LIFX Opens Thread Beta for Its Existing Matter-over-Wi-Fi Devices

LIFX has officially opened a public beta programme that will allow owners of its current Matter-enabled products to switch their devices from Wi-Fi to Thread, without the need for any new hardware.

The company first revealed plans to bring Thread to its current generation of products at CES 2026, stating that users would eventually be given the choice of using either Wi-Fi or Thread. LIFX has now begun making good on that promise with the launch of its Thread Beta programme.

According to LIFX, any of its products that shipped with Matter support already contain hardware capable of running over either Wi-Fi or Thread. This means that many existing LIFX products sold as Matter-over-Wi-Fi devices have effectively contained Thread-capable hardware all along. The new beta is designed to allow LIFX to test this functionality on a much larger scale before a wider rollout.

WI-FI OR THREAD

Unlike some multiprotocol devices, LIFX products won’t use Wi-Fi and Thread simultaneously. Instead, users will be able to choose which network transport they want a device to use. For most existing owners, this means their LIFX product will initially continue operating over 2.4GHz Wi-Fi as before. Once enrolled in the beta, however, a new Switch to Thread option will become available in the LIFX app. Selecting this option migrates the device away from Wi-Fi and onto the home’s Thread network.

Thread is an IPv6-based low-power mesh networking protocol specifically designed for IoT devices. Rather than every device communicating directly with a Wi-Fi router, mains-powered Thread devices can form a mesh network, with a Thread Border Router providing connectivity between the Thread network and the rest of the local IP network.

For Apple Home users, compatible Thread Border Routers include the HomePod mini, HomePod 2nd gen, and Apple TV4K (2nd gen and 3rd gen 128gb) models.

LIFX says response times should be similar between Wi-Fi and Thread. Thread has substantially less bandwidth than Wi-Fi, but smart lighting commands require very little data, so this shouldn’t normally be a limitation. The potential advantage is instead a dedicated mesh network designed specifically for smart home devices, while also reducing the number of individual IoT products connected directly to the home’s Wi-Fi network.

EXISTING MATTER PRODUCTS ARE THREAD-CAPABLE

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Perhaps the most interesting aspect of the announcement is that this isn’t limited to a new generation of LIFX hardware. LIFX says that any product that shipped with Matter support out of the box contains a chip capable of operating using either Wi-Fi or Thread.

That distinction is important. Some older LIFX products have subsequently received Matter support through firmware updates, but these aren’t necessarily included. The Thread upgrade is intended for the newer generation of products that came with Matter support from the factory.

LIFX’s current list of products shipping with Matter includes devices such as the Everyday Lightstrip and Everyday 800lm Smart Light, along with products from the company’s SuperColor range, including the Luna Lamp and its 1100lm and 1600lm smart bulbs.

LIFX had already confirmed at CES that it planned to roll out a Thread upgrade to its current generation of smart devices during 2026, giving owners the option of Wi-Fi or Thread. The newly launched beta is the next stage of that rollout.

THE LIFX SMART MIRROR GETS THREAD TOO

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One particularly interesting beneficiary of the upgrade is the recently released LIFX Smart Mirror, which we reviewed recently (click the image below for the full video). The Smart Mirror currently connects to a 2.4GHz Wi-Fi network and offers Matter support for platforms including Apple Home, Amazon Alexa, Google Home, and Samsung SmartThings. Despite being sold and currently operating as a Wi-Fi product, its inclusion amongst LIFX’s current Matter generation means it too has the hardware necessary to move over to Thread.

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LIFX had actually hinted at this when the Smart Mirror was first unveiled at CES 2026, when the company revealed that its new products would receive Thread support later in the year. A LiFX representative also independently confirmed this via Reddit. The Mirror combines front and rear SuperColor lighting, with a total of 50 individually addressable colour zones, alongside physical controls and a built-in heating element for its de-fog function. It also includes three customisable buttons.

This means a product that I originally reviewed as a Matter-over-Wi-Fi device should ultimately be capable of becoming a Matter-over-Thread device simply through a software update. It’s an unusual approach and makes the hardware inside LIFX’s recent Matter products rather more interesting than their original specifications might have suggested.

SWITCHING REQUIRES RECOMMISSIONING

Moving from Wi-Fi to Thread isn’t completely transparent, however. LIFX says that switching transports requires the device to be recommissioned. Owners will therefore need the Matter QR code supplied with the product or the 11-digit Matter setup code etched onto the device.

This is something worth checking before starting the migration process. Any existing smart home integrations will also have to be reset. So, for example, a LIFX light already added to Apple Home over Matter using Wi-Fi will need to be added again after switching it to Thread.

Once recommissioned, however, LIFX says the product should continue operating consistently through both the LIFX app and whichever Matter ecosystems it has been added to. LIFX is recommending that beta testers initially migrate just one device and make sure everything is operating correctly before switching additional products.

THE LIFX APP WILL STILL WORK

Another interesting aspect of the implementation is that moving to Thread doesn’t mean giving up LIFX’s own ecosystem. Matter only exposes standardised device functionality, while manufacturers’ own apps can provide additional proprietary features. This is particularly important for LIFX products, where the company’s app provides access to lighting effects and other features that aren’t necessarily exposed through Matter platforms such as Apple Home.

LIFX has previously explained that its own protocol can also operate over Thread. Consequently, a product migrated away from Wi-Fi should still remain fully accessible through the LIFX app. That makes the change significantly more useful than simply turning the product into a generic Matter-over-Thread accessory.

THERE ARE SOME BETA LIMITATIONS

There are inevitably a few caveats at this stage. Firmware updates are one area where Thread’s lower bandwidth becomes apparent. LIFX says firmware updates performed over Thread can currently take approximately 5–20 minutes per device, depending on the size of the update and the condition of the Thread network. That’s considerably slower than would normally be expected over Wi-Fi, although firmware updates are relatively infrequent.

The company is specifically looking for feedback from beta testers regarding performance on different Thread networks and wants participants to provide details of the Thread Border Routers they’re using. This should be particularly useful given that Thread networks can vary considerably depending on the smart home platform, Border Routers, and network topology involved.

AN INTERESTING APPROACH TO MATTER AND THREAD

We’ve increasingly seen manufacturers offer Matter devices in either Matter-over-Wi-Fi or Matter-over-Thread versions, but it’s far less common to discover that products already sitting in people’s homes can simply switch between the two.

For LIFX, this also represents quite a significant change in networking philosophy. The company has long been associated with Wi-Fi smart lighting, with one of its original selling points being the ability to operate without a dedicated bridge. Thread maintains that hub-free approach in the traditional sense, although a Thread Border Router is required to connect a Thread network to the rest of the home network.

For Apple Home users with a compatible HomePod or Apple TV, that infrastructure may already be in place. It also gives LIFX owners an unusual degree of choice. Those happy with Wi-Fi can continue using it, while users with increasingly large smart homes can move compatible LIFX products onto their Thread mesh instead.

Most importantly, existing owners won’t have to replace their lights – or even something as substantial as the new Smart Mirror – to take advantage of it. The hardware, it seems, was already waiting for Thread.