Igloohome – Digital Smart Locks for Your Business 

Remember that time when you cannot remember where you placed your house keys? How about accidentally locking yourself out of your home? Or having to rush home just to open the door for your part-time cleaner? These are common day-to-day scenarios that everyone will face at least once in their daily lives. To prevent such instances from repeating itself, many of us have come up with creative solutions like hiding keys under the door mat. But now, with Igloohome smart locks and their smart lock technology, you no longer have to worry about your keys.

Former Airbnb Host, now Igloohome Founder

Igloohome started when the founders, then Airbnb hosts, faced a crucial problem in renting out their spaces – access management. They found it hard to schedule an appointment just to pass their keys to their guests. The founders of Igloohome were working professionals with full-time jobs back then. It was difficult to set aside time to handover access to their guests. This is especially so when some guests arrive at odd hours, causing inconvenience to both the host and guest.

Anthony Chow, one of the founders, figured that he couldn’t be the only one facing this problem. He and his other co-founders then worked towards eliminating this pain point faced by other Airbnb hosts. And this led to the founding of Igloohome, the Singapore-based startup specialising in smart locks. Since then, Igloohome has been transforming how homeowners manage access handover as well as the security of their premises.

Keyless Access

The Igloohome smart lock features keyless access through various methods. This includes PIN code generation or bluetooth key using the Igloohome app via your smartphone. You can either type in the PIN or use your trusty smartphone to unlock the doors through bluetooth. By incorporating multiple methods to unlock your door, there is no need for you bring your keys around anymore. Gone are the days where you had to dig your keys out from your bag or fumble with the lock. But before you toss your keys away, it’s still best to keep them as a backup – just in case.

What is even cooler than the keyless access function is that the locks do not require Internet access to function. Also, you don’t have to be at the lock physically to program the PINs. This means that you can assign PIN codes and grant access remotely – even when you’re halfway around the globe.

The Technology Behind Smart Locks

How the offline feature works is similar to how your bank tokens operate. The pairing of your smart lock and smartphone works the same way as how the bank token is paired to your smartphone.

Using a combination of cryptography and time synchronisation, the Igloohome app in your smartphone first encrypts the PIN code. The app then sends this information to the smart lock, which will decrypt the code thereafter – all without the use of WiFi. This ensures that your locks are not vulnerable to online hacking, which constitutes a major concern in today’s age.  

Create Personalised PINs

Designed for Airbnb properties, you can create either one-time or time-limited PINs for each guest on an ad-hoc basis. With custom PINs generated for different guests, you are also able to control the duration of access given to them. The PINs will then expire upon the end of the allotted period and a new code is generated for the next guest.

Homeowners can also utilise this feature by handing out personalised PINs to contractors or cleaners. Therefore, you can grant them access into your homes without having to be physically present. This ensures that such one-time or temporary workers can only access your home for a certain amount of time. Thus, homeowners need not worry about unauthorised entry after the completion of the assigned task.

The heightened security the Igloohome locks provide, coupled with the added convenience of handing over access, makes the Igloohome locks ideal for your homes.

Track and Monitor Lock Activity

As mentioned above, not only can the Igloohome smartphone app help property owners generate and send out PINs, they can also view access logs within the same app. This means that property owners can track the date and times at which visitors or family members enter their home.

Such visibility and transparency on access logs assures homeowners and gives them a peace of mind. 

Types of Igloohome Smart Locks

Igloohome houses 3 different types of smart locks – the Smart Mortise Lock, Smart Deadbolt 02 and Smart Keybox. They all share the same general features as discussed above but have distinctive physical forms. We will explore the different products in more detail below.

Igloohome Smart Mortise Lock

One of Igloohome’s smart locks is the Smart Mortise which follows the latch locking model. It comes attached with a handle. How the latch model works is that the spring latch, which is connected to the handle, will retract when the handle is pulled downwards. This allows the door to be opened. When released, the latch tongue protrudes out again, holding the door in its closed position.

Once the door is locked, the locking bolt positioned beneath the latch also protrudes to secure the door in position. In this case, the door remains locked even when the handle is pulled down.

Finally, keying in the correct code or using the bluetooth key with your smartphone will release the locking bolt. All you have to do next is to pull down the handle to open the door.

Igloohome Smart Deadbolt 02

The Smart Deadbolt 02 is pretty similar to the Smart Mortise with regards to the locking mechanism of the bolt. The only difference between the two is that the Smart Deadbolt 02 does not come with the latch and handle. Without the function of the spring latch, the door cannot be closed and held in place. Therefore, you would have to hold the door in its closed position before locking it in place.

Since the Smart Deadbolt 02 only provides the locking mechanism, this product is great as an add-on for doors that already have an existing handle installed.

The Smart Deadbolt 02 is a newer and improved version of its older counterpart. The second generation Deadbolt is heavier, weighing in at 2.2kg, and feels much more solid due to the different materials used.

Igloohome Smart Keybox

The Smart Keybox is designed slightly differently than its other smart lock counterparts. It does not require any installation to your doors as the Smart Keybox can be simply looped and attached on firm structures such as railings or gates. You may also choose to mount it up on a wall. You can just place your key or access card inside and generate a PIN code for the guest to retrieve it from the Smart Keybox. This ensures a smarter and more secured way to hide your keys.

