Connecting Through Industry Collaboration with Thread Group

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Industry collaboration is a powerful force for progress, and that was clearly demonstrated at the Thread Group  Member
meeting last week in Denver, CO. Bringing together bright minds from different companies, industries and regions
with
different experiences and perspectives to work on projects together changes the dynamics of problem solving and
sparks
creativity.

NXP has driven wireless IoT connectivity for decades as one of the 7 founding members of Thread Group. As our team
participated in the various sessions and networking receptions as well as talked to the attendees (including
many first-timers), there were a few themes that emerged.

• Thread products are in the market—increased rate of
  certifications, increased usage and awareness based on field
  feedback, and increased knowledge in the industry
• The benefits of Thread’s IP-based mesh network are resonating with device makers ecosystems—enabling low energy
  footprint, reliable, secure and extendable wireless connectivity for IoT devices
• As Thread adoption grows rapidly, there is a clear path to a
  more ubiquitous Thread home infrastructure through
  enablement of Thread in home routers and access points
• In the smart home, Matter over Thread complements Matter over Wi-Fi, which enables a universal language for
  devices and
  ecosystems. Thread is also making its way into pro home and
  commercial buildings as the low-power reliable
  network
  transport for DALI+ and KNX IoT

Highlighting Thread’s benefits for commercial buildings, NXP shared our KNX IoT with Thread enablement at the member
meeting networking reception. Our demo uses Thread to create a KNX IoT network for smart buildings. NXP’s MCX W71
multiprotocol MCU runs an OpenThread stack and KNX IoT application layer. Using our FRDM board platform, one
MCX W71
board acts as a KNX IoT light switch sensor (LSSB) while another board acts as a KNX IoT light switch actuator
(LSAB).
Both boards connect to a PC through a Thread Border Router implemented on the RW612 Tri-Radio Wi-Fi MCU which
includes
Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth LE, and 802.15.4 support. This solution allows remote control of the KNX IoT devices through the
PC
or local control using the buttons on the MCX W FRDM boards, laying a foundation for developers to quickly build KNX
IoT
with Thread-capable devices or border routers.

Having been involved with Thread Group 
for over 11 years as a Board Director representing NXP and as the VP of Marketing, I have seen the standard grow from a
promising idea to an established technology with investments and deployments by companies across the smart home and
building industry. With Matter, KNX IoT and other IP-based application layer standards delivering on the market
needs
for security, sustainability and scalability, the use of Thread’s low power, IP mesh network will continue to grow.