Revamped zigbang introduces first smart home product

Ahn Sung-ho, CEO of zigbang, poses with the new SHP-R80, a door lock that can be unlocked using a Samsung Pay-installed phone. [ZIGBANG]

zigbang introduced its first smart home product following the acquisition of Samsung SDS’ home internet of things (IoT) division, aiming to branch out abroad into the United States and China.

The company released the SHP-R80, a digital door lock that can be opened using a Samsung Pay-installed smartphone, on Tuesday.

Although there are door locks that can be opened by tagging phones with near field communication (NFC), zigbang’s doesn’t require users to take out their phones. They will open when the user stands in front of the door lock with their phone.

The new product follows zigbang’s acquisition of Samsung SDS’ home IoT division, which was finalized in July.

Users will be able to set additional codes that will only open the door lock for a temporary period, which the company said will be convenient for allowing access to relatives and friends. The door lock can be opened and closed using a smartphone application, and when it has been opened, it will be show on the app.

The company expressed confidence in its products’ security.

“Internet-based companies like zigbang need Personal Information and Information Security Management System certification and are accustomed to using advance technologies,” said Ahn Sung-woo, CEO of zigbang, at a press conference on Tuesday. “We will apply those standards in our home IoT products, which will mean that there will be stricter security protection standards compared to existing products.”

It will be selling door locks, wallpads and lobby phones that the home IoT division used to sell, but will also develop a new system that will be able to manage various smart home devices all at once.

Although the company didn’t give a set sales goal for home IoT products, it said it aims to report sales figures similar to when the division was under Samsung SDS in the short run, but later increase its goal.

“When the division was part of Samsung SDS, it had a significant percentage of its sales coming from overseas, having over 50 percent of the market share in Hong Kong and over 30 percent in countries like Singapore and Australia,” said CEO Ahn. “We plan to make that continue, with plans to expand into the United States and China.”

With its new businesses up and running, the company announced Tuesday it changed its slogan and logo. The new slogan is “Beyond home” and the logo was changed from Korean to English, aiming to show the company’s determination to expand abroad.

The company also plans to promote its home brokerage service, offering a 50 percent discount on brokerage fees until June next year.

BY LEE TAE-HEE [lee.taehee2@joongang.co.kr]