Introducing Xthings’ First Z-Wave Long Range Certified Smart Lock, Powered by Silicon Labs’ ZG28 Platform
| 
Xthings is pioneering AIoT (Artificial Intelligence of Things) with solutions that enhance security, automation, and efficiency across residential, commercial, and industrial sectors. Part of its mission is to enhance daily life by integrating AI models with physical sensors and wireless connectivity. This means embedding intelligence at the edge - optimizing performance, enhancing privacy, and reducing reliance on the cloud. Across its applications, Xthings employs an approach that prioritizes local decision-making, ultra-low-power design, and secure connectivity to drive rapid customization without compromising reliability.
Xthings is Driving the Future of Smart Security with AI and Embedded Connectivity
The Ultraloq line of advanced smart locks exemplifies this approach, offering convenience and compatibility with major smart home ecosystems to maximize user benefits. The high level of integration combines AI-driven authentication, low-power connectivity, and responsive automation into a single, compact product.
But these are demanding applications with considerable design challenges. Xthings developers were managing limitations in power efficiency, protocol flexibility, and integration overhead. This was compounded by the need to support Z-Wave Long Range, Bluetooth LE, and future Matter adoption within a single platform. While juggling all of this, they were also tasked with reducing the number of discrete components to simplify BOM complexity. Xthings set out to find a low-power, highly integrated wireless SoC that could support secure communication, multiple protocols, and edge computing, without draining the battery.
課題
The Ultraloq is a flagship smart lock from UTec, a brand partner of AIoT specialists Xthings, and it’s providing secure, convenient, and intelligent access control for residential and small business users. With the growing consumer expectation that smart devices work across ecosystems, the company required a highly integrated, low-power system-on-chip (SoC) that could support secure communication, multiple protocols, and edge computing without compromising battery life or increasing bill of materials (BOM) costs.
ソリューション
The Silicon Labs single-die, multicore EFR32ZG28 Z-Wave 800 SoC met these demands thanks to its flexible protocol support and AIoT-ready architecture. With industry-leading security, low power consumption, and fast wake-up times, the ZG28 became instrumental in delivering the intelligence and performance the Ultraloq required.
その結果
Using the ZG28, Xthings accelerated development, lowered engineering costs, and delivered a feature-rich, user-friendly product that is secure by design and easy to deploy. It also makes it possible for Xthings to deliver seamless, adaptive AIoT experiences across multiple use cases — from smart access to industrial monitoring.
Our Secure, Multiprotocol Z-Wave 800 SoC Helped Xthings Overcome Their Smart Lock Design Challenge
After evaluating solutions from several vendors, Xthings selected the ZG28 Z-Wave 800 SoC because it provided the most critical functions, including secure connectivity, low-power operation, and sensor interface capabilities in a single package. With up to 1024 kB of Flash and 256 kB of RAM, the ZG28 also has the processing power to run local inference models, aligning with Ultraloq’s edge-first AIoT architecture.
In addition to meeting these performance and footprint requirements, the Silicon Labs Simplicity Studio development ecosystem helped Xthings accelerate time to market and ensure energy efficiency across platforms. Xthings also benefited from Silicon Labs’ smart lock reference designs, which include standard Z-Wave features to further speed up development. This made it possible for the team to focus on business-specific features instead of wasting time on low-level protocol implementation. The result was significantly reduced development time, lowered engineering costs, and a highly intuitive product.
Xthings expects the response from both residential and light commercial segments to be strong, especially as consumers increasingly seek smart home products that work out of the box with long-term reliability. The Ultraloq’s advanced features, robust performance, and focus on user experience stand out in what has become a highly competitive market.
Collaboration Accelerates Global AIoT Technology Evolution
The ZG28 Z-Wave SoC is also Z-Wave certified, including support for Z-Wave Long Range PHYs in both North America and Europe. This certification enables Xthings to offer a truly global product platform, ensuring seamless interoperability across regional markets. As a result, the Ultraloq smart lock is well-positioned to leverage this global readiness—delivering secure, scalable, and consistent access control solutions to users around the world.
This milestone also streamlines the certification process for any end-device based on Silicon Labs’ Series 800 platform. Xthings played a key role in the Z-Wave certification effort by collaborating closely with Silicon Labs to validate functionality and support early integration testing. This partnership not only accelerated the certification timeline but also boosts confidence for other developers and manufacturers building Z-Wave-enabled products, knowing the platform is field-tested and integration-ready.
This collaboration underscores a broader trend in AIoT technology. Consumers are demanding efficient, secure, and adaptable devices that blend seamlessly into their daily lives. At the same time, markets are expanding as enterprises race to deliver cutting-edge solutions that stay ahead of competition and global innovation trends.
The advanced features, robust support, and forward-thinking roadmap provided by Silicon Labs have enabled Xthings to realize their vision for a smarter, safer, and energy-efficient future.
