The Z-Wave Alliance has announced the addition of home security provider, Ring as a principal member.
Ring, which is backed by Amazon, will also have a seat on the Alliance board of directors in its effort to prioritise cybersecurity, interoperability and innovation in the ecosystem.
The home security company joins existing Alliance board of director members, ADT, Alarm.com, ASSA ABLOY, Ingersoll Rand Nexia Intelligence, Jasso Products, Leedarson, LG Uplus, Nortek Security & Control, Silicon Labs, and SmartThings.
The Ring Alarm Security Kit, which includes a base station, contact sensor, motion detector, keypad and range extender, is the first set of products currently available on the market that support SmartStart.
Designed to make setting up devices quick and simple, the implementation of SmartStart is mandatory for devices built on the new Z-Wave 700 platform.
The Alliance has also announced the Z-Wave Plus v2 certification, a change in certification for the next generation of Z-Wave IoT devices, which offers a suite of new features designed to enhance and simplify the smart home setup experience.
Mike Harris, president of Ring Solutions said: “We believe Z-Wave is one of the leading IoT technologies – particularly in home security. The Z-Wave Alliance has been a strong evangelist for interoperability, security and simplicity in the smart home, which are all thing Ring strongly believes in too.”
He continued: “We look forward to working with the board of directors and active Alliance membership and together finding new ways to make smart home security more accessible for everyone.”
“The desire to feel safe and secure at home continues to be a powerful driver of smart home adoption,” explained Mitchell Klein, executive director of the Z-Wave Alliance. “With Z-Wave as a leading IoT technology in the residential security market, we’re thrilled to be adding one of the biggest DIY security players to our board of directors to lend their voice and expertise.
“We believe that together we can continue to give consumers everywhere peace of mind and make Z-Wave the most deployed smart home protocol in the world.”
With continued growth, the Z-Wave Alliance membership is now over 700 members worldwide with 3,000 smart home and IoT certified devices on the market. Currently to date, over 100 million Z-Wave IoT products have been shipped worldwide.