Z-Wave Reaches 4,000 Certified Devices
Last month, the Z-Wave Alliance announced the Z-Wave product ecosystem surpassed 4,000 certified devices with HOPPE AG, a Swiss manufacturer of smart locks, the newest company joining the the group. The announcement from the Z-Wave Alliance, a standards development organization promoting the Z-Wave specification, comes just as the organization announced the first Z-Wave Long Range (Z-Wave LR) certified devices.
The NPD Take:
- As the market awaits the release of the Matter standard, many are wondering what will happen to Z-Wave. The release of the long-range standard is likely a competitive move to differentiate from Matter- offering connectivity to devices over a 1-mile range.
- Like Matter, interoperability between devices is the major value proposition for Z-Wave, a focus on long range connectivity would open a relatively untapped market for the organization.
Insteon Hubs Start Coming Back Online
After quietly shutting down in April, Insteon users have recently discovered their hubs have started working again. A message from new Insteon CEO, Ken Fairbanks, recently appeared on the company’s website, explaining that a small group of Insteon users had acquired the company. The group promptly turned the company’s servers back on and the hubs started working again. While all features are not back working yet, the intention is to get all the smart and automation functionality back online in the near future.
The NPD Take:
- With most Insteon hardware products sold out at retail, this reactivation of Insteon’s servers is an effort to retain users and rebuild trust in the brand and platform. The company faces significant financial hurdles (part of why its servers were shut down) causing some to wonder if Insteon will impose a monthly subscription fee on top of the cost users bear to acquire hardware.
- If Insteon does convert its business model to a subscription, other smart home platforms could follow, driving new revenue streams beyond hardware sales. This could prove to be a tough proposition for consumers who could choose to change their preferred platform.