Overview
The Thread is a plug-and-play data aggregation instrument that is used to power and connect any integrated hardware device. For a list of integrated devices, please see the Support Devices List article. The Thread will automatically create a Mesh node network to transfer the device's sensor data back to the gateway and onto the iTwin IoT software platform.
This article will cover the following topics:
Thread as a Connection
The Thread will be added as a Connection within the iTwin IoT hierarchy of Connections, Devices, and Sensors. Visit this article to learn about Adding a Thread as a Connection.
Each Thread Supports Three Devices
A Thread has three Device ports that can be configured to collect data from any supported Device. These Device ports are identified as ports 1 (right), 2 (middle), and 3 (left)
Sensors are Dependent on the Device
A Device can have one or many sensors associated with it, all dependent on what data is being sent from the device to the Thread. Sensors are where the data will be collected and stored with the iTwin IoT application.
Below is an example of how a Thread might be configured with associated Devices and Sensors.
This Thread has one device configured on Port 1, a Vibrating Wire datalogger that has a single Piezometer sensor attached to it. Once configured, the piezometer will be included in the sensor section as an individual sensor below the VW logger Device. The datalogger also has diagnostic sensors for battery voltage and temperature, which will be added as additional sensors below the device. Choose these sensors from the sensor selection tool in the Data modules to graph any metric read by each sensor.
No Devices are configured on Ports 2 and 3.
Thread Power
The Thread has a power button with LED diagnostics. The power input port is next to the power button, allowing the Thread to be powered on AC power or by solar panels.
Thread Diagnostic Sensors
Once added to the application, each Thread will have twelve-fourteen default diagnostic sensors populated under the Device on the Connectivity page, including several voltage and current sensors, sensor communication sensors, and Temperature. These can be selected and plotted as well to aid in evaluating Thread performance.