ISE 2026 was a milestone moment for our industry.
From February 3–6, nearly 100,000 attendees, the largest audience in the show’s 22-year history, gathered in Barcelona for Integrated Systems Europe (ISE) 2026. The energy on the show floor reflected something important: smart technology in Europe is no longer niche, experimental, or fragmented. It is infrastructure.
As I walked the halls of Fira de Barcelona Gran Via, one theme was unmistakable. The future isn’t just about smart homes. It’s about intelligent buildings, residential, multifamily, hospitality, mixed-use, and light commercial environments, designed from the ground up around secure, scalable connectivity.
And throughout those environments, Z-Wave was deeply embedded.
Z-Wave Across Residential and Building Automation
In the Smart Home and Smart Building zones, Z-Wave’s presence was not limited to a single category. It appeared across lighting, shading, HVAC, access control, energy management, and security systems. Powering real installations designed for both private residences and larger property deployments.
What stood out at ISE was not just product innovation, but system-level thinking. Integrators are designing complete building ecosystems. They require wireless technologies that are secure, interoperable, and scalable. Z-Wave mesh and Z-Wave Long Range continues to meet that demand and several Alliance members demonstrated this in compelling ways.
Member Highlights from ISE 2026
- Nice – Yubii Home Gateway in Integrated Living & Building Systems
Nice showcased its Yubii Home Gateway, a Z-Wave controller positioned at the core of intelligent residential and light commercial deployments.
While ideal for high-end residential projects, Yubii’s role at ISE was larger: serving as a wireless automation engine within integrated building systems. Through integrations with ELAN OS and Nice’s broader ecosystem, the gateway demonstrated how Z-Wave networks can manage lighting, shading, access, and climate control across entire properties, not just individual homes.
It reflects how Z-Wave controllers are evolving into foundational infrastructure within smart living environments.
- Legrand (BTicino) – Z-Wave in Energy & Climate Infrastructure
Through its BTicino and building systems portfolio, Legrand continues to integrate Z-Wave-enabled HVAC and energy control modules, including Airzone-compatible solutions that bring climate zoning into unified automation environments.
At ISE, Legrand’s focus on energy efficiency, electrification, and intelligent infrastructure underscored a key reality: wireless standards like Z-Wave are critical for retrofit-friendly upgrades in European buildings. Z-Wave enables climate, shading, and lighting control without invasive rewiring, an enormous advantage in multifamily housing and commercial renovations.
- Domex – Design-Forward Z-Wave 700-Series Controls
Domex brought its Z-Wave 700-series smart switches and modular Intellicard architecture to Barcelona, blending premium aesthetics with robust wireless performance.
These switches operate as Z-Wave endpoints and repeaters, strengthening mesh networks across residential villas, boutique hotels, and commercial spaces. Their modular communication approach, supporting Z-Wave alongside Bluetooth LE and Wi-Fi, reflects how manufacturers are building flexible systems while relying on Z-Wave for dependable, interoperable device communication.
Design matters in both homes and commercial spaces. Reliability matters even more. Z-Wave delivers both.
- Airzone – Intelligent HVAC Zoning with Z-Wave Integration
Airzone continues to demonstrate how advanced HVAC zoning systems can integrate seamlessly into Z-Wave networks. At ISE, this was particularly relevant as energy performance regulations tighten across Europe.
Integrating HVAC control into Z-Wave ecosystems enables centralized automation across lighting, shading, occupancy sensing, and energy management, critical for multifamily buildings, hospitality properties, and mixed-use developments seeking operational efficiency.
- Control4 – Professional Automation with Z-Wave Device Integration
Control4’s presence at ISE reinforced the importance of secure wireless layers within premium control systems. Through Z-Wave device integration, Control4 systems incorporate smart locks, sensors, and lighting devices into professionally installed automation environments.
In luxury residential and light commercial projects, Z-Wave continues to serve as a trusted wireless backbone supporting professional integrators.
Z-Wave Long Range: Expanding the Building Opportunity
One of the most significant conversations at ISE revolved around scalability.
Z-Wave Long Range (ZWLR) is transforming what’s possible in building automation by delivering:
- Extended wireless range
- Star topology support
- Significantly expanded device capacity
- Backward compatibility with existing Z-Wave mesh networks
For multifamily developments, hospitality properties, campus-style installations, and large single-family estates, Z-Wave Long Range enables centralized control architectures while preserving the resilience of mesh where needed.
This flexibility, mesh and star within one interoperable ecosystem, is increasingly important as building automation requirements grow.
Infrastructure, Not Gadgets
ISE 2026 made something very clear: the industry is moving beyond isolated smart devices.
Today’s projects demand:
- Secure, encrypted communications
- Cross-brand interoperability
- Energy-conscious system design
- Scalable deployments that grow over time
- Reliable performance in dense urban environments
Z-Wave has been purpose-built for this reality.
Across homes, multifamily units, hospitality spaces, and commercial properties, Z-Wave is not simply enabling convenience. It is enabling infrastructure, providing reliable wireless connectivity that integrates critical building systems.
Looking Ahead
The conversations in Barcelona were forward-looking. Developers, integrators, and manufacturers are designing intelligent environments that blend AV, automation, energy management, access control, and wellness technologies into cohesive systems.
Z-Wave’s presence at ISE 2026 demonstrated that we are not just participating in this transformation, we are helping power it.
As Chairman of the Z-Wave Alliance, I left ISE energized by what I saw: a growing European market, strong member innovation, and a clear demand for secure, scalable wireless standards.
The future of smart living is also the future of smart buildings.
And Z-Wave is ready for both.
