WEBGATE Inc

Speaking briefly about Webgate? “guinea pig” who likes to challenge first and encounters with all the difficulties and hardness at initial stage.

Since foundation in 1997, Webgate has been making strenuous efforts on the surveillance business of next generation and played major role in challenging a leading edge technology many years earlier than others. In consequence of continuous challenges, there are various world’s first technologies melted in the Webgate products. This professes the basic conviction of Webgate that refuses to develop other than the best product in the world.

The supreme confidence of exceptional technology starts from the extraordinary history of Webgate. How has this innovative technology that stunned the world been developed?

The first mission traces back to the development of unmanned, aerial vehicle (UAV), requested by Korea Aerospace Industries, LTD (KAI). UAVs can be remote controlled or fly autonomously based on pre-programmed flight plans or more complex dynamic automation systems. Webgate took part of UAV development that was used for the purpose of military in 1998. Webgate developed and produced HW of encoder & decoder of monitoring system and a SW that controls the UAV from remote site. As you might know well, the feature of military equipment should provide

first, precise information for the matter of life and death by SW and second, solid outfit and mechanism that is immune from certain level of percussion.

KAI has selected a professor who was specialized in image processing and he became a CEO of Webgate starting with this project. After initial flight 10 years ago, this UAV was never needed to be replaced the encoder & decoder which shows the sophisticated technology and solidity. And it became a basic spirit of manufacturing the entire Webgate products. As a matter of fact, some partners of long term relationship with Webgate complain that their end user never replaced their old units after initial purchasing.

Webgate started evolution quickly after first mission. They penetrated into the security market and released the world’s second & Korean first IP camera which created a sensation for the global major players who approached them to propose co-work. The first chosen OEM partner was Sony in 2002.

Eye-opening progress besides subsistence of IP camera itself, world’s first PoE applied IP product was another hot issue in the market.

At that moment, there was a standardization issue of PoE between Cisco and PowerDsine as it was an initial stage of PoE function in the market and the surprising news was that the PoE feature of brand-new Sony IP cam, SNC-VL10P satisfied the PoE function of both Cisco and PowerDsine, the PoE specialists.

The new technology of Webgate held the spotlight and started carrying out various missions.

In 2000, Webgate IP camera was installed beyond the Christmas tree of Rockefeller broadcasting lighting up. And several hundreds thousands of visitors were recorded as simultaneous access in the first year. You still can monitor the Christmas tree through Webeye cam manufactured by Webgate at http://www.rockefellercenter.com/home.html

In 2000, Webgate was invested by venture capital and attained a patent for a quite practical device, an IP camera with built-in HDD in the name of Philips Netcam-DVR. This device was designed to save data upto 30 gigabyte internally. In other words, it was the first combination of IP camera with DVR feature. Generally, most of burglars know the DVR recorded everything and try to destroy DVRs installed in the building after their burglary to avoid being caught. But the brand-new Philips IP camera saved the data in the HDD inside independently from DVR and it was no use to destroy DVR. In fact, after installation of IP camera with DVR feature, there were significant numbers of arrests by tracing data saved in the camera. After success of Philips, other companies started manufacturing IP camera with built-in HDD but Webgate is the one who holds the patent of this technology.

In addition, Webgate went into partnership with Samsung Techwin in 2000. Fujitsu and Pentax also joined on the IP camera project with Webgate in 2001 and released Webcam and Versa Cam under their brands.

In 2002, Webgate made another great coup in installing the world’s first 3GPP real-time streaming camera, M4Box-MC10.

MPEG-4 encoder and streaming server were installed inside the IP camera with embedded Linux for NTT Docomo. Feature and spec of this special camera was totally same as the highest spec of the day, Power Mac of Apple. How? In fact Webgate has installed the same CPU of Power Mac in the IP camera. Mitsubishi also launched Webgate’s video server in 2002.

In 2003 Webgate turned attention to DVR market and released the world’s first embedded hybrid DVR enhanced by successful development experience of IP camera in the previous year. And Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu awarded Webgate as one of 2003 Asia Pacifiv Technology Fast 500. In the same year, they were also awarded as one of the 50 world leading& fast growing company in Korea.

Since 2004, Webgate has developed a mobile DVR which was uniquely designed for police vehicle. US police used to use VCR tapes that physically need huge warehouses to store them for the patrol tasks of police. But Webgate’s epoch-making DVR has wireless Ethernet with GPS and MPEG-4 compression method that enables wireless transmission of data to the central server automatically when a police car enters to a parking lot of police station. This device changed the working environment of US police. Total 11k units were sold.

Based on those magnificent technical back ground, Webgate has carried out numbers of nationalistic projects such as installation of 108 CH network DVR for the entire highways in China and Taiwan and Taiwanese legislature. Webgate was also selected as an exclusive DVR manufacturer for the entire ATM in Milano.