Nordic Semiconductor's devices have been officially certified with the OpenThread stack at an Authorized Test Lab (ATL), and together with the provided OpenThread libraries they form a Thread Certified Component.
The following table shows the certification matrix for the Thread protocol in the nRF5 SDK for Thread and Zigbee.
| SDK version | Devices | Configuration | Certification scope |
|---|---|---|---|
| nRF5 SDK for Thread and Zigbee v4.1 | nRF52840, nRF52833 | MasterImage, FTD, and MTD | Internal and ATL* – see details |
| nRF5 SDK for Thread and Zigbee v3.2 | nRF52840 | MasterImage | Internal and ATL |
This means that the certification status can be inherited from a certified component for your product if it uses the nRF52840 or the nRF52833 chip and meets the requirements specified by Thread Group.
When developing a product with a version of OpenThread different than the one provided, you need to apply for the complete product certification and certification by inheritance is not possible.
The stack included in the the nRF5 SDK for Thread and Zigbee v4.1 was internally tested using Thread v1.1 Test Harness 2.0.1 and the complete Thread Test Bed.
The DUT device in the SoC architecture has been tested in the following combinations:
Internal testing has been done on the multiprotocol application and OpenThread libraries compiled with GCC. The libraries can be found in the following folders:
<InstallFolder>\external\openthread\lib\nrf52840\gcc <InstallFolder>\external\openthread\lib\nrf52833\gcc See OpenThread libraries for more information.
The nRF5 SDK for Thread and Zigbee v4.1 passed the ATL certification for nRF52840 and nRF52833 on MasterImage, FTD, and MTD library variants.
The nRF5 SDK for Thread and Zigbee v4.1 passed the internal certification, with the following results for certification tests for nRF52840 and nRF52833 on MasterImage, FTD, and MTD library variants:
The following test cases fail in Thread v1.1 Test Harness 2.0.1 because of reference device issues:
This has been reported to Thread Group as invalid behavior of Thread Golden Devices. Thread Group validated these issues and confirm fail on the reference device side.
To certify a Thread product, all certification test cases must be run on the Thread Test Harness software.
A detailed description on how to assemble and configure Thread Test Bed and run Thread Test Harness can be found on Thread Group's Confluence wiki page.
The following procedure references the nRF52840 Development Kit. The analogical procedure may be used to run the certification using the nRF52833 Development Kit.
Complete the following steps to run the certification tests:
nRF52840.py file to C:\GRL\Thread1.1\Thread_Harness\THCI. This file works with the Thread stack, and is included in nRF5 SDK for Thread and Zigbee in the directory <InstallFolder>\external\openthread\thread_harness\THCI.nRF52840.jpg file to the folder C:\GRL\Thread1.1\Web\images.DEVICE_FIELDS section inside the C:\GRL\Thread1.1\Web\data\deviceInputFields.xml. The procedure of running the Thread Test Harness software on Nordic Semiconductor's nRF52840 SoC (on the PCA10056 Development Kit) must be adjusted in the following way.
Thread Test Harness does not correctly identify the PCA10056 Development Kit out-of-the-box. Due to a collision of USB PID:VID with another vendor (this is valid only for Nordic Semiconductor development kits with J-Link virtual COM port), Nordic devices are not automatically added to the device list.
To add an nRF52840 device, drag the nRF52840 device and drop it on the configuration page. After that, the devices are configured and proper baud rate (115200) and COM port is set.
See the following links for more information:
Depending on your development approach, you have the following certification options:
For details about the certification process, check the Thread Group Certification document (member login required).
When developing a Thread product with the nRF5 SDK for Thread and Zigbee, you can apply for certifying this product by inheritance as an official Thread certified product. This is possible for products that are based on systems from Nordic (both stack and device) that were previously certified by Thread Group, as long as you have not modified the initial functionality that was tested by Thread Group for certification.
This scenario offers the most simplified, potentially shorter certification process at the lowest cost. It is available to Thread Group members at Implementer tier or higher.
If your solution uses the same version of the OpenThread stack as the one used in the precompiled, certified binaries, but you made modifications within the operating parameters defined by Thread Group, you need to contact Thread Group to check if certification by inheritance is still possible. You have to officially list all changes with detailed explanation in your application. Based on this list, Thread Group can accept or reject your application for certification by inheritance.
If your solution modifies the stack's certified functionality or if Thread Group rejects your application for certification by inheritance, you need to undergo the full certification procedure at an ATL. Only Contributor and Sponsor tier members of Thread Group can apply for certification by an ATL.