort by a handful of technology companies with diverse skills, which got together to create a simple yet robust solution for wirelessly connecting consumers to devices in and around the home.

With ever more consumer electronic devices having some sort of communication requirements – the advent of the so-called Internet of Things or IoT – Thread was designed with everything in mind from appliances, lighting and climate control to energy management, access control, safety and security. Crucially, it will also be interoperable with existing technologies such as ZigBee, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and Z-Wave.

Thread adopts the same carrier specification as ZigBee – IEEE 802.15.4 – and is based on 6LoWPAN, an acronym for IPv6 over Low power Wireless Personal Area Networks. Thread Group, the industry body established to develop and promote the technology, claims that millions of existing 802.15.4 wireless devices already on the market will be able to run Thread with just a software enhancement.

Founding members of the group include ARM, Big Ass Fans, Freescale Semiconductor, Nest Labs, Samsung Electronics, Silicon Laboratories and Yale Security. Dozens of leading technology organisations have since joined, in capacities ranging from sponsor to contributor and affiliate.

Thread Group will manage certification of products to the specification, with certification programmes expected to be rolled out during the first half of 2015. Thread technology will be licensed to members under RAND-RF terms (Reasonable And Non-Discriminatory – Royalty Free).

Further reading:

Industrial Ethernet time sensitive networking switch
RS South Africa Telecoms, Datacoms, Wireless, IoT
The ADIN3310 and ADIN6310 are 3-port and 6-port Gigabit Ethernet time sensitive networking (TSN) switches with integrated security primarily designed for industrial Ethernet applications.

Read more...

---

When it comes to long-term reliability of RF amplifier ICs, focus first on die junction temperature
Altron Arrow Editor's Choice Telecoms, Datacoms, Wireless, IoT
When considering the long-term reliability of integrated circuits, a common misconception is that high package or die thermal resistance is problematic. However, high or low thermal resistance, by itself, tells an incomplete story.

Read more...

---

Automotive-grade digital isolators
Telecoms, Datacoms, Wireless, IoT
The NSI83xx series of capacitive-based isolators from NOVOSENSE Microelectronics offer superior EOS resilience and minimal power noise susceptibility.

Read more...

---

Why bis means business for LTE Cat 1 IoT connections
NuVision Electronics Editor's Choice Telecoms, Datacoms, Wireless, IoT
Tomaž Petaros, product manager IoT EMEA at Quectel Wireless Solutions explains why the market for Cat 1bis IoT connections is getting busy.

Read more...

---

Wi-Fi in 2025: When is Wi-Fi 7 the answer?
iCorp Technologies Telecoms, Datacoms, Wireless, IoT
Wi-Fi 7 introduces multi-link operation and lower latency, a game-changing feature that allows devices to transmit and receive data across multiple frequency bands simultaneously to significantly reduce network congestion.

Read more...

---

Bluetooth Lite SoCs purpose built for IoT
NuVision Electronics Telecoms, Datacoms, Wireless, IoT
Whether it is enabling predictive maintenance on industrial equipment, tracking assets in dense environments, or running for years on a coin cell battery in ultra-low power sensors, developers need solutions that are lean, reliable, and ready to scale with emerging use cases.

Read more...

---

LTE Cat 1bis module
Otto Wireless Solutions Telecoms, Datacoms, Wireless, IoT
The A7673X LTE Cat 1bis module from SimCom is engineered to meet the growing demands of the IoT industry, offering exceptional performance and seamless integration.

Read more...

---

Track with precision
Electrocomp Telecoms, Datacoms, Wireless, IoT
KYOCERA AVX provides innovative antennas for cellular, LTE-M, NB-IoT, LoRa, GNSS, BLE, UWB, Wi-Fi, and future Satellite IoT.

Read more...

---

Wi-Fi 7 front-end module
RF Design Telecoms, Datacoms, Wireless, IoT
The Qorvo QPF4609 is an integrated front end module designed for 802.11be systems that has integrated matching, which minimises layout area.

Read more...

---

Multi-channel downconverter
Vepac Electronics Telecoms, Datacoms, Wireless, IoT
The Downconverter from Crane Aerospace is a converter that operates from 2 to 18 GHz and delivers a noise figure of 11 dB with an attenuation range of 25 dB.

Read more...

---