About ZWave
Z-Wave was introduced to the market in 2003 by Zensys, a company acquired five years later by Sigma Designs which now licenses the technology and remains the primary supplier of Z-Wave chips. Addressing all the most important needs of the emerging smart home segment, it has become the leading international wireless standard for control and automation in residential environment. With more than 1,300 certified devices on the market today, and approximately 35 million compatible units in circulation, it is a mature and proven technology.
The impressive market penetration might be Z-Wave’s biggest strength in the race for dominance among wireless communication protocols. For customers, it means the largest selection of interoperable devices for controlling and monitoring their homes. For manufacturers, it creates an opportunity to deliver products that can easily become part of already deployed smart environments, thereby improving their chances of market success. One could expect that the enormous installed base of Z-Wave devices would create a snowball effect enabling the solution to dominate the entire building automation segment, particularly now when the adoption is gaining momentum and the number of connected products on the market is increasing rapidly. However, it must be remembered that technologies come and go, and a strong market presence does not make any solution immortal. What matters in the long run, particularly in the technology industry, is whether a given technology can survive the test of time by adjusting its capabilities to constantly evolving consumer requirements. Twelve years is a long time, especially for such a fledgling market as home automation. A lot has changed since Z-Wave made its debut, so the question whether it still remains a reasonable solution for customers and manufacturers is certainly a valid one.
Z-Wave Frequency ranges
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