Kaadas (also known by its Chinese name 凯迪仕) is a Chinese smart-lock and electronic security brand headquartered in Shenzhen, Guangdong, China. The company focuses primarily on smart door locks, electronic locks, access-control technology and related smart-home solutions, positioning itself as a premium/high-end smart-lock brand. According to Kaadas’s own corporate materials, it has built an integrated business covering R&D, manufacturing, branding, global sales, installation and after-sales service.1

Some figures vary between Kaadas’s Chinese and international corporate websites because they appear to have been updated at different times. For example, the Chinese site currently cites 711 patents and sales in 36 countries, while the international corporate site describes more than 30 years of lock-industry experience and more than 400 international patents.2

Origins in the lock industry

Kaadas’s history goes back further than its smart-lock brand. Its founder, Su Zhiyong, entered the lock industry in 1988, initially working with traditional mechanical locks. According to a company interview published in 2024, he encountered an advanced electronic lock while visiting Germany in 2005 and became convinced that electronic and smart locks would eventually transform the residential-security market.

He subsequently began developing smart-lock products alongside the company’s traditional lock business.

2009 — Kaadas is established

The Kaadas smart-lock brand was formally established in 2009. At the time, smart locks were still a relatively unfamiliar product category in China, and the company had to develop both the technology and the consumer market for the product.

The company eventually moved its headquarters to Shenzhen, which became an important base for its R&D, marketing and international expansion.

2017 — Major turning point

A particularly important stage in Kaadas’s development came in 2017, when Su Qiyun, the founder’s son, took over as chairman.

That year, Kaadas launched the K7 push-pull smart lock, which became one of its important products. The company also made a major investment in consumer branding, including signing Chinese actress Liu Tao (刘涛) as a brand ambassador.

Kaadas’s management later credited its product development, technology, manufacturing capabilities and supply chain as key factors behind its ability to survive the highly competitive Chinese smart-lock market.

Kaadas grew during a period when China’s smart-lock industry expanded extremely rapidly.

During the late 2010s, hundreds and eventually thousands of companies entered China’s smart-lock market. The competition included:

• Traditional lock manufacturers
• Internet companies
• Consumer-electronics companies
• Smart-home companies
• Security companies
• OEM/ODM manufacturers

Kaadas pursued a relatively vertically integrated strategy rather than concentrating exclusively on software or consumer-electronics branding.

Its business model encompasses:

1. Product research and development
2. Hardware design
3. Manufacturing
4. Brand development
5. Distribution
6. Installation
7. After-sales service
8. International sales

Kaadas describes this as a full-industry-chain business model.

Manufacturing has been an important part of Kaadas’s competitive strategy.

Its international corporate website identifies major manufacturing facilities in Zhuhai, Guangdong, and Wenzhou, Zhejiang, while the company has also described manufacturing and R&D operations elsewhere in China.

Kaadas’s strategy is therefore somewhat different from a typical consumer-tech company that outsources most hardware production. The company emphasizes control over design, manufacturing and supply-chain processes.

This is particularly significant for smart locks because the product combines:

• Mechanical lock mechanisms
• Motors and actuators
• Electronics
• Sensors
• Biometrics
• Wireless connectivity
• Batteries
• Mobile/cloud software
• Installation
• Security engineering

A failure in any one of these areas can affect the overall reliability of the lock.

Kaadas’s core business is smart door locks.

Its product portfolio has evolved from relatively conventional electronic locks into increasingly sophisticated smart-entry systems.

Fingerprint locks

Fingerprint recognition is one of Kaadas’s major smart-lock technologies.

Instead of carrying a physical key, users can authenticate themselves using a fingerprint sensor. Depending on the model, fingerprint access can be combined with passwords, cards, mechanical keys and other authentication methods.

Password/keypad entry

Kaadas produces locks with electronic keypads that allow users to enter PIN codes.

This is particularly useful for:

• Family members
• Rental properties
• Serviced apartments
• Offices
• Temporary visitors
• Domestic staff

Facial recognition

Higher-end Kaadas products have incorporated 3D facial-recognition technology, allowing the user to unlock the door without touching the lock.

This places Kaadas in the more technologically ambitious segment of the smart-lock market.

Palm/fingerprint biometric technologies

The company has also highlighted biometric technologies such as palm-vein and finger-vein recognition as part of the broader development of smart locks.

