Z-Wave made its intentions clear at CES this year: it wants to take over your entire home with its integrated system that connects up devices from some of the biggest names in the smart home space.
The company showcased its connectivity options using an entire smart home set-up at the conference, presenting products from 30 of its IoT partners, including Abode, Aeotec, August, BOne, Dome, EnerWave, Ezlo, Fibaro, Hank, Gerber, HomeSer, Jasco, Kwikset, Leedarson, MCO Home, Mios, Nexia, Oomi, Philio, Qubino, Remotec, Securenet, Simpnic, Sigma Designs, Starvedia, URC, Vemmio, Vera, Vision, Webee, Yale, ZWP, Zinno and Zooz.
Although Z-Wave has been powering smart devices since 2001, this was the largest demonstration of the technology. It creates a mesh network of its own, using low-energy radio waves to connect the various devices.
The number of different items it can connect up is amazing, spanning lighting, smart thermostats, locks, windows, garage doors. There are currently 2400 products that support the Z-Wave protocol and the Z-Wave Alliance is on a mission to promote the flexibility of its platform in a world where the likes of Google, Apple and Amazon dominate.
One of the most progressive Z-Wave technologies on show at CES was chipmaker Sigma Designs’ Z-Wave 700 Series chip, which has been designed to power a whole range of smart home devices. The revolutionary design means smart home devices could last for ten years non-stop on a battery the size of a coin.
They’re compatible with the majority of Z-Wave products, even those that have been on the market for a while and offer a 300-foot wireless range, pretty much covering your entire home.
