Smart Home Setup Gets Easier with Thread Cloud Credentials

If you’re looking to build a smart home, one of the first things you need to decide is what ecosystem you want to be a part of. The larger smart home ecosystems like Google Home, Alexa, HomeKit, and SmartThings offer a range of compatible smart home devices, but once you invest in one of them, you’re essentially stuck there unless you’re willing to deal with interoperability issues and juggle a bunch of different apps.

Fortunately, there’s a potential solution to these issues in the Matter smart home standard, which uses the Thread connectivity protocol as its communications layer. With a recent update, Google is looking to further improve Thread support on Android by backing up Thread credentials to the cloud.

In case you didn’t know, Matter is a royalty-free standard that aims to solve the interoperability issues I just mentioned. It defines an interoperable way for smart home devices to communicate. For example, you can connect a Matter-certified light switch or thermostat to a Matter-compatible app or hub, even if everything is made by different vendors — which is often the case with smart home devices.

Matter is essentially a universal language that smart home devices use to communicate. These messages still need to be sent wirelessly between devices, which is where Thread comes in. Thread is a networking protocol that is not only very energy efficient, but also very robust and reliable, as it uses a mesh network to relay signals between smart home devices.

Since Thread is much newer than Bluetooth or Wi-Fi, it’s not yet available on many devices, but that’s slowly changing. We’re seeing Thread radios coming to a variety of smart home devices, TV streamers, and now even smartphones. Thread radios in devices like the Google TV Streamer allow them to act as Thread border routers for the Google Home ecosystem; essentially, this allows them to connect devices on a Thread mesh network and Wi-Fi network, connecting those Thread devices to the internet (and thus allowing them to be controlled from anywhere).

The Thread border router also helps create a Thread mesh network that Thread-enabled smart home devices join. For security purposes, the Thread mesh network is password-protected, so unauthorized devices can’t join and interact with other smart home devices. Thread credentials are “complex, machine-generated codes,” unlike user-generated Wi-Fi passwords, which are usually fairly simple. The credentials are securely stored in the Google Play Services app, which also provides the Thread APIs that smart home apps use to download them and pair new devices.

Earlier this week, Google sent a push notification to many users — myself included — informing them that “Thread credentials stored on your phone are now synced to the cloud to speed up device setup on the Thread network.” While the notification says “phone,” I received it on my OnePlus Pad 2 (which is a tablet), so it’s safe to say it applies to phones, tablets, and foldable devices that support Google Home.

Clicking the “learn more” button takes you to Google’s support page that describes how its products use Thread, which was recently updated with a new section explaining this “improved Thread network setup with cloud syncing.” According to the support page, storing Thread credentials in the cloud has the following benefits:

• Simplified configuration:When you add a new Thread device, it can automatically retrieve your credentials from the cloud, eliminating the need for manual entry or complex pairing processes.
• Seamless integration:With cloud storage, Thread devices can work seamlessly with other Google Home devices to create a more integrated smart home experience.
• Increased security and reliability: Storing your credentials in the cloud adds an extra layer of protection against loss or damage. If you lose or replace your phone, the Thread network remains intact and your credentials are protected by Google’s robust security infrastructure.
• Hassle-free network management: As your smart home grows and evolves, cloud storage ensures your Thread network remains flexible and resilient. Whether you add new devices, replace old ones, or even switch phones, your credentials will be stored securely and easily accessible.

Google says your Thread credentials are stored with the “highest level of security and privacy” and that it doesn’t share them with any third-party devices or services without your explicit permission. However, if you don’t want your Thread credentials stored in the cloud, Google says you can delete the data from your account in your account settings.