It could be 2026 before all your Thread border routers work together

There’s yet immoderate bully quality for anyone battling aggregate Thread networks portion utilizing Matter devices successful their astute location — arsenic agelong arsenic you’re the diligent type. According to Matter Alpha, the tvOS 26 beta announced astatine WWDC this week adds Thread 1.4 to Apple TVs. And, arsenic Apple’s astute speakers usage a fork of tvOS, it’s apt that the upcoming HomePod OS 26 volition see 1.4 arsenic well.

Thread 1.4 brings a modular mode for Thread borderline routers, specified arsenic Apple TVs and HomePods, to articulation an existing Thread network, fixing the occupation wherever border routers from antithetic manufacturers acceptable up abstracted networks erstwhile they articulation your astute home. “We’re seeing a large displacement toward Thread 1.4 among immoderate large device, platform, and borderline router vendors,” Thread Group VP of selling Ann Olivo told The Verge. 

But, with tvOS 26 not arriving until the fall, and Google and Amazon’s adoption of Thread 1.4 coming adjacent twelvemonth astatine the earliest, those of america who similar to premix and lucifer our astute location hardware — possibly you person an Apple TV, an Eero router, and a Google Nest Hub — volition person to hold until astatine slightest 2026 for a much unchangeable and speedier astute home.

Released successful September 2024, Thread 1.4 is the latest specification of the smart location protocol that Matter runs on. Thread offers a low-power, low-bandwidth mesh networking protocol designed specifically for IoT devices similar lights, locks, sensors, and more. The 1.4 spec dictates that erstwhile a borderline router is added, it volition articulation the existing Thread web versus creating a caller one — careless of marque oregon platform. So, for example, your caller Echo Show 8 would articulation the web already created by your Apple TV.

Thread-powered devices necessitate a Thread borderline router to link to the internet. Today, determination are respective options for borderline routers, including the newest Apple TVs and HomePods, higher-end Echo and Google Nest astute speakers, and immoderate Wi-Fi routers, including Eeros. If you person a fewer of these devices, they whitethorn acceptable up abstracted Thread networks, which tin origin issues. The biggest being that you suffer the extended scope and reliability benefits of a unified mesh network.

I presently person 9 Thread networks moving successful my home. Samsung SmartThings has created three. My Nest web includes astir of my HomePods and my Google TV streamer; my Apple web has a newer Apple TV and a Nanoleaf borderline router successful it. I person 3 abstracted Eero networks, 1 with Eero devices successful it and the different 2 with Echo devices successful them. While my setup is not emblematic (I trial astute location devices for a living), it does show what a messiness this tin create. 

Older versions of Thread are being sunsetted to velocity up the transition. “Thread 1.3 certification applications for Thread Border Routers volition adjacent December 31, 2025,” Olivo confirmed. “As of Jan. 1, 2026, Thread 1.4 volition beryllium the lone specification disposable for Thread Border Router certification.”

With Apple poised to instrumentality Thread 1.4 this autumn with tvOS 26, I checked successful with Google, Amazon, and Samsung to spot wherever they were at. All are inactive connected 1.3. However, Mark Benson, caput of SmartThings US, said Samsung’s borderline routers volition beryllium connected 1.4 “later this year.” Amazon spokesperson Melanie Garvey said they volition bring enactment for 1.4 “across compatible devices adjacent year.” Alex Sakhartchouk, a bundle technologist astatine Google Home, confirmed that they are actively moving toward adding enactment for Thread 1.4 “in the future.”

Sakhartchouk added that Google Nest Thread borderline routers already “do our best” to articulation existing networks by integrating with mobile Thread credential retention APIs connected Android and iOS. Meaning, erstwhile you acceptable them up with your smartphone, they should stock credentials with an existing borderline router utilizing the phone. “We stock our credentials via these aforesaid mobile APIs to let others to articulation our networks,” helium said. This worked for maine — erstwhile I acceptable up the Google TV streamer, it joined my existing Apple Thread network.

While mobile credential sharing helps today, and the Wi-Fi router-based solution enactment successful spot by the Connectivity Standards Alliance successful Matter 1.4 could assistance astatine immoderate point, the astir straightforward hole is borderline routers communicating with each other. This should person been the attack from time one — but it looks similar we’ll person to beryllium diligent a portion longer.