Z-Wave Alliance Launches IoT Competition

The Z-Wave Alliance planes to accelerate the development of smart home products based on its wireless protocols with the Z-Wave Labs Program, a year-long competition for startups and entrepreneurs.

Z-Wave AllianceStarting from May 2015 the Z-Wave Alliance will reward one company with a 12-month alliance membership and an IoT-ready 500 Series Z-Wave Developer Kit for the building of either controller or embedded Z-Wave products.

According to creator Sigma Designs the kit allows for faster and lower-cost gateway/router prototype building, and meets the needs for both in-home and cloud-based smart home services. It consists of embedded sample applications, software frameworks, Z-Wave protocol sniffer tools, RF modules and a "versatile development module."

“The Z-Wave Alliance recognizes the importance of start-ups and disrupters in the industry both to jump start innovation but also to accelerate widespread adoption of smart home and IoT technology,” the company says. “With over 1200 Z-Wave-certified devices currently on the market and 300 companies working together to create more solutions every single day, this program is a unique opportunity for young start-ups and entrepreneurs to engineer exciting new products for the Z-Wave ecosystem.”

Further details on the Z-Wave Labs program should be announced on April 2015.

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