Unlocking smart home potential

The next-generation Z-Wave 700 has been launched by Silicon Labs, on the Wireless Gecko platform, the industry’s most comprehensive hardware and software connectivity solution for the Internet of Things (IoT). Z-Wave 700 delivers on Silicon Labs’ vision and platform integration roadmap following the company’s strategic acquisition of Z-Wave technology in April 2018.

The new smart home platform builds on Z-Wave’s industry-leading S2 security and interoperability by improving energy efficiency and adding higher performance, longer range RF capabilities. By leveraging the Wireless Gecko platform, Z-Wave 700 enables developers to create new classes of smaller, more intelligent smart home products at a lower cost and faster time-to-market.

“With the worldwide smart home market expected to grow to 1.3 billion devices shipped annually by 2022, much of that adoption and growth will be driven by sensors that enable AI and edge computing applications, which can deliver smart experiences in new verticals such as security, aging-in-place, energy, voice control and insurance,” said Adam Wright, IDC Senior Analyst, Consumer IoT. “Advances in wireless technology, such as Z-Wave 700, are driving the battery-powered sensor trend and making these devices easier to install and deploy.”

Z-Wave 700 combines a powerful ARM processor-based platform with large on-chip memory to enable greater intelligence at the edge and secure inclusion in less than one second. The energy-efficient Z-Wave 700 platform delivers ten year coin-cell battery life, enabling more wireless sensor applications. Enhanced RF performance seamlessly extends Z-Wave 700 device range beyond traditional limits to the edge of the yard and throughout a multi-story home.

Z-Wave 700 builds on core Z-Wave features to enable interoperability with thousands of devices and ensure best-in-class security with built-in Security 2 (S2). Z-Wave 700 also includes SmartStart, providing an easy way to automatically create and configure Z-Wave networks for instant device installation success.

Raoul Wijgergangs, Vice President and General Manager of Z-Wave for Silicon Labs, added: “We have built the ground-breaking Z-Wave 700 platform with an eye to the future and an ear to our ecosystem partners who can deploy this long-range, low-power and future-proof platform for their new smart home applications. Developers can now take advantage of the advanced platform features combined with Z-Wave’s renowned interoperability, industry-leading S2 security and SmartStart installation.”

With no requirements for regionalized SAW filters or external memory, Z-Wave 700 offers a single global software stock-keeping unit (SKU) for easier logistics and cost-effective global production. By reducing BOM cost, Z-Wave 700 speeds development of global smart home products.

Silicon Labs offers a wide range of development tools to enable easier, faster smart home product design. Developers benefit from low-cost developer kits, energy profiler tools and ready-made gateway software with certified reference code, minimizing the time from prototype to final product. Developers can also use Silicon Labs’ Simplicity Studio development suite for one-click access to all the software tools they need to simplify Z-Wave 700-based designs.

Z-Wave 700 is shipping pre-orders now to 150 beta customers within the Z-Wave Alliance, and production quantities are planned to be available in late Q1 2019. Contact your local Silicon Labs sales representative or authorized distributor for Z-Wave 700 product pricing.