!!! Overview
[{$pagename}] is an [IPv6]-based, [Low-Power Wide Area Network] [Mesh Network] technology for [Internet of Things] ([IoT]) products.


[{$pagename}] uses [6LoWPAN], which, in turn, uses the [IEEE 802.15.4] [wireless] [protocol] with [Mesh Network] [communication], as does [Zigbee] and other systems. [{$pagename}] is different in that it is [IP]-addressable, with [cloud] access and [AES] [encryption]. 

A [BSD]-licensed [Open Source] [implementation] of [{$pagename}], called "[OpenThread]", has been released by [Google]

[{$pagename}] (or really [6LoWPAN]) is based on the use of a connecting [router], called an edge [router]. [{$pagename}] calls their edge routers Border [Routers]. Unlike other proprietary networks, [6LoWPAN], like any network with edge routers, does not maintain any [Application Layer] [state], because such networks forward [datagrams] at the [Network Layer]. This means that [6LoWPAN] remains unaware of [Application Layer] [protocols] and changes. This lowers the processing [power] burden on edge [routers]. It also means that Thread does not need to maintain an [Application Layer]. 

[{$pagename}] states that multiple [Application Layers] can be supported, as long as they are low-bandwidth and are able to operate over [IPv6]

[{$pagename}] is one of the  [Network Layers] supported by [Matter Standard]


[{$pagename}] Radio layer it uses IEEE 802.15.4 [MAC] which is the same radio that [Zigbee] uses.

[{$pagename}] uses the IEEE 802.15.4 [PHY|Physical Layer] which is [6LoWPAN]

!! [{$pagename}] Scalability
[{$pagename}] supports a [Mesh Network] and supports up to:
* 32 [Routers] per network
* 511 [End nodes] per [Router]
* [Routers] perform a dynamic shortest path any to any routing [Protocol].






!! More Information
There might be more information for this subject on one of the following:
[{ReferringPagesPlugin before='*' after='\n' }]
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* [#1] - [Thread_(network_protocol)|Wikipedia:Thread_(network_protocol)|target='_blank'] - based on information obtained 2022-01-04