The Thread Group (www.threadgroup.org) announced the addition of Somfy, the leader in home control products, and Tyco, the largest fire protection and security solutions company, to its Board of Directors.

Thread is the new IP-based low-power wireless mesh networking protocol designed specifically for the home and The Thread Group is an industry alliance chartered with guiding the widespread adoption of Thread.

The Thread Group now includes more than 80 member companies and nine board members, making it one of the fastest-growing alliances focused on the Internet of Things in the home.

To view the full list of Thread Group members, visit http://www.threadgroup.org/members.

?Somfy and Tyco are world leaders in home comfort and safety and their active roles in the Thread Group speaks volumes about Thread?s potential,? said Chris Boross, president of the Thread Group and technical product marketing manager, Nest. ?The two companies? deep understanding of what consumers care about most in their homes will be an asset for the Thread Group as we continue to grow and define the connected home.?

In their new sponsor-level roles, Somfy and Tyco join Thread?s seven founding members —ARM, Big Ass Fans, Freescale Semiconductor, Nest Labs, Samsung Electronics, Silicon Labs, and Yale Security— in their goal of establishing the widespread adoption of Thread technology in the connected home.

?At Somfy, we view joining the Thread Group?s board of directors as a great step forward in bringing safe, energy-saving solutions to people all over the world,? said Jean-Philippe Dema