[REQUEST] OpenThread (Thread) firmware image for Sonoff Zigbee 3.0 USB Dongle Plus V2 (model “ZBDongle-E”) by ITead?

[Hedda]

@Daniel-zhan-itead @liangjia2019 @guozi7788 I like to suggest/recommend that ITead look into releasing an official OpenThread RCP (OpenThread Radio Co-Processor, also shorten as "OT-RCP") firmware for your “Sonoff Zigbee 3.0 USB Dongle Plus V2” (model “ZBDongle-E”, a.k.a. "Dongle-E”) as an optional alternative firmware for those wanting to use this adapter as a Thread Border Router radio adapter:

• https://www.silabs.com/wireless/thread#software
• https://github.com/SiliconLabs/gecko_sdk/releases
  • https://www.silabs.com/documents/public/release-notes/open-thread-release-notes-2.4.2.0.pdf
  • https://www.silabs.com/documents/public/release-notes/open-thread-release-notes-2.4.3.0.pdf

Please aim to release and keep up released with same version and config for OpenThread RCP as Nabu Casa does for Home Assistant Connect ZBT-1 dongle (formerly SkyConnect) which at the time writing this currently is built from Silabs OpenThread SDK 2.4.2.0 built with Silicon Labs Gecko SDK (GSDK) 4.4.2:

• https://github.com/NabuCasa/silabs-firmware-builder/releases
• https://connectzbt1.home-assistant.io/about-firmware-options/#from-skyconnect
• https://connectzbt1.home-assistant.io/procedures/enable-thread/#from-skyconnect
• https://connectzbt1.home-assistant.io/faq/#from-skyconnect

"Home Assistant Connect ZBT-1 can also be used to turn your Home Assistant installation into a Thread border router. Currently, enabling Thread involves manual steps. The integration of the Home Assistant Thread border router with Matter is work-in-progress. To learn more about Thread border routers, refer to the List of Thread border routers. To learn how to use Connect ZBT-1 to turn your Home Assistant into a Thread Border router, refer to Turning Home Assistant into a Thread border router."

Please then try to make that usable with Home Assistant's "Thread" integration and "Open Thread Border Router" add-on, which together are in turn can be used indirectly as optional dependencies by both their "Matter" (Matter standard) and their "HomeKit Controller" integrations if the user want to use a radio adapter as a OpenThread Border Router (OTBR). See:

• https://connectzbt1.home-assistant.io/procedures/enable-thread/#from-skyconnect
• https://connectzbt1.home-assistant.io/about-firmware-options/#from-skyconnect
• https://www.home-assistant.io/integrations/homekit_controller/
• https://www.home-assistant.io/integrations/matter/
• https://www.home-assistant.io/integrations/thread/
• https://www.home-assistant.io/integrations/otbr/

If you have not heard of it yet then you should read and consider utilizing the new common "Silicon Labs firmware builder" automated build system from Home Assistant / Nabu Casa developers to create reproducible builds of both Zigbee NCP and OpenThread (Thread) firmware images. See feature request:

• [REQUEST] Utilize new common "Silicon Labs firmware builder" automated build system from Home Assistant / Nabu Casa developers to create reproducible builds of EmberZNet Zigbee NCP and OpenThread (Thread) firmware images #17

• https://github.com/NabuCasa/silabs-firmware-builder

These are the three IoT wireless network protocol stack application firmware variants are available from Silicon Labs for EFR32 family:

• EmberZNet NCP = Zigbee NCP (Network Co-Processor) is used as dedicated Zigbee Coordinator for Zigbee-only environments, for direct use with Zigbee2MQTT, Home Asssiatnt's ZHA integration, other Zigpy based Zigbee Gateway implementations, or other Zigbee gateways/frameworks that support the EZSP (EmberZNet Serial Protocol) interface.
• OpenThread RCP firmware (experimental) = This Thread RCP (Radio Co-Processor) is used directy as dedicated Thread Border Router in Thread-only environments, used for OpenThread Border Router add-on or wpantund.
• RCP Multi-PAN (no longer recommended) = Multiprotocol firmware for concurrent communication over Zigbee and Thread via Home Assistant SiliconLabs Multiprotocol add-on.

External reference explaining these different co-processor designs at a high level:

• https://openthread.io/platforms/co-processor
  • https://openthread.io/platforms/co-processor/ot-daemon
• https://github.com/home-assistant/addons/blob/master/silabs-multiprotocol/DOCS.md

PS: Note! Be aware that the RCP MultiPAN in multiprotocol mode is no longer recommended because running multi-protocol with multiple active networks on a single radio adapter has proven to not be stable when using Zigbee and Thread network protocols simultaneously on the same radio adapter, it also increases the complexity of software component dependencies needed, so if already using RCP Multi-PAN then it is highly recommended that you plan to migrate to separate dedicated radio adapters instead, (using Zigbee NCP and Thread RCP firmware respectively), even if using RCP MultiPAN on a single radio adapter dongle has been working fine for you so far. FYI, while Multi-PAN RCP (multiprotocol) for concurrent Zigbee and OpenThread running on a single SoC radio adapter is still supported it is no longer recommended by the community. Instead it is for now only recommended to use separate dedicated radio adapters for each IoT wireless protocol. For reference see links and discussion here:

• Are there Disadvantages using RCP Multi-PAN over EmberZNet NCP? darkxst/silabs-firmware-builder#41
• https://connectzbt1.home-assistant.io/about-multiprotocol/#from-skyconnect