German smart home maker Eve today released the long-awaited update to the newer version of Eve Thermo, which adds Thread functionality. This was announced as a future update by the company in late 2020, following on from other Eve products that have now seen newer Thread products launched on the market, or have enabled Thread in current products.

To date, it also includes products such as Eve Energy Smart sheet (EU and US, 4th generation), Eve Aqua (Second generation), Eve Weather, and Eve Door & Window (Third gen).

Bluetooth, which Eve relied on for most of their devices until the release of the power strip and light strip, will remain in use because it is required for "HomeKit over Thread", but will also allow the above devices to connect to the HomePod Mini without the need for setup. Eve declares the benefits of Thread with the following statement;

The topic is based on the universally implemented IPv6 (Internet Protocol) standard, making it extremely robust. A Thread network is not based on a central hub, such as a bridge, so there is no single point of failure. And the wire has the ability to self-heal - if a node (or accessory in your wire network) becomes unavailable, the data packets will automatically select an alternate route and the network will continue to operate. And while Wi-Fi and Bluetooth networks tend to become somewhat insecure and difficult to manage with a large number of connected accessories, a Thread network will expand easily and become more robust with each new accessory.

You can buy Eve Thermo in various single or multiple packages from Amazon.de or Amazon.co.uk, although it is advisable to make sure that the model you are buying is the 4th version launched in 2020 (product no. 10EBP1701 / no. 20EBP1701), because previous models are not Thread compatible.