Samsung SmartThings Brings Two-Way Thread Network Support to Smart Homes

Samsung’s SmartThings platform lets users easily control their connected homes and IoT devices. The company announced that it will support Thread network unification for greater interoperability across ecosystems. The goal is to make smart homes more seamless and reliable, regardless of the brand of devices.

Thread network unification brings seamless smart home connectivity to SmartThings

Introduced with the Thread 1.4 specification, Thread network unification allows different smart home border routers to work on the same Thread network. Now, Samsung becomes the first smart home ecosystem to support this capability. This allows a new SmartThings Hub to join an existing Thread network after the initial setup. Furthermore, it lets a border router (BR) from another ecosystem connect to the Thread network already managed by SmartThings. After unification, every border router in the home connects seamlessly.

“SmartThings has always been about giving users choice and flexibility in how they build their smart home,” said Mark Benson, Head of SmartThings US. “Thread network unification eliminates the barriers between ecosystems, so devices and Border Routers can work together in one powerful mesh, delivering the performance and simplicity our users have been asking for.”

Speaking of advantages, Thread network unification combines all border routers into a single mesh to improve coverage and reliability. It keeps devices connected even if one goes offline while routing data along the fastest available path. Moreover, setup becomes much simpler, as it prevents network fragmentation and the complexity of migrating devices later. The system also offers flexible network management, allowing users to add or remove border routers at any time.

It is worth noting that even though the Thread network unification greatly improves smart home setup, getting the full benefits depends on having compatible Thread 1.4 BRs across ecosystems. As of now, the feature is available on select SmartThings hubs, including the Aeotec Smart Home Hub and Aeotec Smart Home Hub 2. Samsung plans to bring the feature to more hubs in the near future. Over time, Third-party ecosystems may add Thread 1.4 support for their border routers for greater interoperability.