Cologne, DE (Jul 6, 2012) — At the end of June, ConLife in Cologne opened its doors for the third time to provide a platform for discussions on current developments, trends and solutions in the field of home automation. The event was also attended by members of the Z-Wave Alliance, including ROCKETHOME and ZyXEL, who presented current Z-Wave based solutions. In addition, Alliance spokesman Prof. Dr. Christian Pätz took part in the expert panel discussion “Opportunities for Cooperation at Standardization Level.”
Recently the Z-Wave eco-system of intelligent home networking solutions grew to include 650 products from more than 160 manufacturers. There was therefore every reason for the home control experts to be present at one of the established trade shows of the industry in DACH-region: ConLife in Cologne. As such, network specialist ZyXEL, for example, presented its OSGi-platform based “Home Smart Home” solution, utilizing Z-Wave technology, which was developed jointly with the software specialists, ROCKETHOME, and others Alliance members. With this solution, residents can manage their heating, ventilation, air conditioning, etc. by PC, tablet or smartphone. Even the programming of individual home automation scenarios is possible.
Roundtable discussion on home networking:
Within the discussion panel “Technology & Networks” on day three of the Congress, noted industry experts discussed the subject of standardization in the home automation sector. Those taking part were:
• Dr. Lindsay Frost, Chief Standardisation Engineer, NEC Europe Ltd.,
• Martin Hanclik, DLNA (Digital Living Network Alliance) Representative,
• Peter Kellendonk, Managing Partner, Kellendonk Elektronik GmbH,
• Dr. Christian Pätz, European Z-Wave Spokesman, Z-Wave Alliance,
• Andreas Schneider, Managing Director, EnOcean GmbH and
• Dr. Dimitar Valtchev, CTO, ProSyst Software GmbH – Moderation.
Dr. Pätz opened the discussion with the thesis that a standard is created as the result of two conditions in the market: first, a plethora of products and applications that need to interoperate, and second an organisation’s desire to create a synergistic ecosystem. This thesis was widely affirmed. However, there was disagreement on the question of whether it is the market that generates the standard or whether the standard is driven by the end user. Christian Pätz, commented, “The market in Europe usually responds too slowly in this regard. It is pointless playing the great standardizer in Germany while big players like Samsung, NEC, Panasonic and Huawei in Asia, with 2.5 billion customers, are already creating facts. The proliferation of smart home solutions in Germany is not hampered by lack of standardization documents, but by lack of applications. There is now already an adequate level of interoperability. ”
The Z-Wave standard is expressed in over 650 products sold in 22 countries worldwide with excellent interoprablity thanks to the standard and rigours testing and certification efforts of the Z-Wave Alliance. Overall, the majority of the visitors and exhibitors were satisfied with ConLife, particularly because the presence of top companies and corporations (e.g. Deutsche Telekom, Vodafone and devolo) emphasizing the importance of the exhibition and the Congress.
Further information is available at www.z-wave.com and at www.z-wavealliance.org.
About Z-Wave Technology:
Z-Wave is an international wireless standard for intelligent, interoperable, low-power, RF mesh networking technology. This powerful smart chip and compact protocol enable two-way RF communications amongst Z-Wave enabled devices, thus allowing products and services from multiple manufacturers to work seamlessly. Z-Wave continues to be the technology of choice for industry leaders representing: Home Automation, Remote Home/Health Monitoring, Home Entertainment, Smart Home Control, Energy Management and Connected Home Services. Z-Wave enabled products represent the world’s largest ecosystem of interoperable smart products. www.z-wave.com.
About The Z-Wave Alliance:
Established in 2005, the Z-Wave Alliance is an open consortium of leading companies worldwide dedicated to delivering affordable, reliable easy-to-use, wireless home control products and services. With more than 600 interoperable products certified and over 160 members, the Alliance represents the largest ecosystem of wireless control products in existence and the global, brand-recognized companies that bring these products and services to market. The Alliance supports its members with marketing, networking, technical forums, training, best practices, test and certification tools and a complete interoperability lab. For more information on or to join the Alliance, please email info@z-wavealliance.org or visit www.z-wavealliance.org.
Z-Wave(R) is a registered trade mark of Sigma Designs and its subsidiaries in the United States and other countries.
More Information:
Z-Wave Alliance
1778 McCarthy Blvd.
Milpitas, CA 95035
USA
Mary Miller
Senior Marketing Director
mary_miller@sdesigns.com
PR Agency:
Sprengel & Partner GmbH
Nisterstrasse 3
56472 Nisterau
Germany
Fabian Sprengel
Tel.: +49 (26 61) 912 600
Fax: +49 (26 61) 912 6013
fs@sprengel-pr.com