{"id":21628,"date":"2014-03-24T08:20:12","date_gmt":"2014-03-24T08:20:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/automatedhome.com\/?p=21628"},"modified":"2017-05-24T17:27:29","modified_gmt":"2017-05-24T16:27:29","slug":"exclusive-interview-mark-walters-on-z-wave-plus-the-next-generation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/automatedhome.com\/zwave\/exclusive-interview-mark-walters-on-z-wave-plus-the-next-generation.html","title":{"rendered":"Exclusive Interview: Mark Walters On &#8216;Z-Wave Plus&#8217; The Next Generation"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align: left;\">Recently the Z-Wave Alliance got in touch with Automated Home and offered us some one on one time with their Chairman, Mark Walters. We chatted about the next generation of Z-Wave, other wireless technologies and the chances of an overriding standard for the smart home.<\/p>\n<p><div class=\"sj-gblock\">\n<script language=\"javascript\">\n<!--\ngoogle_ad_client = \"ca-pub-5598479065369258\";\ngoogle_ad_width = 300; \ngoogle_ad_height = 250; \ngoogle_ad_format = \"300x250_as\"; \ngoogle_ad_channel = \"7058025304\"; \ngoogle_ad_type = \"text_image\"; \ngoogle_color_border = \"FFFFFF\"; \ngoogle_color_bg = \"FFFFFF\"; \ngoogle_color_link = \"52a79f\"; \ngoogle_color_url = \"CFFFDF\"; \ngoogle_color_text = \"000000\"; \n\/\/--> \n<\/script>\n<script language=\"javascript\"  src=\"http:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/show_ads.js\"><\/script>\n<\/div>The Seattle based executive has been involved in home automation for over 20 years. \u00a0Like many of us, Mark started off building his own home automation system as a hobby before taking a job at Leviton back in the days of X10.<\/p>\n<p>Later he moved to work for Z-Wave inventors,\u00a0Zensys who were subsequently bought by Sigma Designs in 2008. \u00a0His role is now Z-Wave Alliance Chairman, responsible for heading up the group of around 250\u00a0companies that make up the industry body.<\/p>\n<h2>Z-Wave Plus &#8211; The Next Generation<\/h2>\n<p>Every Z-Wave device is powered from a chip made by\u00a0Sigma Designs. \u00a0This\u00a0\u201cself source\u201d model has led some to question the competitiveness of the system but Mark points out they still have to compete directly with other technologies in their sector. \u00a0In addition a second supplier, Mitsumi, now makes the chips under license, although they mainly serve the Asian market.<\/p>\n<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/automatedhome.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/mark-walters.jpg?resize=150%2C168&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Mark Walters\" width=\"150\" height=\"168\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"line-height: 1.5em;\">Keen to point out that interoperability is one of Z-Wave&#8217;s biggest strengths, especially when compared to ZigBee, Mark explained the<\/span>\u00a0protocol stack is fixed, it cannot be changed by group members. \u00a0While there have been\u00a08 or 9 protocol releases going back to 2002, all new versions have always been backwards compatible.<\/p>\n<p>The previous generations of Z-Wave chips had only 32kB of memory, meaning manufacturers often had to choose which features to include in their modules and which to leave out.\u00a0The new 500 SoC\u00a0brings advanced features and\u00a0a number\u00a0of significant improvements.<\/p>\n<p>For starters the onboard memory has been quadrupled to 128kB\u00a0allowing manufactures to include the complete Z-Wave feature set in their latest designs. Indeed they <em>must<\/em>\u00a0include them all to be Z-Wave Plus certified. The 500 series features a 3 channel radio with improved range and the chip as a whole is 40% more power efficient that its predecessor.<\/p>\n<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-14392 alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/automatedhome.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/zipato_3.jpg?resize=200%2C214&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Zipato Zipabox\" width=\"200\" height=\"214\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/automatedhome.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/zipato_3.jpg?w=373&amp;ssl=1 373w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/automatedhome.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/zipato_3.jpg?resize=280%2C300&amp;ssl=1 280w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Smart home security issues have been mounting in the news of late and the 500 has upgraded security features including hardware support for AES-128 encryption, replacing the software only support of previous generations.<\/p>\n<p>Mark confirmed the first new Z-Wave Plus product has just passed certification. \u00a0He expects to see around\u00a030 &#8216;Plus&#8217; products available by the end of quarter 2 this year and predicted that in just 18 months time\u00a085% of products on sale will be Z-Wave Plus. \u00a0For the end user this means&#8230;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Greater Minimum RF Range requirements for all products<\/li>\n<li>Better defined expected behavior for more consistent user experience<\/li>\n<li>Better defined technical capabilities enabling more reliable and easier to set up networks<\/li>\n<li>Backwards compatibility with previous generations of z-wave products is maintained<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/automatedhome.com\/images\/news\/zwave-lock1.jpg?resize=200%2C199&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Z-Wave Door Lock\" width=\"200\" height=\"199\" \/>By the Numbers<\/h2>\n<p>Next we asked for some insight into what was leading the adoption of the technology around the world.<\/p>\n<p>Residential security systems are the biggest driver in America. \u00a02013 saw 6 million homes in the USA installing or upgrading their security system to a Z-Wave panel with\u00a0the top selling products being Z-Wave door locks.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>The driving force is convenience and &#8216;what can I do with my smartphone&#8217;. \u00a0It&#8217;s becoming a status symbol.