Silicon Labs and the Z-Wave Alliance has announced plans to open the Z-Wave specification as a ratified, multi-source wireless standard available to all silicon and stack vendors for development. Expected in the second half of the year 2020, the opened Z-Wave specification will allow semi-conductor and software suppliers to join the Z-Wave ecosystem, contribute to future advancements of the leading smart home standard and develop, and supply sub-GHz Z-Wave radio devices and software stacks.
The Z-Wave specification will include the ITU.G9959 PHY/MAC radio specification, the application layer, the network layer, and the host-device communication protocol. By expanding access to Z-Wave as a standard supported by multiple vendors, the smart home ecosystem will benefit both from broader technology support as well as accelerated market adoption.
The alliance members will work together on a single sub-GHZ connectivity solution that guarantees the forward-and-backward compatibility, interoperability, security, and robustness needed for the growth of IoT. The Z-Wave Alliance will collectively advance a fully-realized smart home standard. S2 security format, easy installation with SmartStart, low-power functionality with 10-year battery life are the other hallmark features of Z-Wave that will prove beneficial for alliance members and smart home customers.
