There’s lastly some excellent news for anybody battling a number of Thread networks whereas utilizing Matter gadgets of their sensible house — so long as you’re the affected person sort. In line with Matter Alpha, the tvOS 26 beta introduced at WWDC this week provides Thread 1.4 to Apple TVs. And, as Apple’s sensible audio system use a fork of tvOS, it’s probably that the upcoming HomePod OS 26 will embrace 1.4 as effectively.
Thread 1.4 brings a typical means for Thread border routers, equivalent to Apple TVs and HomePods, to affix an present Thread community, fixing the issue the place border routers from totally different producers arrange separate networks once they be part of your sensible house. “We’re seeing an ideal shift towards Thread 1.4 amongst some main machine, platform, and border router distributors,” Thread Group VP of promoting Ann Olivo informed The Verge.
However, with tvOS 26 not arriving till the autumn, and Google and Amazon’s adoption of Thread 1.4 coming subsequent 12 months on the earliest, these of us who like to combine and match our sensible house {hardware} — perhaps you might have an Apple TV, an Eero router, and a Google Nest Hub — should wait till at the least 2026 for a extra steady and speedier sensible house.
Launched in September 2024, Thread 1.4 is the most recent specification of the sensible house protocol that Matter runs on. Thread affords a low-power, low-bandwidth mesh networking protocol designed particularly for IoT gadgets like lights, locks, sensors, and extra. The 1.4 spec dictates that when a border router is added, it should be part of the present Thread community versus creating a brand new one — no matter model or platform. So, for instance, your new Echo Present 8 would be part of the community already created by your Apple TV.
Thread-powered gadgets require a Thread border router to hook up with the web. Right this moment, there are a number of choices for border routers, together with the latest Apple TVs and HomePods, higher-end Echo and Google Nest sensible audio system, and a few Wi-Fi routers, together with Eeros. In case you have just a few of those gadgets, they could arrange separate Thread networks, which might trigger points. The most important being that you just lose the prolonged vary and reliability advantages of a unified mesh community.
I at present have 9 Thread networks operating in my house. Samsung SmartThings has created three. My Nest community contains most of my HomePods and my Google TV streamer; my Apple community has a more recent Apple TV and a Nanoleaf border router in it. I’ve three separate Eero networks, one with Eero gadgets in it and the opposite two with Echo gadgets in them. Whereas my setup is just not typical (I take a look at sensible house gadgets for a residing), it does reveal what a multitude this may create.
Older variations of Thread are being sunsetted to hurry up the transition. “Thread 1.3 certification purposes for Thread Border Routers will shut December 31, 2025,” Olivo confirmed. “As of Jan. 1, 2026, Thread 1.4 would be the solely specification out there for Thread Border Router certification.”
With Apple poised to implement Thread 1.4 this fall with tvOS 26, I checked in with Google, Amazon, and Samsung to see the place they had been at. All are nonetheless on 1.3. Nevertheless, Mark Benson, head of SmartThings US, stated Samsung’s border routers will probably be on 1.4 “later this 12 months.” Amazon spokesperson Melanie Garvey stated they are going to carry assist for 1.4 “throughout suitable gadgets subsequent 12 months.” Alex Sakhartchouk, a software program engineer at Google Dwelling, confirmed that they’re actively working towards including assist for Thread 1.4 “sooner or later.”
“As of Jan. 1, 2026, Thread 1.4 would be the solely specification out there for Thread Border Router certification.”
Sakhartchouk added that Google Nest Thread border routers already “do our greatest” to affix present networks by integrating with cell Thread credential storage APIs on Android and iOS. Which means, while you set them up together with your smartphone, they need to share credentials with an present border router utilizing the telephone. “We share our credentials by way of these similar cell APIs to permit others to affix our networks,” he stated. This labored for me — once I arrange the Google TV streamer, it joined my present Apple Thread community.
Whereas cell credential sharing helps immediately, and the Wi-Fi router-based resolution put in place by the Connectivity Requirements Alliance in Matter 1.4 might assist in some unspecified time in the future, essentially the most simple repair is border routers speaking with one another. This could have been the method from day one — however it appears like we’ll must be affected person some time longer.
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