Technology

This is the best summary I could come up with:

We already had plenty of wireless protocols for most use cases — Zigbee for lighting, Z-Wave for security systems, Bluetooth for proximity control of devices like locks, and Wi-Fi for high-bandwidth needs such as cameras.

But while the open-sourced Thread protocol does have compelling features (see sidebar), its rollout as part of the major shift Matter is trying to make in our smart homes needed to be better.

“The platforms have yet to agree on a standardized way to share Thread credentials amongst each other,” Stefan Bauer-Schwan of smart home device maker Eve Systems tells me.

Nanoleaf has updated its border-router-capable lighting panels to support joining existing Thread networks, and Amazon’s Thread-capable Eero Wi-Fi routers are on 1.3.0.

“The Thread Group is working with the industry on best practices for identifying when a given network should change its configuration and how to enable users to easily do so without disruption to their existing setup,” he said.

So, while you might get a robust Thread network if you have all HomePods and Apple TVs and Google Nest devices that were set up on iOS, or all SmartThings hubs, or all Amazon’s border routers, you can’t easily mix and match — yet.

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