Amazon has earned the distinction of having the 3,000th Zigbee-certified product with its second-generation Echo Show. The Echo Show features a built-in smart home hub that connects to Zigbee-based light bulbs, door locks, sensors and other things.
The Zigbee Alliance made the announcement last week, when it reported more than 3,000 Zigbee Certified products and Zigbee Compliant platforms are now available to the market. ZigBee is based on low-power wireless mesh networking technology, which is addressing a multitude of markets from building controls to healthcare.
“Hitting the 3,000th certification demonstrates how collaborating across brands and standards is what’s helping our market flourish as everyone wants choice and the ability to easily connect devices to one another,” said Jon Harros, director of Certification and Testing Programs, Zigbee Alliance, in a press release. “Our member companies work in different areas of the IoT realm yet come together to drive innovation and development through Zigbee Certification. Each qualified product and platform further expands the interoperability universe for us all.”
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According to the Zigbee Alliance, its certification program ensures that interoperable Zigbee products are available for product developers, ecosystem vendors, service providers and their customers. Certifications for Zigbee 3.0 products are on the rise, which it says is a clear indicator that major market influencers are choosing “open” for their IoT product designs.
Amazon joined the Zigbee Board of Directors earlier this year. Executives from Comcast, Huawei, NXP Semiconductors, Samsung’s SmartThings, Texas Instruments and Signify (formerly Philips Lighting) are also on the board, among others.
“Customers tell us they want smart home devices that are simple to set up, reliable, and work together seamlessly,” said Chris DeCenzo, principal engineer at Amazon and Zigbee Alliance board director, in the release. “By contributing to open standards and pursuing Zigbee certification for products including the 2nd Gen Echo Show, our goal is to help ensure customers can choose from a wide range of smart home devices and know that they’ll work great together.”