Thread / Matter BorderRouter with Raspberry Pi and nRF52840-dongle

Thread is a network technology for wireless networks based on IPv6. It is ideally suited for home automation, Industry 4.0 and wireless sensor-actuator networks. Matter is a new home automation standard. A Thread BorderRouter can connect a Thread network to a home network (LAN/WiFi) or even directly to the Internet. This makes it an important building block for wireless sensor networks or for SmartHome networks that support Matter.
In this video we implement an OpenThread BorderRouter using a Raspberry PI 4b+ and a nRF52840 dongle as the radio co-processor (RCP). We ping the Google DNS server (8.8.8.8) and a local IPv4 address on our LAN from a thread device and vice versa.
Book (english version)
WSN & IoT (Basics, protocols and applications):
a.co/d/5yfTIuJ
ISBN-13: 979-8851358074
Book (deutsche Version)
WSN & IoT (Grundlagen, Protokolle und Anwendungen):
amzn.eu/d/hAbTgD0
ISBN-13: 979-8648512061
You can support me at Patreon:
/ wsnandiot
Hardware ###########
Raspberry Pi 4b+ (as BorderRouter):
www.raspberrypi.com/products/...
nRF52840 Dongle nRF52840-usb as Radio Co-Processor (RCP):
www.nordicsemi.com/Products/D...
Developer board nRF52840-dk as CLI-Thread device:
www.nordicsemi.com/Products/D...
Software ###########
Raspberry PI OS:
www.raspberrypi.org/downloads...
Raspberry PI Imager:
www.raspberrypi.com/software/
GIT repository for nRF52840 as RCP:
github.com/openthread/ot-nrf5...
RCP-firmware as hex-file:
drive.google.com/file/d/1pb2n...
nRF connect (Programmer) for flashing the nRF52840-dongle:
www.nordicsemi.com/Products/D...
GIT repository for Raspberry PI as OpenThread Border Router:
github.com/openthread/ot-br-p...
Introduction into network technology Thread ###########
• Thread network technol...
00:00 Indroduction
00:38 Network topology
02:04 Matter layer overview
03:11 Hardware overview
04:27 Radio co-processor (RCP)
05:46 Example network structure
06:53 Raspberry PI OS installation
11:05 Download nRF52xxx GIT-repository and build RCP-firmware
14:09 Transfer the RCP-firmware on the dongle via DFU
16:19 Download GIT-repository for OpenThread BorderRouter
16:59 Install the border router software on the Raspberry PI
19:56 Setting the Thread network parameter on the border router
21:08 Determine nat64prefix and ping Google DNS from the BorderRouter
23:41 Setting up a CLI-Thread device with a nRF52840 Developerkit
25:40 Commissioning and join the Thread network
30:50 Ping Google-DNS and a PC in our LAN from the Thread device
31:29 Ping the Thread device from our home-PC (Off-mesh routable prefix)
34:45 Outro
#thread #matter #borderrouter #raspberrypi

[@gerhardspitzlsperger1567]

As always very helpful.

[@pavanhruday]

Awesome video

[@marcelocorrea7916]

Congratulations for such useful video, very insightful. One idea is using that seed tiny board, make it a thread node reading a button and/or sensor showing that handshake.... Regards. I also noticed your videos are mainly on Nordic, you should try esp32 ic that also has the thread radio...

[@tmddbs0412]

Thank you for the wonderful video! I want to communicate the signal from each sensor in the way shown in this video using a raspberry pi. For example, if I want to send the value of the heart rate sensor to the raspberry pi combined with the nRF52840 dongle(BorderRouter), should the heart rate sensor be connected to the combination of Arduino and nRF52840DK board? Or do I have to connect it to the new Raspberry Pi and nRF52840 dongle combination?

[@EdmondDante-nd2wx]

Hi! Thank you for the tutorial. I am working on some projects with matter. Is it possible to make an esp32 S2 as a client device instead of nRF52840-dk?

[@mmikhan]

👋Thanks for making all these tutorials. These are very helpful. I am recently struggling with multi-protocol Thread network using nRF microcontrollers. Would it be possible for you to record a tutorial on how to have multi-protocol Thread network with BLE?

[@wsniot]

I have already in mind to make a tutorial for BLE, already prepared a few things. Multi-protocol will maybe come after this.

