Specification documents are structured in several layers, in which each document defines the requirements for a given building block or layer of a Z-Wave application. Each Z-Wave device has a Device Type, a Role Type and a list Command Classes that can be controlled and/or supported.
There are the 500 series and the 700 series based product certifications programs. The 500 series based products must comply with the Z-Wave Plus certification requirements, while the 700 series based products must comply with the Z-Wave Plus v2 requirements.
Each product must pass its corresponding certification program before it can be sold on the market. The certification program ensures interoperability in the ecosystem of existing products.
The specifications are constantly updated and improved. As a Z-Wave developer, you need to use the latest version of specification when starting a new application development. All specification development is done in a gate process to ensure quality, consistency and continuing interoperability. As a developer, you can also participate in the specification development. E-mail notifications about ongoing work and updates are sent on a regular basis to developers who have agreed to the Z-Wave license agreement.
Note that you do not need to go through all the specifications to develop your application. Your application may need only a subset of the Z-Wave specification based on the selected Device Type and Role Type.
Z-Wave Specification Update Calendar
The Specifications are updated 4 times a year. Each release is denoted by the year and a letter, like: 2019A, 2019B, 2019C, 2019D. Suggestions or clarification questions are gathered and used in documents called contributions. Documents denoted “Contributions 2020A” are contributions to the 2020A release aiming at being integrated in the 2020B release.
Specifications contributions are submitted to Open Review every 1st March, 1st June, 1st September and 1st December. During the Open Review, partners and members are encouraged to review the changes and provide feedback and comments. Open Review lasts 30-days, unless important changes are introduced during the Open Review, in which case the Open Review period is extended.
New documents and contributions are approved and the official at the end of Open Review. The main and released specification documents are typically updated during the 2 weeks following the end of the Open Review periods. If you use Simplicity Studio, the specifications are displayed as part of the SDK documentation and you do not need to worry about using the latest approved version.
The Z-Wave certification program is updated to match the new specification release about twice a year. The current specification package in force for certification is available here.