1. Introduction
Thread certification is important for ensuring security, reliability, interoperability, consumer confidence, and market access for devices that use the Thread protocol. There are two types of certification:
- Full Thread device certification (FTD)
- Every Thread role is supported except Border Router.
- Minimum Thread device certification (MTD)
- End device (ED) / sleepy end device (SED), and synchronized sleepy end device (SSED) roles are supported.
The 802.15.4 PHY certification has to be performed before the Thread stack certification.
| Thread certification types |
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2. Thread certification process
The Thread certification process involves joining the Thread Group, developing and testing the device, submitting it for certification testing, receiving testing results, and sending them to Thread Group to obtain the certification.
| Thread certification process |
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3. Thread certification environment
The Thread Group has authorized several test labs to perform the Thread certification testing. One of these labs is Granite River Labs (GRL).
- Thread certification is performed using GRL tool.
- Various golden devices are used:
- Nordic Thread device - nRF52840-Dongle
- Silicon Labs Thread device - XG12-DK4166C (SLTB004A/C)
- Raspberry Pi - model 3B or 4B
- Kirale USB dongle - KTDG102
- Kirale border router - KTBRN1
- Fully automated test bench
- Up to 33 devices are used to form the Thread mesh network (TC Leader 5.2.3).
- GRL tool is available to any Thread Group member.
- Certification tests can be run at STMicroelectronics premise before going to the test house.
| GRL Thread certification tool |
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We perform in-house GRL tests using both manual and automated methods.
The manual tests are conducted within a faraday cage according to the test descriptions.
The automated tests are based on our Python script-based tool, which uses GRL APIs and provides a more efficient and streamlined testing process.
The GUI of the GRL tool is shown in the figure below, which enables users to easily track the progress of manual tests.
| GRL campaign management |
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The photo depicts the in-house test bench in the LAB, which is used for Thread precertification.
| Test bench for Thread precertification |
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4. Acronyms and definitions
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| ATL | Authorized test lab |
| FTD | Full Thread device |
| MTD | Minimum Thread device |