Thread (network protocol)

Thread is a low-power, mesh network protocol which has been developed by a consortium of competing companies in the smart home industry. Thread uses IP version 6 over wireless networks, and it is a protocol designed specifically for IoT devices, allowing them to communicate more quickly, using less power, with fewer points of failure, than previous solutions using IEEE 802.15.4 radio technology.

Thread is a lot like existing smart home protocols Zigbee and Z-Wave, except that no central hub or bridge is needed. Instead, Thread devices talk directly to each other in a wireless mesh network and can connect directly to any other IP-based device, including smart phones, tablets, computers, and Wi-Fi routers.

Thread is the first low-power, wireless mesh networking protocol to allow low-power devices to use IP. And with a mesh network, there is no single point of failure.