Development programme supports thread mesh networking protocol

As part of the industry alliance focussed on creating a simple, secure and low-power network for the connected home, Freescale is actively involved in defining, delivering and guiding the market adoption of the Thread protocol. Educating developers on Thread, Freescale will unveil its Thread software and beta development kit, which is based on Kinetis W series MCUs.

Freescale’s beta development kit includes the Thread stack software integrated on world-class Kinetis wireless MCU platforms, so developers can focus on their unique applications and differentiators. Early adopters can start product planning and development now, and potentially deliver the first Thread-enabled and Thread-certified products to the market in 2015.

Thread is a low-power wireless mesh network protocol that runs on existing 802.15.4 networks and is built on technologies such as IPv6 and 6LoWPAN. Designed specifically for connecting devices in the home, Thread provides secure communication that connects devices to each other and to the cloud for easy control and access from anywhere. Unlike other technologies, which need to translate protocols to IP packets, Thread natively carries IP from the cloud to the end device, resulting in a simpler, more efficient solution.

Freescale’s Thread implementation is built on low-power Kinetis W series MCUs, integrating 2.4GHz RF transceivers with ARM Cortex-M0+/M4 cores. The Thread beta development kit includes everything needed to evaluate and develop Thread-enabled products and to test them in a multi-node network environment. Beta companies receive: Kinetis KW2x Tower boards, USB dongles, samples and the Thread stack, which includes precompiled Thread libraries and demo application code.

“Freescale is taking the lead in educating the market on the advantages of the Thread protocol, and helping establish a strong ecosystem to support the explosive growth in the IoT,” said Emmanuel Sambuis, Director, Connectivity Products, MCU Group, Freescale. “We are excited to kick off our beta programme and are ready to engage with companies today who are eager to introduce compelling IP-connected solutions for the home. We’ve put together a comprehensive development kit, providing OEMs with what they need to rapidly create Thread-enabled products that gain first-mover advantage in the marketplace.”