The Thread Group and EEBus Initiative announced that the two alliances will collaborate in their efforts to build interoperable solutions for the smart home. The organizations expect their members will benefit from access to key shared resources, including technical specifications and best practices, to help streamline product development. EEBus developed the SPINE model – Smart Premises Interoperable Neutral-message Exchange – to enable interoperable communication between devices and services, independent from market sectors and network protocols. Thread is an IPv6 networking protocol built on open standards for low-power networks that can easily and securely connect hundreds of devices to each other and directly to the cloud.