The new Thread Networks Diagnostics Tools app from Thread Group, the standards body behind the wireless IoT protocol, officially launches in beta today. The app, which arrives in beta today on iOS and Android, is the first dedicated tool to provide visibility into your Thread-based smart home network. I've been testing the alpha version of the Android app on my complicated home network and, with a bit of extra legwork, have diagnosed several issues with my Thread setup.

Thread is one of the protocols the smart home standard Matter runs on. But since Matter over Thread devices began arriving in 2023, there have been reports of people struggl …

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The smart home networking protocol Thread is adding a new way to onboard devices without a Thread border router. The feature, called Thread Direct, is designed to let users set up Thread-powered devices - such as smart plugs and smart locks - using only a phone or mobile device equipped with a Thread radio. Current devices with Thread radios include many iPhones, newer Pixel phones, and the latest Samsung flagships.

Thread is one of the networking technologies used with the smart home interoperability standard Matter. A low-powered, low-latency mesh networking protocol, Thread provides a way for devices to talk to each other locally in your …

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Matter, the smart home interoperability standard, might finally get a feature that should have been there from day one: a single shared Matter network managed by multiple ecosystems. With this feature, called Joint Fabric, smart devices added to the network will be controllable by any authorized platform - Apple Home, Google Home, Amazon Alexa, and the rest. No need to "share" your smart light between apps; set it up once, and control it everywhere. It's like your smart home is a joint bank account and your platforms of choice all have signing authority.

Joint Fabric is part of the new Matter 1.6 spec announced this week at Unify, the Con …

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