How Amazon Is Taking More Control Over Smart Home Tech

Amazon joining the boards of tech standard setting committees means it wants a say in determining which of those standards are implemented - and how that is done.

This, in addition to the fact that so many smart home devices are bought through Amazon, suggests it is moving strategically to control that industry. JL


Jakob Kastrenakes reports in The Verge:

Amazon now has a say in the development of a commonly used smart home standard, giving the company more power as it continues to push smart speakers, cameras, doorbells, and all other kinds of gadgets into its customers’ homes.Amazon has a seat on the board of the Zigbee Alliance, a wireless protocol for letting gadgets communicate; but unlike Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, Zigbee is good for low-power devices and has the ability to travel longer distances, making it ideal for simple smart gadgets like a light switch.

Amazon now has a say in the development of a commonly used smart home standard, giving the company more power as it continues to push smart speakers, cameras, doorbells, and all other kinds of gadgets into its customers’ homes.

As of today, Amazon has a seat on the board of the Zigbee Alliance, which oversees implementation of the Zigbee wireless protocol. Zigbee isn’t nearly as popular as Bluetooth or Wi-Fi, but you can think of it a lot like them — it’s a wireless protocol for letting gadgets communicate; but unlike Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, Zigbee is particularly good for low-power devices and has the ability to travel longer distances, making it ideal for simple smart gadgets like a light switch.

Joining Philips Hue and SmartThings

Amazon introduced a version of the Echo with Zigbee support more than a year ago. That support allowed the speaker to directly connect to a new world of smart home gadgets, like lightbulbs, power outlets, and tiny sensors that it otherwise couldn’t have reached. The home alarm system for Ring, which Amazon owns, also connects to Zigbee.

It’s a slow start, but Amazon’s ascension to Zigbee’s board suggests the company will want to make more use of the protocol in the future. Other companies on Zigbee’s board include Samsung-owned SmartThings, which makes a smart home hub; Signify, the company behind the popular Philips Hue smart lights; and Comcast, which uses Zigbee on its Xfinity Home security solution.

Getting onto Zigbee’s board isn’t exactly some kind of feat for Amazon, but it is a very clear and deliberate decision. Getting on the board means becoming one of the Alliance’s highest-paying members — $75,000 per year — and it gives those companies an important advantage: they’re able to “drive specification development, requirements, and test plans.” Or basically, define where Zigbee goes next.

If Amazon is paying that money, it means the company wants a say in what future versions of Zigbee can do and how different Zigbee devices work together. It also shows Amazon taking an opinion on which smart home standard it’d like to see win out. Zigbee’s most direct competitor is an alternative called Z-Wave, which hardware makers have criticized for relying on proprietary chips from a single company. Amazon is likely among the many companies in the smart home industry that would rather avoid dealing with the pricey parts that could come along with that if Z-Wave were to grow in popularity. 

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