Z-Wave Alliance, the standards development organization dedicated to advancing the smart home and Z-Wave technology, announced that Ecolink, provider of security and home automation products from Universal Electronics, is the first to complete Z-Wave Long Range (Z-Wave LR) certification, with the submission of the Ecolink 700 Series garage door controller. Z-Wave LR ushers in a new era of Z-Wave connectivity and brings expanded options for the smart home, multi-dwelling units, and hospitality use cases.

Engineered to provide extended wireless range and support robust networks, Z-Wave LR extends Z-Wave connectivity beyond the interior boundaries of the home to improve wireless transmission range of peripheral Z-Wave devices such as door locks, garage door sensors, gate access solutions, and more, while increasing scalability to over 4,000 nodes on a single smart home network. Core benefits of Z-Wave LR include increased coverage, increased scalability, optimized battery life, and interoperability and backward compatibility.

“When it comes to innovation, we are at the forefront of engineering our products to work harder and smarter,” said Mike Bailey, vice president of product development and operations for Ecolink. “Any range increases we can introduce into our products, and thus to our customers, only works to enhance their overall experience with smart home and security solutions. It’s a win/win. Moving forward, our plan is for all Z-Wave sensors and devices we work to introduce and certify with the Z-Wave Alliance to include Z-Wave Long Range out of the box.”

Mitchell Klein, executive director, Z-Wave Alliance, said, “We would like to congratulate Ecolink for being the first to complete certification. The 700 Series garage door controller is an ideal example of the type of device Z-Wave Long Range was designed to enhance. The certification of the first Z-Wave LR device is a milestone for the Alliance as a standards development organization. Developing this specification and making it available to members like Ecolink falls perfectly in line with our mission to advance the Z-Wave standard. Members who actively seek to build their products featuring this specification will undoubtedly have a competitive edge and we are eager to see more Z-Wave LR enter the market in the coming months.”

While the Ecolink 700 Series garage door controller is the first to achieve Z-Wave Long Range Certification, additional devices from across the Z-Wave Alliance membership are submitted and certified regularly. Additional announcements to come.

For more information on the Z-Wave Alliance, visit http://z-wavealliance.org.