In our industry, wireless connectivity is critical infrastructure.
Millions of security panels, leak sensors, intrusion detectors, smart locks, environmental monitoring sensors, and other smart devices rely on the lower 900 MHz band of the RF spectrum to communicate reliably inside homes and buildings. These systems are installed with the expectation they will work for years, often decades.
Now, the FCC is weighing changes to the lower 900 MHz band that will directly affect installed systems. Custom integrators and security dealers alike need to pay attention.
What’s Being Discussed
The problem – and everyone agrees, it’s a real, big problem – is GPS. Critical infrastructure, including transportation, aerospace, and national security systems, rely on GPS, and U.S. currently has no backup if GPS communications fail. That’s an unacceptable national security vulnerability, and the federal government is actively seeking alternative positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT) solutions to mitigate it.
One company, NextNav, has petitioned the FCC to reconfigure part of the lower 900 MHz band to support a high-power 5G-based terrestrial PNT network. Millions of low-power devices — including many used in security and smart home installations — operate in that same band today.
Notably, the petition also seeks removal of interference protections currently afforded to low-power devices operating in the band.
Debate is raging over whether high-power transmissions can co-exist with low-power systems without harmful interference. The petitioners have claimed co-existence is possible, but tellingly, they also want interference protections removed. For integrators and their clients, the practical question is simple: if this petition succeeds, will our systems keep working?
Why This Matters in the Field
If the lower 900 MHz is reclassified for 5G PNT applications, problems may not show up right away. Interference may be intermittent. It could show up as:
- Unexplained signal drops
- Faster battery drain
- Intermittent device failures
- Service calls that are difficult to diagnose
No one is going to blame problems like this on 5G signals for a GPS back-up system. Instead, devices will take the blame for being unreliable, and integrators and security dealers who cannot address their clients’ problems will look like the bad guys.
Reclassifying the lower 900 MHz band could do serious reputational damage to the entire CE industry, but the problems go beyond bad reviews. For security and life-safety systems, even intermittent disruption is unacceptable.
It doesn’t matter if an alarm panel works most of the time if it fails during a break-in. This is why the discussion around coexistence needs to be grounded in real-world deployment conditions that examine peak usage and dense deployments, not average usage assumptions or limited trials.
What the Z-Wave Alliance is Doing
The Z-Wave Alliance is a nonprofit standards organization made up of manufacturers, silicon providers, and technology companies working together to maintain and evolve the Z-Wave standard.
No single company owns or controls Z-Wave: The Alliance represents a diverse ecosystem of devices and solution providers that have operated successfully in the lower 900 MHz band for 40 years. That governance model matters in moments like this. When spectrum discussions arise, the Alliance can draw upon insight from across its membership to provide technical data and deployment insight based on how systems actually operate in the field.
Since this proposal first arose on the FCC docket, Z-Wave Alliance has been actively gathering member input and providing technical guidance to the FCC and other federal agencies working on GPS resilience. We are bringing the concerns of the connected device industry directly to decision-makers in Washington.
Z-Wave Alliance strongly supports the development of stable, reliable alternatives to GPS. But when a proposed solution threatens to destabilize the infrastructure already protecting homes and businesses, it is our job to sound the alarm.
Stability Is the Real Issue
Integrators sell reliability: systems that need to function during emergencies, outages, and unpredictable conditions. That’s also a key value proposition for Z-Wave. Certified Z-Wave devices are interoperable, backwards compatible, and reliable. Z-Wave is an open standards ecosystem, governed collaboratively by alliance members to ensure ongoing resilience. Now, that reliability, and the reputation of the entire CE industry, is under threat.
As the FCC evaluates PNT alternatives and potential band changes, the focus must remain on identifying a system of solutions that make the U.S. safer without destabilizing millions of devices people already rely on.
Z-Wave Alliance is fighting to protect these vital airwaves and find solutions that work. Follow Z-Wave Alliance across social for regular updates on this critical issue, and to hear about opportunities to get involved and make your voice heard.
