Thread Direct looks to solve Matter’s biggest setup headache

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 home, while Matter defines how they talk to each other. Matter is supported by all the major platforms, including Apple Home, Amazon Alexa, Google Home, Samsung SmartThings, and Home Assistant.

Today, using Thread devices typically requires a compatible Thread border router — a device such as an Apple TV, an Eero Wi-Fi router, a Google Nest Hub, or several versions of Amazon’s Echo smart displays. These are always-on devices that bridge a Thread network to other networks and the internet. While many smart homes already include a border router, many do not, creating a frustrating setup barrier. This is something I called out when Matter first launched in 2022 and is still an issue today.

This has led to a now-familiar problem: Someone buys a Thread-enabled device, like a smart lock, only to discover they can’t set it up because there’s no Thread border router in the home. Thread Direct is intended to address that gap.

What is Matter?

Developed by Apple, Amazon, Google, and Samsung (and others), Matter is an open-source, IP-based connectivity software layer for smart home devices. It works over Wi-Fi, ethernet, and the low-power mesh networking protocol Thread and currently supports most of the main device types in the home. These include lighting, thermostats, locks, robot vacuums, refrigerators, dishwashers, dryers, ovens, smoke alarms, air quality monitors, EV chargers, and more.

A smart home gadget with the Matter logo can be set up and used with any Matter-compatible ecosystem via a Matter controller and controlled by more than one with a feature called multi-admin.

Amazon Alexa, Google Home, Samsung SmartThings, and Apple Home are major smart home platforms that support Matter, along with hundreds of device manufacturers.

Thread Direct doesn’t replace the need for a Thread Border Router; one will still be required for a Thread network. But it “removes reliance on the Thread Border Router for initial device setup,” Thread Group’s head of marketing Anne Olivo said in an interview with The Verge. “We hope that we’re going to make it a lot easier to set up and operate those Thread devices directly from a phone, a tablet, potentially a wearable.” She added that the feature could extend to other use cases, such as smart shades that come with a remote control. “You could pair them using a Thread-enabled phone.”

With Thread Direct, a mobile device could communicate directly with a Thread device during setup, allowing users to commission a product and add it to their smart home app. While they will still need a Thread Border Router for full functionality — including remote access and automations — that could be added later.

The approach is similar to how Apple’s HomeKit worked pre-Matter, where Bluetooth devices could be set up and controlled locally with an iPhone, but required a Home hub for remote access and automations.

While most smartphones support Bluetooth, few have Thread. Apple and Google, which have supported Thread since its earliest days, have begun incorporating Thread radios into their lines, starting with the iPhone 15 Pro and the Google Pixel 8 Pro and now with broad support across their latest models.

While Apple still supports HomeKit and Bluetooth, it has been steadily expanding its Matter and Thread support across its ecosystem. It introduced Thread with the HomePod Mini in 2020, and its newest tvOS 27 brings Thread 1.4 to Apple TVs, which are also Matter Controllers. The company recently enabled iPhones to control Matter and Thread devices directly in Apple Home with iOS 18, and Thread Direct appears designed to extend similar onboarding capabilities across more Thread-enabled mobile devices.

Thread Direct is expected to be part of the next iteration of the Thread specification, likely Thread 2.0. The Thread Group has not announced a release timeline.

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Jennifer Pattison Tuohy