Thread was developed to have a reliable, secure, and scalable way to connect low-power devices. Thread is an IPv6 standards-based mesh networking protocol with no single point of failure. Like the Internet, Thread runs on the Internet Protocol (IP). As a result, Thread devices seamlessly integrate with larger IP networks. They don’t need proprietary gateways or translators. This streamlines connectivity to the cloud or to consumers mobile end devices. 

Thread overview. Thread does UDP, IP Routing 6LoWPAN. Application on top of that. Mac and PHY below

Low power wireless connectivity is a core competence of Nordic. Nordic support OpenThread and are one of its main contributors.  Nordic's hardware products in combination with our software are Thread Certified Components.  With Nordic's portfolio, you can build a single chip device or use one of our smaller devices as a network coprocessor to build a Thread Border Router.  The SoCs have different memory sizes and capabilities, for you to select the perfect match for your product. Thread protocol is application layer agnostic and does not define an application layer. As a result, it can support many IP-enabled application protocols. Nordic’s Thread solution is a perfect baseline for Thread-based application layers: Matter, HomeKit, DALI+, KNX IoT, OCF, and others.

Are you thinking about integrating Matter into one of your products? If you are using one of our Thread-capable devices this will be easier that you think. Nordic devices put you in the ideal position to develop your Matter products.  As the #1 Bluetooth Low Energy System-on-Chips (SoCs) supplier with a strong presence in OpenThread, Nordic is your ideal partner. 

Nordic is one of the leading companies in Thread/Bluetooth Low Energy multiprotocol. This is a requirement for Matter and Thread HomeKit accessories, where Bluetooth LE is used tp commission and Thread for data transfer. It is also possible to build a Thread-capable device now and include Matter support later with an update. 

Nordic offer excellent documentation and technical support to anyone developing a Thread product with our SoCs. Nordic guide you through the product development process. 

Advanced Thread SoCs

The nRF5340 SoC is our Thread flagship SoC. It is the first SoC in the nRF53 Series and is the world’s first wireless SoC with two Arm® Cortex®-M33 processors.

The nRF5340 is an all-in-one SoC. It includes a superset of the most prominent nRF52® Series features. The two processors and advanced security features are a great starting point for your application. With the capabilities for Thread, Zigbee and Bluetooth LE the nRF5340 is a multiprotocol powerhouse. With high-speed SPI, QSPI, USB, and even Arm Cryptocell 312 it enables ambitious Thread products.

Four of the seven SoCs in the nRF52 Series also support Thread. All four integrate a powerful yet efficient 64 MHz Arm Cortex-M4 CPU. Flash memory size ranges from 192KB to 1024 KB while RAM size ranges from 24KB to 256 KB. Nordic's nRF52 Series offers simple cost-effective options. It has advanced options and enables your products with top features and ultra-low power.  The nRF52 Series is the ideal platform for basing a product portfolio upon. Similar hardware and software architecture across the series results in excellent software portability. Software reusability gets increased reducing your time-to-market and development cost.

All SoCs can run both Bluetooth Low Energy and a mesh protocol like Thread/Zigbee/Bluetooth mesh concurrently. The radio time is time-sliced and shared between the protocols. The scheduling is autonomous and maintains connections

The nRF52 and nRF53 Series are all-flash based SoCs. Flash memory brings complete flexibility and upgradability to your products. They can be re-programmed in the factory or in the field with over-the-air device firmware upgrades (OTA DFU). This enables product updates and feature additions any time, anywhere.

Do you know more about Nordic's product uses, technical documents, and solutions related to Thread? Then quickly get in touch with Nordic Distributor - NANHUANG!