Associations News
Z-Wave Alliance extends international footprint

Trainings Expand For Z-Wave Next Gen Development
The Alliance recently hosted a series of international Developer Forums and “Unplug Fests” in Amsterdam, Hong Kong and San Diego. These gatherings brought together leading experts in hardware and software solutions for the connected marketplace in their respective regions and marked the official developer’s introduction to Z-Wave Next Gen. This evolution of the world standard Z-Wave protocol (ITU-T G.9959) includes a new Z-Wave Plus product certification program, new hardware chips and modules and a standard and reference code for Z-Wave communications over Internet Protocol(IP). These technology extensions bring even greater speed, power and convenience to Z-Wave while maintaining strict backwards compatibility. Z-Wave Next Gen will further extend Z-Wave’s presence in the Internet of Things.

Sustainability Award From The Nobel Trust
The Z-Wave Alliance was pleased to acknowledge a recent prestigious award for sustainability, which was granted by the Nobel Trust to Alliance member GreenWave Reality. The company was named the “Nobel Sustainability(R) Supported Clean Tech Company 2013” in recognition for its inventive and effective initiatives and technologies to help consumers manage their energy consumption.

South Korea Approves Z-Wave Frequencies
Nearly concurrent with the Nobel announcement, South Korea became the newest nation to welcome Z-Wave. The Korean Communications Commission recently approved three wireless frequencies for control and automation applications that work in Z-Wave’s sub-GHz band. This approval introduces the world’s 15th largest market to the benefits of Z-Wave wireless products and services.

Global Impact At Trade Expositions
The Z-Wave Alliance enjoyed tremendous success at a series of recent international trade expos in the U.S., Asia and Europe. At the CEDIA Expo in Denver, headlines were made with an historic demonstration of home control from the sixth highest mountain in the world. From there, an amateur climber controlled a Z-Wave lock, thermostat and lighting from his smart phone, to the delight of the crowd at this foremost U.S. integrator event. This most remote home control demonstration ever recorded showcased the power of Z-Wave smart home technology, not just from across town, but literally from across the globe.

At the Shanghai Intelligent Buildings Technologies Expo (SIBT), the Alliance and eighteen exhibiting companies demonstrated Z-Wave products to the fast-growing Chinese market. In addition, Alliance Chairman Mark Walters and other Z-Wave leaders presented a day of Z-Wave panel discussions to business leaders in the connected buildings and homes sector throughout China. Just days after the SIBT Expo, the Alliance and seventeen member companies made a similarly powerful impression at EU Utility Week, Europe’s most important trade event for intelligent power solutions.

Z-Wave Alliance Appoints International Z-Wave Evangelists
As a result of Z-Wave’s rapid expansion in China, the Z-Wave Alliance appointed two new Z-Wave Evangelists for this country; Mr. Ken Cheung and Mr. C.K. Sze. Both bring a wealth of technological and business experience that will accelerate the expansion of the market for Z-Wave control and automation applications in China. The two join Z-Wave Evangelists previously appointed for Europe, South America and Japan.

Noted Alliance Chairman Mark Walters, “The pace and intensity of the Z-Wave revolution has taken on a life of its own. The power of Z-Wave Next Gen technology, along with its simplicity, practicality and interoperability, has caught the attention of the entire connected world. Z-Wave powers the ‘things’ in the Internet of Things, with almost limitless applications. We look forward to an even more impressive 2014 as Z-Wave continues its rapid adoption in the global connected marketplace.”