In 2014, seven organizations joined forces as The Thread Group with a vision to solve the market and technical challenges inherent to the Internet of Things. What has evolved is a universal approach to seamless, reliable, low-power, and secure wireless connectivity for devices in smart homes and buildings globally.
In the last decade, we saw collaboration among organizations of all sizes, from around the world and across all facets of IoT. This was only possible because Thread members understand the importance of solving real-world problems in IoT and the greater good our work brings to the industry. The Group’s commitment to the long game is thanks to everyone’s patience, dedication, flexibility for consensus building, and mutual respect.
Check out this video retrospective to hear directly from Thread Group’s current and prior leadership.
The following milestones—and their implications—mark just a few of our volunteer-based membership’s hard-earned shared victories.
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The Innovation Enabler Award was launched to encourage ambitious, early-stage companies to creatively solve IoT challenges with Thread.
Winners are selected biannually based on their ideas’ creative potential and use of Thread technology. Winners get a two-year Thread membership and support from membership to build new components and products.
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2016
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Device testing resources released, a significant step toward commercial availability for Thread-enabled products
With clearly defined technical expectations and universal calibration to ensure seamless interoperability, this paved the path to Thread certification.
The availability of a hardware test bed and test harness allowed members to confirm functionality with the highest degree of speed and repeatability.
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Liaison partnerships with other IoT standards groups are formalized. These partnerships represent all facets of smart home and building automation markets and remain central to the industry’s shared goal of convergence.
We are grateful for our collaboration with peers within each: The Association for Smarter Homes & Buildings (ASHB; formerly CABA, The Continental Automated Buildings Assoc.), Connectivity Standards Alliance (formerly Zigbee Alliance), DALI Alliance, IP-BLiS, and KNX.
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2017
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Thread’s certification program opened within independent Authorized Test Labs (ATLs) around the globe. For components and devices to receive Thread certification, they must prove their adherence to the protocol’s standard in these labs.
To expedite go-to-market timelines many of our ATLs are also approved testing providers for complementary networking technologies such as Matter, Bluetooth LE, and Wi-Fi. Thread certification is available globally via our work with Allion, GRL, Dekra, SGS, TUV Reinland, and UL Solution.
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2018
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Apple, Lutron, Nordic, and Siemens join Thread Group’s Board of Directors, underscoring its value to both smart homes and commercial buildings.
While it’s evolved since 2014, today our Board brings valuable perspectives from every facet of the IoT value chain and regions around the globe.
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2019
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The world’s first Thread certified device (Google Nest Hub Max smart display) successfully passed rigorous specification compliance and interoperability testing.
This "Thread is here and real" moment illustrated Thread’s concreteness and its value. Five years into its work and in the economic context at that time, this objective validation was hard-earned and very welcomed.
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2021
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Thread Group surpassed the 100 certified products milestone
Today there are more than 310 different certified components and devices for smart home and building settings on the market, more than 50% of which support Matter.
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2022
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Launched Thread 1.3, enabling Matter and other application layers to operate seamlessly with Thread and the full functionality of Internet Protocol routing and service discovery.
This enhancement resolved connectivity infrastructure issues, freeing manufacturers’ resources to focus on delivering innovation and the most satisfying end user experiences.
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TIME honored Thread as one of the Best Inventions of 2022.
Calling it the backbone of the seamless smart home, TIME validated the Thread protocol and praised its ability to allow devices from different companies to communicate more reliably and use less power, saving battery life.
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2023
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Apple added Thread support to its mobile devices, starting with the iPhone 15 Pro.
Thread membership grew by 26%.
Today, with member companies in 24 countries on three continents, we’re powered by perspectives from more than 180 companies.
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2024
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Real-world use cases guide Thread 1.4, a strategic evolution informed by the network protocol’s widespread deployment across smart home and commercial building environments.
Thread 1.4 further improves interoperability, range, security, energy consumption, and reliability for advanced sensor networks and IoT devices.
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The associate tier membership option extends Thread certification to rebranded and white label devices.
This significantly expands the Thread-enabled universe, giving OEMs a streamlined path to adopt Thread technology. The inherited certification of compliance also gives confidence to the market and consumers, who expect seamless interoperability and satisfaction.
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“Over the last decade, the Thread Group membership’s commitment and adaptability has helped the entire IoT ecosystem overcome obstacles and strengthen its value position,” said Vividh Siddha, president of Thread Group. “By focusing on interoperability, global collaboration, and market-wide education, Thread continues to drive innovation and shape the future of connected homes and buildings worldwide.”
A Heartfelt Thank You
To our dedicated members and partners, we extend our sincerest gratitude. Your commitment and collaboration have been integral to Thread’s success, shaping the landscape of connected devices and empowering individuals and communities worldwide.
Looking Forward
Propelled by a decade of progress, Thread’s momentum will support even richer innovation and connectivity. From application layer and multi-ecosystem compatibility, to scaling Thread networks in smart homes and buildings’ infrastructure, and exploring new use cases with Thread in mobile, it promises to be exciting.
Here’s to 10 years of driving connectivity and to a future of smarter, more convenient and sustainable living and working environments ahead!