The Future of the Connected Home with Z-Wave

The Connected Home was a large topic of the keynote, and as I listened, I admit that I was not aware of just how popular and in demand this technology is.

• By Lindsay Page
• Nov 12, 2014

I was fortunate to attend the Z-Wave Alliance Fall Summit last week in Carlsbad, Calif. The venue was amazing with a spectacular view of the ocean from the terrace where the keynote and dinner took place. After enjoying some hors d'oeuvres, I settled in for the evening.

There was also a press tour of exhibiting Alliance member companies held at the Hilton.  Exhibiting companies included Jasco, Kwikset, Telguard, IR-Nexia, and PlumChoice showing thier latest products and services for the connected home market.  

The event kicked off with the keynote speech by Roberta Gamble, who is a partner at Frost & Sullivan and VP for the firm's Energy and Environment/Building Technologies team. Gamble has the rare ability to deliver an incredible amount of information while keeping the audience engaged and even entertained. I am always impressed by a speaker who can get the crowd to laugh several times during a speech.

The Connected Home was a large topic of the keynote, and as I listened, I admit that was not aware of just how popular and in demand this technology is. Sure, I know people love being able to control their thermostats, turn on their lights a few minutes before they arrive home, or make sure their garage door is closed – all from the convenience of a mobile app. But, I had no idea how much the consumer is driving the demand for products that can be connected and used with the utmost convenience and efficiency.

Once the keynote ended, attendees of the event were treated to dinner and a social event. I took the opportunity to speak with a few people and discover their opinions on a connected home. I heard about different products, such as programmable window blinds, security panels, emergency lights, and more, than can all be connected together to make a home or any building more secure.

A few people told me that what they wanted to see is a complete “learning” home, instead of only connected. While the technology is there, experts at the event said it’s too difficult for behaviors to be learned because there’s too much variation. Although a few people there were adamant; they are confident we will soon be able to have our homes brew our morning coffee, run the water at the perfect temperature for our showers, arm and disarm our security systems at the exact times we need, and more.

As the evening and conversation came to an end, I knew one thing was sure: With more than 1,200 products on the market, Z-Wave is on the fast track to delivering exactly what these consumers and companies want.

For more information on the Z-Wave Alliance, please click here.