1. Z-Wave is easily hacked.
Z-Wave has always offered AES 128 encryption level of security in its protocol for all devices and believes that security is of the utmost importance to address in the IoT market. Sigma Designs also recently announced the Security 2 (S2) framework for every device in the Z-Wave ecosystem. The new framework includes the existing AES 128 encryption with industry-accepted secure key exchange using Elliptic Curve Diffie-Hellman (ECDH) and authenticated deployments that remove ”man-in-the-middle” attacks.
Security will no longer be optional for Z-Wave manufacturers to deploy. In addition, through an easy update, all gateways with 500 series chips and all devices that allow over-the-air (OTA) upgrades are able to add S2 to existing devices. Z-Wave devices also include signal jam detection and the tunneling of all Z-Wave over IP (Z/IP) traffic to eliminate any cloud vulnerability.
2. Z-Wave is proprietary.
Z-Wave is an open standard, based on the International Standard PHY MAC ITU-T G.9959. We have a single standard and a single stack. The stack is openly licensed; all that’s required is certification to ensure interoperability. Z-Wave is the only low-power mesh-network technology within the smart-home industry that offers such a large and diverse interoperable ecosystem, backed by hundreds of manufacturer members all collaborating and defining the interoperability and certification requirements. The Z-Wave Public Specification, released in late 2016, along with robust certification, ensures that all device and service makers implement communication using the same data sources.
3. Z-Wave is a dated technology
Though Z-Wave has been around as a technology for over a decade, the protocol continues to evolve. It’s included in many smart-home and IoT solution brands today, such as ADT Pulse, SmartThings, Wink, Vivint, Control4, AT&T, Verizon, Nokia, and more. Brands target Z-Wave as a platform as they determine that mesh networking is essential to developing a successful smart-home solution.