Mobile and connected functions

Depending on the model and market, Kaadas smart locks can form part of connected smart-home systems, allowing features such as remote management and digital access control.

The international Kaadas business explicitly describes its products as part of broader smart-home IoT systems.

Kaadas’s products generally attempt to combine three areas:

Security + convenience + industrial design

Traditional mechanical locks emphasize physical security but require a physical key. Smart locks attempt to remove that inconvenience while adding electronic authentication and management.

A typical Kaadas product therefore combines a conventional mechanical locking structure with electronic components and multiple authentication methods.

The company markets this as a way of making the home more convenient without abandoning physical security.

Technology is one of the main pillars of Kaadas’s brand positioning.

Kaadas’s Chinese corporate website currently states that the company has accumulated 711 patents. The company also says it has more than 400 R&D personnel, three R&D centers, and a significant international patent portfolio.

Its technology areas include:

Mobile and connected functions

Depending on the model and market, Kaadas smart locks can form part of connected smart-home systems, allowing features such as remote management and digital access control.

• Biometric identification
• Fingerprint recognition
• Facial recognition
• Palm/vein recognition
• Smart lock mechanisms
• Electronic access control
• IoT connectivity
• Smart security systems
• Battery and power-management technologies
• Mechanical/electronic integration

It is worth noting that patent counts are company-reported figures, and different Kaadas corporate pages currently give different counts depending on the geographic site and date of publication.

Smart locks are unusual consumer products because cybersecurity can become part of physical security.

A vulnerability in a connected smart lock potentially affects not only digital information but also physical access to a property.

Kaadas participated as one of the principal drafting organizations for China’s GB/T 44602—2024, Cybersecurity Technology — Cybersecurity Technical Specifications for Smart Door Locks. The standard was approved in 2024 and took effect on April 1, 2025.3

This reflects the industry’s transition from simply asking whether a smart lock can recognize a fingerprint to also considering:

• Data security
• Network security
• Authentication security
• Software security
• Device security
• Privacy

Kaadas has increasingly positioned itself as an international brand rather than exclusively a Chinese domestic manufacturer.

The company says its products are sold in 36 countries and regions, including the United States, Singapore and other Southeast Asian markets, with cumulative global sales exceeding 10 million smart locks.

Its international strategy has included expansion into markets such as:

• North America
• Southeast Asia
• Middle East
• Other international markets

The company describes this transition as moving from Chinese manufacturing → Chinese intelligent manufacturing → global brand development.

Singapore is particularly relevant to Kaadas’s overseas strategy because the company lists Singapore among the markets in which its products are sold.

The Singapore market is attractive for smart locks because of:

• High apartment/condominium density
• Strong consumer adoption of smart-home technology
• New residential developments
• Short-term rental and serviced-apartment applications
• High demand for keyless access
• Growing integration between security devices and smart homes

In Singapore, Kaadas competes with international and regional smart-lock brands, as well as traditional security and access-control companies.

Kaadas is not limited to selling locks directly to individual homeowners.

Its business covers several markets.

Residential

This is the most visible part of the brand.

Products are marketed to homeowners and apartment/condominium residents who want keyless entry and additional smart-home functionality.

Property development

Smart locks can be incorporated into new residential projects during construction.

This allows developers to specify the lock as part of the apartment’s original security and smart-home package.

Rental housing

Kaadas also offers products and solutions for the rental-housing sector, where digital access management can be particularly useful.

For landlords and property managers, smart locks can potentially simplify:

• Tenant turnover
• Temporary access
• Staff access
• Maintenance access
• Access records

Hotels and hospitality

Electronic locks are also relevant to hotels and hospitality properties, where access control is required across large numbers of rooms.

Commercial applications

The company also develops electronic access-control products for broader commercial environments.

Kaadas generally positions itself toward the mid-to-premium and premium smart-lock market, rather than competing solely on the lowest possible price.

Its branding emphasizes:

• Technology
• Security
• Design
• Convenience
• Manufacturing capability
• Service
• Premium residential experience

The company itself describes Kaadas as a high-end smart-lock brand and a leading smart-lock enterprise in Asia.

Kaadas has invested heavily in consumer branding.

