Connecting Through Industry Collaboration with Thread Group

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Welcome to this edition of Wireless Wednesday. Each Wednesday, NXP will deliver articles, videos and blogs on key topics for wireless connectivity. View all our Wireless Wednesday posts.

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
NXP at Thread Group’s Member Networking Reception showcasing our Thread enablement: Alexandre Deschamps, Sujata Neidig.

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.

Tags: Technologies, Wireless Connectivity

Author

Sujata Neidig

Sujata Neidig

Marketing Director, Wireless Connectivity, NXP Semiconductors

Sujata Neidig has over 30 years of experience in the semiconductor industry and is currently Director of Marketing for Wireless Connectivity where she drives product marketing and standards efforts for IoT connectivity. She also represents NXP on the Thread Group and Connectivity Standards Alliance’s Board of Directors as well as serving as Thread Group’s VP of Marketing. She is based in Austin, TX.