The Thread Group has released Thread 1.2, an IP mesh networking protocol designed to support networks of thousands of battery-powered devices. The new protocol provides extensions for Bluetooth Low Energy devices and commercial deployments while remaining backward compatible with Thread 1.1.

The BLE extensions in Thread 1.2 enable secure communications with BLE devices. These extensions include out-of-band commissioning over Bluetooth, which allows devices with a BLE radio to be native members of a Thread mesh network.

In addition, Thread 1.2 provides commercial extensions that provide enterprise-grade security using IT authentication, authorization, and lifecycle management mechanisms. These extensions also allow organizations to consolidate multiple networks into a single virtual Thread network using IPv6.

Thread 1.2 is available to Thread Group members. For more information visit www.threadgroup.org.