The Smart Keybox came about after Igloohome noticed that different homeowners had different needs. As much as they expressed interest in the smart locks, they were reluctant to modify their doors permanently. Therefore, it still serves the needs of short-term rental hosts without the need for alterations on their doors.

Additionally, the Smart Keybox is also ideal for property owners whose doors are not compatible with Igloohome’s smart locks such as sliding and glass doors.

Start using Igloohome Smart Locks for Your Business

Previously, we have mentioned how homeowners and property rental hosts can benefit from using Igloohome’s digital door locks. But did you know that even your business can benefit from smart lock technology as well?

Igloohome actually offers a dashboard for enterprise customers and businesses. This allows businesses to oversee and manage multiple locks efficiently.

Below we will discuss how you can integrate Igloohome’s smart lock technology in your business.

• Human resources

I’m sure there was a time where you’ve left a new hire waiting outside the office as they do not have access yet. With Igloohome digital door locks, your business is able to streamline the on-boarding process for new employees efficiently. Generating PIN codes and granting access easily through their smartphones eliminates the need to program access cards or keys, which may take some time to process. This way, no one has to borrow access cards or spend time waiting outside your office door again.

You can also grant time-based access for interns, freelancers or short-term hires. This reduces the time your team spends on administrative tasks such as assigning and collecting access cards. As Igloohome automates access management, you need not worry about manually activating and deactivating access for short-term hires.

Furthermore, with the ability to track access logs, businesses may also leverage on this function for employee’s attendance records. Thus, making the smart lock a great replacement for the traditional punch card machine. With this function, you can easily track the movement of people in and out of your office in real time and use this data for your employees’ clock-in and clock-out records.

• Security and safekeeping of assets

Measures to enhance the security of business premises must be of utmost priority. It should be implemented to prevent intrusion and unauthorised access. This starts with having proper control over accessibility.

You can apply smart lock technology for all kinds of business premises – from small office spaces to large warehouses. It allows you to manage various access points and selectively grant access in restricted areas. Controlling who is given access and the duration whereby access is granted protects your premises against unauthorised persons or trespassers. The smart lock is also able to notify you immediately if it detects anyone tampering with the device. These are some of the ways smart lock technology can be applied to ensure the safety and security of your workplace.

Aside from ensuring the security of your business premises, you can also monitor the safekeeping of your assets. This is ideal for cargo trucks and containers where valuables and stocks are kept. With the smart locks, all your items will be safe and protected against theft.

• Operations

Forget about individually programming and handing over access cards or checking if you have issued out the right key to your employees. Nobody has the time for that now.

The Igloohome Smart Lock technology allows you to remotely send personalised PIN codes to your employee’s smartphones. Similarly, you can also grant short-term access to contractual workers and external partners when they come over to your office, even before they arrive. As a result, you don’t even have to be physically present to grant access. With streamlined and automated workflow of access management, you no longer have to deal with manual processes as Igloohome takes care of everything for you. This, therefore, reduces time and effort spent on such mundane operational tasks.

• Sharing of working spaces

Igloohome smart locks are perfect for the management of co-working spaces. As such a shared office concept usually involves many different organisations and members, the smart locks help to manage access and streamline operations.

With igloohome, you can easily manage reservations of office desks and meeting rooms. You can simply assign PIN codes based on the date and time that the member has requested for, as well as the duration that the reservation lasts for. The time-sensitive entry function also ensures that members only use the space reserved within the time allotted. Therefore, members are unable to abuse the system and can only use the space based on what they have paid for. Furthermore, you don’t even need someone to overlook the space or manage the reservations – all you need is Igloohome’s smart lock and app.

Also, the real-time data provided by the lock activity tracker gives you actionable insights on the use and occupancy of your co-working space. This allows you to understand your members better, recognise occupancy trends as well as formulate more targeted and suitable plans.

The traditional methods of handing over keys and having a receptionist to oversee the management of co-working spaces can be costly and inconvenient. Incorporating smart lock technology with access control functions allows co-working space providers to offer a more upscale and convenient user experience.

Benefits of Using Smart Locks

We have shared with you the different applications of Igloohome’s smart locks and how you can use them to streamline certain business functions. With powerful technology integrated, these smart locks prove to be better, safer and more reliable than traditional locks. Here are some of the reasons why you should get the Igloohome for your home or business and how you can benefit from them:

• Convenience

Convenience is undoubtedly a key advantage of using a smart lock. By automating various features such as granting time-based access, you do not have to worry about manually activating and deactivating access of your guest or employee.

Furthermore, the remote access management functions allows you to give access at the touch of a screen. You no longer have to be physically present to open your locks or to hand over access. Therefore, you are able to control your locks at your own convenience with only your smartphone.

• Efficiency

By streamlining the process of access handover, you can improve operational efficiencies. Now, you can do away with redundant tasks such as duplicating keys or programming access cards. The automation of such processes also reduces time and effort spent on onboarding employees and managing access for contractual workers.

• Cost-effectiveness

Even with extensive and advanced functions, Igloohome’s smart locks are kept reasonably priced. Igloohome proves that all you need is their smart locks to keep the security of your property in check. Therefore, their smart locks are an affordable investment for your home or business.

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You can find and purchase all aforementioned products and many others on Eezee’s platform. Eezee is Singapore’s first B2B online marketplace for buyers and sellers of industrial hardware and supplies. 

We have written this article solely to highlight our merchants and their products.