Thread and matter

Thread

What is Thread, and why is it better?

Thread — A communication protocol

Thread is a low-power mesh networking standard that allows users to connect their devices within a home network. Thread allows devices to communicate with each other without the need for a central controller. This makes it ideal for home automation, where a large number of devices may need to be connected. Thread uses the same RF technology as Zigbee but provides IP connectivity similar to Wi-Fi. Unlike Zigbee, Thread does not allow to control devices directly: It is just a communication protocol. A higher-level protocol, such as Matter or HomeKit, is required to control Thread-enabled devices. To see which home automation standard is supported by your device, check the icon on the packaging.




Thread is one of the key technologies of Matter. It promises to make the smart home more robust.

Like Z-Wave and Zigbee,

Thread is a low-power mesh networking protocol.

“Networking is one of the biggest problems of the smart home; sensors and devices dropping offline,” says Tony Fadell, founder of Nest.

Thread and the precursor to Matter, Weave, was first developed in 2014 by Nest and six other companies, including Silicon Labs, ARM, Samsung Electronics, and Yale Security.

Thread’s big selling points are speed and reliability. 

A motion sensor will turn your lights on in a millisecond compared to a second, and your network won’t go down because you accidentally unplugged the hub, as — with enough devices deployed — a Thread network can self-heal.

Unlike Bluetooth or Wi-Fi, Thread was specifically developed as a smart home protocol

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Other protocols used in the smart home to date have been co-opted into that role, meaning they have practical and usability issues.

 Wi-Fi is too power-hungry for battery-powered devices.
 Bluetooth has range limitations. 
Zigbee and Z-Wave require dedicated hubs, which are cumbersome to set up and maintain and can be a single point of failure.

what is Thread?
It seem, that Thread 292 will be the new wireless standard that comes with Matter. Its mostly based on Zigbee, but without its compatibility issues. Because of that, older Zigbee products could might be upgraded to Thread via Firmwareupdates.

source:https://community.home-assistant.io/t/itead-s-sonoff-zigbee-3-0-usb-dongle-plus-v2-model-zbdongle-e-based-on-silicon-labs-efr32mg21-20dbm-radio-soc-mcu/442695/95?u=msly

Matter

Unlike the radio based protocols we’re already familiar with in the IoT landscape, like Zigbee and Z-Wave, Matter uses standard IP-based communication. Matter is not a radio protocol, but a control protocol that runs on top of the existing network infrastructure, using your existing Wi-Fi/Ethernet routers and Thread.

The following figure shows the protocol types and the available Matter controllers.

https://developer.nordicsemi.com/nRF_Connect_SDK/doc/2.0.0/nrf/ug_matter_configuring.html



Protocol types and controllers used by Matter

Matter does not require Thread, it is optional. Matter simply requires IP networking, preferably IPv6.

Matter aims to build a universal IPv6-based communication protocol for smart home devices. The protocol defines the application layer that will be deployed on devices and the different link layers to help maintain interoperability. The following diagram illustrates the normal operational mode of the stack:



https://github.com/project-chip/connectedhomeip

The architecture is divided into layers to help separate the different responsibilities and introduce a good level of encapsulation among the various pieces of the protocol stack. The vast majority of interactions flow through the stack captured in the following Figure:

Application: High-order business logic of a device. For example, an application that is focused on lighting might contain logic to handle turning on/off the bulb as well as its color characteristics.
Data Model: The data layer corresponds to the data and verb elements that help support the functionality of the application. The Application operates on these data structures when there is an intent to interact with the device.
Interaction Model: The Interaction Model layer defines a set of interactions that can be performed between a client and server device. For example, reading or writing attributes on a server device would correspond to application behavior on the device. These interactions operate on the elements defined at the data model layer.
Action Framing: Once an action is constructed using the Interaction Model, it is serialized into a prescribed packed binary format to encode for network transmission.
Security: An encoded action frame is then sent down to the Security Layer to encrypt and sign the payload to ensure that data is secured and authenticated by both sender and receiver of a packet.

Message Framing & Routing: With an interaction encrypted and signed, the Message Layer constructs the payload format with required and optional header fields; which specify the message's properties and some routing information.

IP Framing & Transport Management: After the final payload has been constructed, it is sent to the underlying transport protocol for IP management of the data.

https://github.com/project-chip/connectedhomeip