MILIPITAS, Calif.—Z-Wave scored a major endorsement Oct. 21 when it announced that ADT Security Services had joined its Z-Wave Alliance.

“For us, ADT is huge, it’s the number one brand,” said Bill Scheffler, director of North American sales and business development for Sigma Designs, parent of Z-Wave Alliance. Getting security companies onboard “has been one of our primary objectives for quite some time.”

Z-Wave is a wireless mesh networking technology and the Z-Wave Alliance is a consortium of companies whose products work with the technology.

Scheffler said he expects to announce “other major security manufacturers,” including three big names during the fourth quarter. Other access control companies who are part of the Z-Wave Alliance include Schlage and Black & Decker.

Schefler said Z-Wave “goes after the top manufacturers in each product category,” in order to build an “ecosystem of interoperable products.”

For ADT customers, the Z-Wave partnership “will give them a great opportunity to leverage [their security system] and give them a more options and give them a better return on their investment,” said Don Boerema, ADT’s chief marketing officer. ADT is not interested in installing lights or garage doors, but working with Z-Wave, ADT will create partnerships with other providers to bring more complete home solutions to customers. Earlier this year, ADT announced it was launching an interactive services platform with iControl.

“They are the key part of the whole platform,” Boerama said. In a separate announcement in October, iControl announced it had hired Letha McLaren to lead its energy management solution. McLaren said the mass market is absolutely ready to adopt energy management solutions in the home. Adding energy management “is not a huge additional cost [to the homeowner],” and it will mean lots of cost-savings that homeowners will be able to see. In addition, “a lot of utility companies will offer rebates to customers who use smart thermostats,” she said. One of her tasks will be securing those partnerships.

On Nov. 10, iControl launched its energy management solution. “IControl ConnectedLife takes energy management beyond the smart meter by providing utilities direct access into the home, and enabling broadband providers to offer a high-demand service to their customers,” said Reza Raji, chief strategy officer for iControl, in a prepared statement. “Combined with simple, easy to use consumer interfaces, ConnectedLife Energy Management delivers an optimal broadband home management experience.”  

Boerema said ADT will be introducing interactive services in 2010, and he expects new services to continue to be introduced. “The platform is fully upgradeable, people will be able to personalize their systems over time,” he said. It’ll make the security systems “more fun and a lot more appealing,” he said.

Boerama said ADT believes there’s a huge future in interactive services for homes and for businesses. The more homeowners see the services, the more they will want, he said, and the services will make businesses easier to manage and will improve productivity. “There is very quick ROI for business,” he said.