[@mmikhan]

@@wsniot That’s great. Looking forward to it. One more request, would love to see SEED and REED setup in a Thread network 🙏

[@RaghavParwal-ko5ot]

Hello @wsniot, I am not able to read uart via putty with port ComX. I seen it inside Device Manager -> Ports (COM & LPT)

[@simons2kg73if74n]

Hi! I am working on some projects with nRF devices and your videos are very helpful, thanks a lot! One quick question I have: Do you know how to establish CoAP Block transfer from the Border Router to a nRF device using the OpenThread CoAP API? I have some issues there with the receive hook function. Just in case you once tried this, let me know :)

[@wsniot]

I haven't used block transfer yet. Haven't had to send any larger data packets yet. If I had a problem here, I would first test the transmission with the same software environment, i.e. block-wise communication between two Thread nRF modules with Zephyr. And of course log the network traffic with Wireshark and look at the CoAP packets. And if that doesn't work, you can than post the minimal example also in Nordic's devzone, their support is quiet good.

[@hughbreivik4653]

Good video! Thank you for sharing! I was wondering two things … 1) If the Rpi was also configured with eg Homebridge & added to an existing Apple HomeKit could the Rpi gpio use the thread wireless route (via border router) as opposed to wifi ie to make communications more robust… 2) Also Could a second nrf52840 usb dongle be programmed to be an end device on the Apple HomeKit network to eg indicate both Digital & analogue inputs (switch operation or battery voltage)

[@wsniot]

Thx for the feedback. To 1: I can't really answer that. Homekit and Thread both use IPv6, so at least routing should theoretically be possible with Homebridge installed. However, I have not worked with Homekit or Homebridge so far, so I cannot make any reliable statements on this. To 2: Actually the same. I'm not familiar with Homekit. Theoretically, a nrf52840 dongle can be programmed to a thread device and send desired data to any thread device, including the home kit. However, I don't know what data the Homekit expect to process it.

[@hughbreivik4653]

Ok, no doubt time will tell…. thanks for the reply. Cheers Hugh

[@Ignisyo]

Were you able to add a global IPv6 address with the 2000::/3 prefix?

[@jorgwende6314]

Interesting - will it work with the XIAO devices too or do I need the Nordic dongles?

[@wsniot]

I haven't tried it with the Xiao yet, but it could work because only the USB functionality is required and it works identically. The nRF52840 MDK USB dongle, for example, also works without any problems as a sniffer stick for Thread/IEEE802.15.4 and is also similar to the nRF52840 dongle.

[@pabloesquivel4528]

Hello! I have been following your videos to setup a border router, but when i reach around 21:28 im getting an invalidcommand error when i use the br nat64prefix command. Also, i cant seem to get the ping command to work. What do you think could be the problem? Thanks.

[@wsniot]

Did you use the command at the border router? Only the border router supports the br command.

[@pabloesquivel4528]

@@wsniot thanks for your answer. Yes the command was used in the border router

[@wsniot]

@@pabloesquivel4528 Than i have not really a clue, without further investigation. Do your thread devices get an additional IPv6-IP-address for the routing process? Does sending a ping to google-dns-server from a thread device reaches the border router (tcpdump)?

[@pabloesquivel4528]

​@@wsniot Greetings, Markus. It seems that i was missing a step in the process. I had to run a command before " export NAT64=1 NAT64_SERVICE=openthread " right before the " build/bootstrap " command that you use on the video. That seems to have solved the problem for the br nat64prefix. I still cant succesfully ping a website globally, but Im working on it to see if i can solve this, It appears that i need to add a globally accessible IPv6 to the border router for it to be able to ping. Thanks for your responses!

[@user-rt8ee6jl6u]

Can you please share your .txt file used in this video? Thanks!

[@jojos1203]

Hello, is it possible to work only with a raspberry pi and a nRF52840 Dongle as hardware to create a thread network at home? I build successfull with this video the OTBR and a test from your video works, but I cannot add matter devices to the OTBR. Can you help?

[@wsniot]

You mix here two things up. The OTBR just works as a bridge from the Thread network to an other IP network. You can provissioning Thread devices to this Thread network. A Matter network is a seperate network again which uses eather Thread/Wifi or your Lan as Transport. The network itself has it own credencials. To commisssion to this network you need a Matter controller.

[@RaghavParwal-ko5ot]

Hello @jojos1203, Did you add matter devices to the OTBR or Matter controller with any approach? If yes, then can you help me with your approach?

[@jojos1203]

​@@RaghavParwal-ko5othello, I tried connecting a Matter device to it. But I didn't make it and then I gave up.

[@RaghavParwal-ko5ot]

Hi @@jojos1203, May I know how did you tried connecting a matter device to it means what process you implement?