The Z-Wave Alliance has announced the schedule for the Z-Wave Spring Summit 2026, a notable gathering focused on advancing smart home and Z-Wave® technology. The event, set for May 27-29 in Vienna, Austria, will unite leaders from the Z-Wave ecosystem for three days filled with collaboration, networking, and educational opportunities.
Comprehensive Summit Activities
This year’s Spring Summit will include a variety of events such as the Unplug Fest, fireside chat sessions, marketing and technical working tracks, interactive panels, and numerous networking opportunities. The agenda is designed to bring the Z-Wave community together, providing a platform for discussion, testing, and mutual growth.
Focus on Interoperability and Performance
This year’s Spring Summit will include a variety of events such as the Unplug Fest
The Summit will kick off with the Unplug Fest, an interoperability testing ground tailored to real-world deployment scenarios. Participants will explore the operation of both Z-Wave mesh and Z-Wave Long Range (ZWLR) networks in a live setting. Various newly certified devices will be tested under dynamic conditions to showcase Z-Wave’s scalability and robustness.
Highlighted demonstrations will cover key features such as simultaneous mesh and ZWLR operation, SmartStart commissioning, and dynamic routing for automatic optimization. While interoperability testing is member-exclusive, select demonstrations will be accessible to installers and non-members.
Engaging Sessions and Industry Trends
Following Unplug Fest, participants can join a full day of sessions that delve into significant industry topics. Chairman Avi Rosenthal will welcome attendees with insights on the Alliance's strategic direction. Collaborative sessions will discuss the evolution of Z-Wave, the impact of the Cyber Resilience Act, and the integration of AI with smart home technology. Emerging innovations like the Z-Wave Wake on Event End Node (WOEEN) will also be explored.
Exclusive Working Sessions
The final day will focus on member-only sessions addressing technical and marketing advancements. Key subjects will include the User Credential Command Class v3 (UCCCv3), device evolution, Z-Wave Certification, and strategies for market growth. These sessions are crucial for continuing to advance the Z-Wave ecosystem from both product and market perspectives.
Registration and Sponsorship
Members of the Z-Wave Alliance can register for the event at a discounted early bird rate of $399 USD until April 30, 2026. Standard registration begins on May 1, with costs increasing to $599 USD. Installers and non-member companies interested in Z-Wave development can register for $99 USD, which includes access to select demonstrations and sessions.
The Z-Wave Spring Summit owes its success to the support of sponsors like MK Logic, Silicon Labs, Trident IoT, Vision, Zooz, Aeotec, and BlueConnect Partners. For detailed schedule information and registration, interested parties can refer to the event's official link.
The Z-Wave Alliance, the standards development organization dedicated to advancing the smart home and Z-Wave® technology, is pleased to announce the schedule of events for the Z-Wave Spring Summit 2026. Taking place May 27-29, 2026, in Vienna, Austria, this event brings together leaders from across the entire Z-Wave ecosystem for three days of collaboration, discussion, planning, testing, networking, and education.
The upcoming Z-Wave Spring Summit will feature a comprehensive schedule including a dedicated Unplug Fest, intimate fireside chat sessions, marketing and technical working tracks, interactive panels and a range of social and networking opportunities designed to unify the Z-Wave community.
Recently certified devices
The Z-Wave Spring Summit kicks off with Unplug Fest, the Alliance’s hands-on interoperability testing ground, refined for 2026 to focus on real-world deployment scenarios and large-scale network performance.
This year’s event centres on the simultaneous operation of Z-Wave mesh and Z-Wave Long Range (ZWLR) networks within a live environment, demonstrating how diverse device types and network topologies can seamlessly coexist. Participants will test new and recently certified devices in dynamic conditions, reinforcing Z-Wave’s reliability at scale.
Live demonstrations will highlight key capabilities, including:
- Simultaneous mesh and ZWLR operation on a single network
- Multiple networks operating in parallel in dense environments
- SmartStart commissioning for rapid, QR-based device onboarding
- Dynamic routing and Explorer Frames for automatic optimization
- Multicast control for synchronized low-latency device response
Low-latency device response
While interoperability testing remains exclusive to members, select demonstrations during the Unplug Fest portion of the Spring Summit will be open to installers and non-members, offering a first-hand look at Z-Wave’s performance, scalability, and ease of deployment.
Following Unplug Fest, the Summit opens with a full day of joint sessions designed to explore key industry trends and showcase the strength of the Z-Wave ecosystem. This portion of the event is open to Z-Wave Alliance members, as well as installers, developers, and non-members interested in working with Z-Wave.
Key market trends
The first day of sessions begins with a welcome address from Chairman Avi Rosenthal outlining the Alliance’s direction and key opportunities ahead, followed immediately by a member-driven fireside chat discussing the evolution of Z-Wave and the role of collaboration in driving the ecosystem forward.
The day one agenda will also include sessions that address the Cyber Resilience Act (CRA), cover emerging innovations such as the Z-Wave Wake on Event End Node (WOEEN) role type, discuss the intersection between AI and the future of the intelligent home, and reveal key market trends and insights.
Member-exclusive working sessions
The Summit concludes with a full day of member-exclusive working sessions across technical and marketing tracks, focused on advancing the Z-Wave ecosystem from both a product and market perspective. Key areas of focus include:
- User Credential Command Class v3 (UCCCv3), Aliro, and device evolution
- Z-Wave Certification and compliance
- Technical roadmap preview with new opportunity discussion
- Z-Wave Long Range (ZWLR) and market growth
- Marketing strategy and go-to-market execution
Early bird registration
Z-Wave Alliance members can take advantage of early bird registration for $399 USD through April 30, 2026.
Beginning May 1, standard registration for the Spring Summit and Unplug Fest will be $599 USD. Installers, integrators and non-member companies interested in developing with Z-Wave can register for $99 USD, which includes access to select Unplug Fest demonstrations showcasing Z-Wave in action on May 27th, and the joint sessions on May 28th. Reference the posted agenda to see which sessions are available to non-member attendees.
The Z-Wave Alliance thanks the generous sponsors who make the Spring Summit possible. Sponsors of the Spring 2026 event include:
- MK Logic (Gold)
- Silicon Labs (Gold)
- Trident IoT (Gold)
- Vision (Gold)
- Zooz (Gold)
- Aeotec (Unplug Fest Sponsor)
- BlueConnect Partners (Break Sponsor)
