Trident IoT is a new technology and engineering company focused on simplifying RF development and decreasing time-to-market for connected device manufacturers. Trident IoT will be a direct supplier of Z-Wave technology solutions as well as a manufacturer of proprietary silicon and modules.
The company will also offer product design and development consulting for any RF technology, UL and ETL preparation and U.S.-based Z-Wave device certification.
Trident IoT was founded by IoT pioneers Mariusz Malkowski, Michael Lamb, and Bill Scheffler. The founders observed that supply chain chokepoints and lack of access to product-specific design consultation were slowing down development processes across the industry. They created Trident IoT to fill this gap, offering companies of any size cost-effective solutions for bringing wireless products to market.
Though Trident IoT will offer consultation services for any RF technology, including Z-Wave, Zigbee, Bluetooth, and Thread, the company’s first chipset and module offerings will be part of the Z-Wave ecosystem. Z-Wave is the largest sub-GHz ecosystem of connected devices, with a proven track record of mesh connectivity, range, performance, reliability, security, and interoperability. Trident IoT sees tremendous opportunity for Z-Wave Long Range (LR) which is currently both underserved and underrepresented in the market.
“Silicon Labs welcomes Trident IoT to the market as a provider of Z-Wave chips and modules,” said Colin Cureton, senior director of IoT Home & Life Ecosystems Marketing at Silicon Labs. “Diversity in the marketplace will lead to growth and innovation for the entire Z-Wave ecosystem, and the personalized attention and engineering expertise that Trident IoT’s founders bring to the connected device development process is precisely what the industry needs to accelerate.”
Trident IoT has assembled some of the brightest Z-Wave engineers in the world and will be a direct provider of Z-Wave chips and modules that support the latest advancements in Z-Wave technology including Z-Wave Plus, Z-Wave Plus v.2 and Z-Wave Long Range (LR), which supports the development of edge-of-property devices. These products are designed to meet the needs of diverse target markets, including smart homes, hospitality and multi-dwelling units (MDU).
“Trident IoT can streamline every step of the development process for Z-Wave devices equipped with next-gen advancements to the technology,” Malkowski said. “We are the supplier source, the development and engineering partner and a Z-Wave certification laboratory.”
Trident IoT has joined Z-Wave Alliance as a principal member, as well as the Connectivity Standards Alliance (CSA), the Bluetooth Special Interest Group and the LoRa Alliance. The company’s ultimate goal is to provide engineering, consultation, silicon, software, firmware and industry and government certification support for all RF ecosystems.
By providing support at every stage of connected device development, Trident IoT can radically shorten the timeline required to bring products to market. Trident IoT looks to partner with connected device makers to develop a new generation of secure, reliable, interoperable and innovative IoT products.
The new company has already received accolades from the industry that they will be supporting.
“Congratulations to Trident IoT on their launch. Trident IoT’s customers will be getting the benefit of decades of talent and experience from Mariusz, Michael, and Bill, along with their impressive team of engineers,” said Chris LaPre, head of technology, Connectivity Standards Alliance. “Having brought thousands of IoT products to market, using every communication protocol, including Z-Wave, Zigbee, Thread, Matter, and others, they understand these technologies and the role they play in the marketplace. We look forward to their efforts at the Alliance on Matter and Zigbee success and propelling the industry forward.”
Mitch Klein, executive director, Z-Wave Alliance, added, “Trident IoT further fosters the development of new features, enhancements and custom applications on Z-Wave Technology by offering connected device manufacturers a new direct source for Z-Wave chips and modules, along with personalized support through their engineering support system and Z-Wave certification process. I’ve had the privilege to work with many of the founders and engineers at Trident IoT over the past decade, both at the Alliance and at Silicon Labs. This industry is going to benefit tremendously from having an RF-specialized semiconductor partner.”
