Connected light bulbs are becoming more and more common – but they operate on a variety of different protocols, and its not always easy to add new bulbs to an existing installation. Consider the following use case. The product requires easy commissioning onto the network and a lighting function using Zigbee or Thread. Silicon Labs solution is to use a ‘switched’ multi-protocol for configuration which requires a single 2.4GHz radio. To implement this the device must be booted in Bluetooth Smart and obtain commissioning data using a smartphone as a gateway. The commissioning data is stored, encrypted, in flash. The device is then rebooted and operates as either a Zigbee or Thread lightbulb. Now this example only uses 2.4GHz connections, but there are requirements for a single device that can support both 2.4GHz and sub-GHz. While these will require different antennas, a single hardware design could support both. Vendors could use the radios multi-protocol function for different regions. It is not uncommon to see more traction with a specific protocol in one region than another. For example, ZigBee is popular in the US, but Asia may prefer BLE, while sub-GHz options could get good traction in Europe due to concern over propagation in older buildings with thick concrete walls.