SAN RAMON, Calif. — The schedule for the Z-Wave Alliance’s Spring Summit is out, with the event set to take place May 27-29 in Vienna Austria. The Z-Wave Spring Summit brings together leaders from across the entire Z-Wave ecosystem for three days of collaboration, discussion, planning, testing, networking and education regarding the technology.
This year, the Z-Wave Alliance, the standards development organization dedicated to advancing the smart home and Z-Wave technology, say the event will include a dedicated UnPlug Fest, intimate fireside chat sessions, marketing and technical working tracks and interactive panels for attendees.
What is Z-Wave UnPlug Fest?
Every year, UnPlug Fest is hosted alongside the Z-Wave Spring Summit, giving attendees an opportunity to get hands-on with Z-Wave products. As described by the Alliance, UnPlug Fest acts as an “interoperability testing ground” designed to focus on real-world deployment scenarios and large-scale network performance.
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.
For 2026, the event is set to center on the simultaneous operation of Z-Wave mesh and Z-Wave Long Range (ZWLR) networks within a live environment. Participants will test new and recently certified devices in dynamic conditions, giving them the opportunity to stress-test Z-Wave’s reliability at scale.
The goal for this year’s focus, according to the Alliance, is to give attendees an opportunity to work with diverse device types and network topologies to get a better understanding of how they might coexist in a cohesive system.
Live Demos Planned
Apart from hands-on exploration, UnPlug Fest 2026 will also feature live demonstrations meant to highlight various Z-Wave 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
2026 Z-Wave Spring Summit Agenda
The 2026 Z-Wave Spring Summit will open after UnPlug Fest the following day to a full day of joint sessions. According to the Alliance, the sessions this year will explore several key industry trends impacting the Z-Wave ecosystem, in addition to reviewing how the ecosystem has grown over the years.
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.
Chairman Avi Rosenthal will kick off the sessions with an address to attendees outlining the Alliance’s direction and key opportunities ahead. Rosenthal’s introduction will then be followed 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)
- Emerging innovations such as the Z-Wave Wake on Event End Node (WOEEN) role type,
- The intersection between AI and the future of the intelligent home,
- And other key market trends and insights.
Member Working Sessions
The Summit will conclude 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
The full agenda, including sessions start times, titles, and proposed speakers is available on the Z-Wave Alliance website.
Z-Wave Long Range Growth
Initially announced by in 2020, the first Z-Wave Long Range device hit the market in the form of Universal Electronics’ Ecolink 700 Series Garage Door Controller. At the time, the release underscored both the potential and early limitations of adoption.
Since then, however, adoption of the technology has only grown, with CES 2026 serving as a major milestone for ZWLR, as there are now 125 devices certified under the standard. The technology has only continued to improve during that time as well, with ZWLR now being able to support more node counts per network as well as enhanced battery life on sensors within the network.
Z-Wave Spring Summit Registration Details
Registration for the Spring Summit and UnPlug Fest will be $599.
Installers, integrators and non-member companies interested in developing with Z-Wave can register for $99, which includes access to select UnPlug Fest demonstrations showcasing Z-Wave in action on May 27 and the joint sessions on May 28.
Readers are instructed to reference the posted agenda on the Z-Wave website to see which sessions are available to non-member attendees.
The Z-Wave Spring Summit is open to Alliance members, installers and integrators across the Z-Wave ecosystem. Alliance members get exclusive access to interoperability testing during UnPlug fest, as well as exclusive member programming on the third day, however there is plenty of programming for non-members looking to attend.
