Four Z-Wave Alliance Members Win Electronic House Product of the Year Award

Recognition Speaks to Z-Wave’s Growing Dominance of the Residential Control Market

September 15, 2006

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
For Further Information, Contact:

Nicole Tanenbaum
Ruder Finn for Zensys/Z-Wave Alliance
312-329-3977
tanenbaumn@ruderfinn.com

Fremont, CA - September 15, 2006 - The Z-Wave Alliance, a consortium of companies in the home technology space dedicated to solidifying Z-Wave as the standard for wireless home and entertainment control products, today announced that four of its members – Exceptional Innovation, iControl Networks, Leviton and Monster Cable – were selected by Electronic House magazine as recipients of the 2006 Electronic House Product of the Year Award.

“This is a great accomplishment for the Z-Wave Alliance that really speaks to its growing dominance in the wireless home controls marketplace,” said Mark Walters, vice president of the Z-Wave Alliance. “This further validates what we have been saying for some time – Z-Wave works, it’s here now, it’s affordable and it will soon be ubiquitous.”

For the Home Control category, The Vizia Collection from Leviton Manufacturing, iControl from iControl Networks and the Life|ware™ 1.0.1 from Exceptional Innovation were all selected:

  • The Vizia Collection of lighting and home controls offers 30 devices that operate as standard dimmers and switches. It can also operate scenes and zones via remote control over the Z-Wave wireless communication standard. The all-digital design is coupled with a simple user interface. According to Electronic House magazine, a unique feature for the product is that it is retrofittable and uses reliable wireless technology.
  • iControl from iControl Networks is a secure online service that dramatically improves your lifestyle by providing an entirely new way to see, know and respond remotely to what matters most to you – your family, home and business – from anywhere at anytime.  iControl’s service is comprehensive and affordable, as well as easy to install and manage.  It enables remote access to off-the-shelf wireless security devices, cameras, light modules, sensors, and other devices placed in the home via a web browser, a cell phone or a PDA.  Electronic House referred to iControl as “electronic peace of mind” and noted it was cool because “it provides a way to monitor and respond remotely to situations affecting loved ones and life assets.”
  • Exceptional Innovation‘s Lifeware™ 1.0.1 home control software seamlessly integrates with the Windows® XP Media Center platform to expand the power and flexibility of Media Center to manage home systems. The hardware-neutral Life|ware 1.0.1 is built on open standards to offer customers a choice of subsystem control while providing residential electronics professionals a simple platform for integrating home control and media management. Life|ware works with multiple vendors' products within each of the major home control categories. Electronic House praised the product for its simplicity to install and configure through wizards and easy-to-use tools.

In the Remote Controls category, the AVL 300 remote control from Monster Cable was chosen: 

  • The Monster AVL 300 operates home theater components via infrared signals and Z-Wave-enabled lights via radio frequency control. Designated activity buttons allow you to program complex commands for whole house wireless lighting control and complex audio/video control into a single macro. The web-based setup wizard is a snap to master.  The editors at Electronic House were impressed with the activity buttons, which automatically adjust lighting modules and audio/video components to the right settings.

Developed by Zensys, Z-Wave is a low-cost, proven and interoperable wireless mesh networking technology that is quickly becoming the de facto standard in wireless home control. 

Hundreds of entries were submitted to Electronic House for review. The 2006 Electronic House Product of the Year rewards products for technological innovation, outstanding features and overall value. Editors of EH Publishing's four connected home magazines chose their favorite products based on product demos, talking with installers and users and products they found to be promising.

 

About Z-Wave and Zensys
Zensys is a leading provider of wireless networking technology for control and status reading applications. The company’s Z-Wave™ technology is a proven and interoperable wireless mesh networking technology that is quickly becoming the de facto standard in wireless home control.  Z-Wave brings many benefits to everyday life including real-time home monitoring and energy conservation by controlling a wide array of home devices including lighting, appliances, HVAC, entertainment, healthcare, access and security systems, and more.  Z-Wave certified products are currently available from leading consumer brands in more than 100 products.  Z-Wave is the recipient of the 2006 CNET “Best of CES Award” and the PC World 2006 World Class Award.  For more information about Z-Wave and Zensys, please visit www.zen-sys.com and www.zwavealliance.org.

About the Z-Wave Alliance
Formed in January 2005, the Z-Wave Alliance is a consortium of leading companies in the home technology space dedicated to solidifying Z-Wave as the standard for wireless home control products. The principal members include Danfoss, Intel, Intermatic, Leviton, Monster, Wayne-Dalton, Universal Electronics Inc. (UEI) and Zensys.  Its members lead the home controls market, providing leading edge products and systems that deliver increased comfort, convenience, safety and security. Z-Wave technology is the foundation of all products manufactured by the Alliance members. For more information about the Z-Wave Alliance, visit www.z-wavealliance.com. 

About Electronic House magazine
Electronic House, an EH Publishing, Inc. magazine is the leading consumer publication that focuses on all aspects of the electronic home.  In authoritative articles, Electronic House covers home theater, multi-room entertainment, home control, wireless communications, energy management, home networking, and high-speed wiring.  Electronic House readers want to have the best technology in their homes and Electronic House provides easy-to-read information enabling them to make informed buying decisions. Visit www.electronichouse.com.

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