UL has approved the latest Z-Wave protocol for UL 1023 compliance, a move that will see Z-Wave become the wireless comms of choice for old and new manufacturers of security panels and security sensors. It’s a shift that over time could re-shape the entire nature of controller-based security solutions, nudging manufacturers towards wireless hubs.
Currently, sensors and panels conform to UL compliance for wireless comms – in Australia most wireless sensors are 433MHz, with a smaller number of 866Mhz devices. While these sensors are low cost to manufacture and easy on battery life, bandwidth is low and the networks on which they reside don’t support the tidal wave of Z-Wave devices flooding the market.
Last year, Z-Wave comms owner and developer, Sigma Designs kicked off its Z-Wave Security 2 framework for Z-Wave devices, which is being developed with the support of UL specifically to give manufacturers of Z-Wave devices a 1023-compliant platform for the development of security sensors.
Last week, Sigma announced Z-Wave transceivers ZM5101, ZM5202, and ZM5304, which feature protocol SDK version 6.60, have been evaluated to UL’s standards for home security. The products feature anti-jamming and AES 128-bit encryption provisions. The development means that every device in a Z-Wave system from sensors to locks will reside in a secure ecosystem.
“Now you can standardize on one radio for both security and convenience,” Avi Rosenthal, VP of security and control for Nortek Security & Control, developer of 2Gig alarm systems, told SSI.
“There has never been an end-to-end encrypted protocol for life-safety,” Rosenthal says. “Every device from a door/window sensor to a sophisticated door lock will be part of the secure environment. The consumer doesn’t have to worry about any of it. It is a single, compatible standard for convenience and security.”
According to the Z-Wave Alliance, Z-Wave now ships in over 90 per cent of professionally installed security systems. UL 1023 compliant Z-Wave security solutions will hit the market in Q4.♦
