Just under a year ago, the Thread Group launched the first phase of its product certification program in conjunction with test and certificate solution provider UL. This beta program gave select Thread Group members early access to the certification program while it was in development to support early adopters in their Thread product development efforts. The certification program itself is designed to provide rigorous testing for products that use Thread and ensure they work together effortlessly and securely right out of the box.
One early success comes from Centero, an Atlanta-based provider of wireless technologies, products and services for the Internet of Things (IoT). The Centero WEE Module, designed and manufactured to be an integral part of Centero's Thread based IoT communication platform, recently passed the Thread Group's Beta Test Suite, conducted by UL to assess compliance to the Thread V1.0. And, was able to pass on the first attempt!
This Beta Test Suite, a major milestone towards obtaining Thread certification, requires two identical production-like units set up as they would be for an end user. Beyond standard end user functionality, the devices are to operate with each other without using any special modes, commands or manipulations.
"Centero's passing of this Beta Test Suite, without any failures, demonstrates the quality of the Thread-compliant communication stack running on the WEE module," said Tom Sciorilli, technical director, Thread Group. "This success also shows the maturity of the Thread certification process and the growth of the Thread ecosystem overall. We look forward to sharing many more examples of products passing these initial tests and eventually reaching full certification."
Why Thread?
Centero chose Thread because it's based on a solid foundation of existing IoT standards, augmented by novel routing mechanisms that meet specific requirements. These include:
- No single point of failure - redundancy at every layer, including the border router
- Inherent support for monitoring - control loops
- Highly adaptive routing algorithm
Centero is forging an end-to-end Thread platform based on the IPSO Smart Objects application layer which is tailored to meet the requirements of a number of applications and verticals, including connected homes and connected healthcare with a focus on Patient Generated Health Data (PGHD).
Centero also offers a version of the IoT communication platform with a proprietary application layer to meet the requirements of its customers for the following verticals.
- Connected commercial and street lighting
- Process control and factory automation
Each of these verticals pose its own set of challenges which the Centero platform addresses with its differentiated features.
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Vertical Market Challenge
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Centero IoT Communication Platform
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Application layer and profiles selection and implementation
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End-to-end COAP relationship between the devices and the Network Operation Center
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Scalability
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Scalable
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Security, authentication and identity
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-End-to-end DTLS security session between the devices and the Network Operation Center
-Additional DTLS cipher suites that meet the stringent security, authentication and identity requirements associated with connected healthcare
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Latency
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Guarantees for devices operating in the same subnet
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Once the Thread Group releases the 1.1 certification program and Centero completes the testing the WEE Module will be commercially available.
"Our team has extensive background and a deep understanding of the requirements associated with these industries and vertical markets, and we are fully committed to the growth of the Thread ecosystem," said Robert Assimiti, co-founder and CEO, Centero.