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FEBRUARY 2024 RETAILOBSERVER.COM 39 during his tenure as executive director for the Z-Wave Alliance. In light of his many contributions and his dedication, the newly elected Board of Directors unanimously agreed that there is no replacement for the role Mitch Klein provided and has therefore decided to retire the optional board position in his honor. The Z-Wave Alliance would like to wish Mitch Klein all the best in his future endeavors. "To say that the past year for Z-Wave and the Alliance has been transformative would be an understatement," said Avi Rosenthal, chairman of the board for the Z-Wave Alliance. "In 2023 alone, the Z-Wave Alliance has taken swift action to fully ratify Z-Wave as an open-source technology by announcing silicon availability via an additional resource. Z-Wave Alliance membership, which remains paramount, benefitted through the expansion of available certification laboratories and the creation of new membership levels to broaden the organization's reach, foster innovation, and add new opportunities for Z-Wave involvement. Even with all of that, the Z-Wave Alliance is just getting started." Z-WAVE OPEN SOURCE AND CERTIFICATION UPDATES At the end of 2022, the Z-Wave Alliance announced the release of the Z-Wave Source Code project which was published and made available to Z-Wave Alliance members on GitHub. Under the direct supervision of the Open-Source Work Group (OSWG), 2023 has been an explosive year for Open Z-Wave with some incredible milestones achieved. As of December 2023, the GitHub for open- source Z-Wave reached 100 users across over 30 membership companies, and over 130,000 lines of code have been added/ modified. A testament to collaboration, the significant progress in the past twelve months solidifies the rich development environment that has been created to serve those with an interest in playing a direct role in the advancement of Z-Wave and has provided members an arena to come together and work to develop new command classes. On the certification front, 2023 was an equally impressive year for the Z-Wave Certification program. Across the year, a total of 160 new Z-Wave devices including 50 Z-Wave Long Range devices passed certification. These advancements bring the total number of Z-Wave devices that have been certified for interoperability regardless of manufacturer or silicon generation to over 4,400. 2024 Z-WAVE ALLIANCE SUMMIT AND UNPLUG FEST The Z-Wave Alliance will hold two sanctioned events in 2024 as a chance to meet face-to-face with the diverse membership including the companies and representatives responsible for developing Z-Wave technology and bringing certified solutions to the market. "The most recent Z-Wave Alliance Summit and Unplug Fest was a resounding success, showcasing the most pressing Z-Wave advancements and the ever-evolving landscape of our industry," said Gustaf Lonaeus, vice chairman of the board for the Z-Wave Alliance. "The hands-on workshops and in-depth discussions on both the marketing and technical front are invaluable for Z-Wave Alliance members and help provide practical, implementable strategies that chart the course for the future of Z-Wave. Our slated events for 2024 promise to be even more impactful, filled with new insights, strategies, and unparalleled networking opportunities. For those interested in not just keeping pace with change, but driving it, these Z-Wave events are for you." In 2024, the Z-Wave Alliance will open limited sessions within the agenda to both existing members and prospective members. The two sanctioned events in 2024 are: • April 30 – May 2, 2024 – Z-Wave Alliance Summit and Unplug Fest – Austin, TX • October 21-23, 2024 – Z-Wave Alliance Summit – Seoul, Korea Visit z-wavealliance.org for additional information about Z-Wave technology and the Z-Wave Alliance. ANDREW WEIR BILL SCHEFFLER JOHN OSBORNE AVI ROSENTHAL GUSTAF LONAEUS SCOTT LAING RO

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