One of its most notable campaigns was its partnership with Liu Tao, which helped turn Kaadas from a relatively specialized lock manufacturer into a recognizable consumer brand in China.

The company has also invested in:

• Television advertising
• High-speed railway advertising
• Airport advertising
• E-commerce
• Architectural exhibitions
• Smart-home demonstrations
• Product-launch campaigns

Its product launches have increasingly presented the smart lock as a lifestyle product, rather than simply a replacement for a mechanical lock.

One of Kaadas’s better-known product lines is the K-series.

The K7, launched in 2017, was an important commercial product and helped establish Kaadas’s push-pull smart-lock design language.

More recently, the company has promoted products such as the K70 “Legendary Master” series, alongside technologies and security systems such as its “Shield” smart-security system.

Product naming and availability vary between China and international markets, so a model sold in China is not necessarily offered under the same specification overseas.

Kaadas identifies several corporate values, including:

Rental housing

For landlords and property managers, smart locks can potentially simplify:

• Tenant turnover
• Temporary access
• Staff access
• Maintenance access
• Access records

Commercial applications

Kaadas generally positions itself toward the mid-to-premium and premium smart-lock market, rather than competing solely on the lowest possible price.

Its branding emphasizes:

• Technology
• Security
• Design
• Convenience
• Manufacturing capability
• Service

• Premium residential experience

• Television advertising

• High-speed railway advertising
• Airport advertising
• E-commerce
• Architectural exhibitions
• Smart-home demonstrations
• Product-launch campaigns

• Customer achievement
• Teamwork
• Embracing change
• Integrity
• Passion
• Craftsmanship

The company presents its broader mission as providing consumers with a more comfortable, convenient and secure lifestyle.

Kaadas’s headquarters are in Nanshan District, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China.

Its international corporate site lists the headquarters in the Creative City development in Xili, Nanshan District.

The company also maintains manufacturing facilities in China, including locations in Zhuhai and Wenzhou.

One potentially confusing point is that Kaadas is not Yale and is not part of the ASSA ABLOY/Yale corporate family.

Yale is a separate historic lock brand. Yale’s global business is associated with ASSA ABLOY, while the U.S. and Canadian Yale/consumer smart-lock business was acquired by Fortune Brands in 2023.

Kaadas is instead a Chinese smart-lock company with its own corporate organization, manufacturing infrastructure and brand.

Kaadas operates in a highly competitive industry.

Its international competitors can include brands such as:

• Yale
• Samsung
• Schlage
• Philips-branded smart locks
• Aqara
• Xiaomi ecosystem products
• Various Chinese smart-lock manufacturers
• Traditional access-control companies

However, these companies do not necessarily compete in exactly the same market segments.

Kaadas’s particular strength is its combination of lock-industry experience, smart-lock specialization, manufacturing scale and consumer branding.

Kaadas’s own current corporate figures indicate:

• 10+ million cumulative smart-lock sales globally
• Distribution/sales in approximately 36 countries and regions
• 711 patents reported on its Chinese corporate website
• Multiple R&D centers
• Major manufacturing bases in China
• An integrated R&D-to-after-sales business model

Its international corporate site additionally states that it has more than 10,000 global distribution partners and manufacturing facilities covering approximately 308,000 m² across three major Chinese factories.

Because these are corporate-reported figures and are updated at different times, they should be treated as company disclosures rather than independently audited market-share statistics.

Kaadas is interesting in the global lock industry because it represents the transition of Chinese manufacturers from OEM/industrial manufacturing toward internationally marketed technology brands.

Traditional Chinese lock manufacturers often competed primarily on manufacturing cost. Kaadas has instead attempted to build an end-to-end brand around:

Lock hardware + electronics + biometrics + software + smart-home connectivity + manufacturing + distribution + installation + after-sales service

That is arguably the central idea behind the modern Kaadas business model.

If you had to describe Kaadas in one sentence:

Kaadas is a Shenzhen-based Chinese smart-lock company that evolved from the traditional lock industry into a vertically integrated global brand specializing in premium electronic and smart door-lock systems.

Its main selling proposition is essentially:

“A traditional security product redesigned as a connected, biometric and intelligent smart-home device.”

1. 品牌简介-关于凯迪仕-凯迪仕智能锁
2. Kaadas official website
3. Kaadas Official