If integrators are looking for the best wireless devices to add on to a smart home installation, they need look no further than the security market. Indeed, security devices dominate the list as the top devices added to a smart home control system, according to new data from the Z-Wave Alliance. Security cameras, video doorbells, smart door locks, CO detectors and smoke detectors are the top devices added to a smart home system, according to the third-annual Z-Wave State of the Ecosystem Report.
The newly available report – fielded in cooperation with Interpret – leverages a mix of syndicated data to provide a baseline of the overall smart home market landscape as well as data collected from a custom quantitative survey of 1,500 U.S.-based smart home device owners. The report uses this data to examine current and future smart home technology trends, and new opportunities with an emphasis on the role Z-Wave plays in the market.
According to the study, nearly half of all smart home control system installations (48%) added on a smart video doorbell. That was the No. 1 add-on device by far, way ahead of smart door locks (33% of projects), smart garage door openers (33%) and smart listening systems for smoke/CO detectors (33%). Overall, the study reveals that 97% of smart home control system owners and 90% of smart security system owners have added on more devices to their systems.
Other key insights from the report include:
- Respondents that already own a Z-Wave wireless devices are eager to add more devices. .
- Those who already have a security system or control system exhibit identical purchase intentions when it comes to the devices they are interested in adding. Top rated devices included Wi-Fi networked cameras, smart door locks, and smart video doorbells.
- DIY, or self-installation, has emerged as the dominant means of installation for a wide range of products, often purchased at retail or direct from the manufacturer. Devices more likely to be pro-installed are those attached to control systems or requiring more involved installation.
- On the professionally installed side of the market, two thirds of those with installed smart security and smart home control systems have had their installer add more devices.
“The 2022 Z-Wave State of Ecosystem Report is a portrait of how the Z-Wave protocol is used to answer serious challenges—and how Z-Wave’s maturity, reliability, and interoperability converts consumers and drives market adoption,” says Z-Wave Alliance Executive Director Mitch Klein. “We are the steward of the Z-Wave standard, and as a member run standards development organization establishing key benchmarks like those established in this report provide excellent insights our members can act upon. This data indicates we may be entering our most exciting chapter yet.”
In addition to the deep data analysis provided by the report, there are studies of how Z-Wave has improved the management and efficiency of hotels, apartment complexes, and even a full-scale smart community.