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Numbers are hard to come by in the fragmented European market but Mark gave us a ball park figure of half a million Z-Wave devices sold in Europe last year.\u00a0All this means that Z-Wave sales have more than doubled for each of the past three years. Impressive.<\/p>\n<h2>The Wireless Future<\/h2>\n<p>There are challenges ahead for Z-Wave, not least the threat from other wireless technologies on the horizon,\u00a0Bluetooth LE, 6LowPAN and in particular 802.11ah Wi-Fi. \u00a0It also operates on a sub-1GHz frequency so shares the advantageous signal propagation characteristics of Z-Wave and will no-doubt be built into our home routers over time. Mark is sceptical though and doesn&#8217;t see it as an impending threat and believes if it ever catches up to Z-Wave it will take a long time.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>The spec won&#8217;t even be finalised until the end of 2015. \u00a0And it has taken us 10 years to build our ecosystem to it&#8217;s current success.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>He added that he&#8217;d be surprised if 802.11ah was able to deliver on everything that&#8217;s been promised so far whilst maintaining a battery life comparable to Z-Wave.<\/p>\n<p>So how about\u00a0the chances of a home automation standard for information interchange emerging in the industry. \u00a0His answer was forthright&#8230;<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Its all a mess right now, but a standard is not going to appear.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Despite our optimism about the <a href=\"https:\/\/automatedhome.com\/new-products\/exclusive-interview-the-allseen-alliance-and-the-internet-of-everything.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Allseen Alliance<\/a>, Mark simply does not see commercial companies being able to put their own interests far enough aside to make it a reality.<\/p>\n<h2>Z-Wave Means Interoperability<\/h2>\n<p>From a pragmatic point of view, Z-Wave certainly does appear to be gaining in popularity. \u00a0Just have a look around at the selection of Z-Wave modules available in the off the shelf home automation market\u00a0compared to ZigBee for example and you&#8217;ll see what we mean.<\/p>\n<p>A clear strategy on\u00a0interoperability has been key to that success and with the launch of Z-Wave Plus, that backwards compatibility has been retained whilst introducing an upgraded feature set that takes Z-Wave into the next generation.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.z-wavealliance.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">z-wavealliance.org<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0 : \u00a0\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/z-wave.sigmadesigns.com\/z-wave_plus\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Z-Wave Plus<\/a>\u00a0 \u00a0: \u00a0\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/automatedhome.com\/category\/zwave\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">More Z-Wave Articles<\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Want More?<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/twitter.com\/ottomate\">Follow us<\/a>\u00a0on Twitter,\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AutomatedHomeUK\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Like us<\/a>\u00a0on Facebook, or subscribe to our\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/feeds2.feedburner.com\/automatedhome\">RSS feed<\/a>. You can even get these news stories\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/feedburner.google.com\/fb\/a\/mailverify?uri=AutomatedHome&amp;loc=en_US\">delivered via email<\/a>, straight to your inbox every day.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Recently the Z-Wave Alliance got in touch with Automated Home and offered us some one on one time with their Chairman, Mark Walters. We chatted&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":22155,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"apple_news_api_created_at":"2017-03-01T09:30:41Z","apple_news_api_id":"9fb48fbd-7dcb-4779-966d-fe3b851de776","apple_news_api_modified_at":"2017-05-24T16:27:35Z","apple_news_api_revision":"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA==","apple_news_api_share_url":"https:\/\/apple.news\/An7SPvX3LR3mWbf47hR3ndg","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_is_hidden":"","apple_news_is_paid":"","apple_news_is_preview":"","apple_news_is_sponsored":"","apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":[],"apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"activitypub_content_warning":"","activitypub_content_visibility":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[3],"class_list":["post-21628","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-zwave","tag-featured"],"apple_news_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/automatedhome.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/Z-Wave_Plus.png?fit=500%2C402&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/automatedhome.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21628"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/automatedhome.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/automatedhome.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/automatedhome.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/automatedhome.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=21628"}],"version-history":[{"count":86,"href":"https:\/\/automatedhome.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21628\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":36538,"href":"https:\/\/automatedhome.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21628\/revisions\/36538"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/automatedhome.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/22155"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/automatedhome.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=21628"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/automatedhome.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=21628"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/automatedhome.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=21628"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}