USB hardware keys · Software licensing & protection
KeelGuard puts your keys in a secure element and your license checks in hardware. Keys are generated inside the dongle and never leave it, and every unlock takes a fresh challenge–response. With OEM branding, the device shows your name, not ours.
Every point below is implemented in the hardware and SDK — no license check that is just an if-statement.
Each dongle's private key is generated inside a dedicated secure element. It cannot be read out or exported, and cryptographic operations run on the dongle.
Every unlock and heartbeat checks the device certificate and signs a fresh random challenge. Copied data or a software emulator cannot pass.
A licensed feature is a decryption key, not an if-statement. Unlicensed features never receive their key, so patching a jump gets an attacker nowhere.
The dongle derives a separate key for each software version while the base keys stay inside. One license covers all your versions.
Combine feature sets, expiry, concurrent instances and usage quotas. Each license can also carry a signed business tag such as a customer, site or order number.
Device certificates and licenses are issued by KeelCon's own root — not tied to, or locked in by, the chip vendor.
Renew by writing a single license file, and replace a dongle without re-packaging your protected program. Rollback protection stops old licenses from being written back.
When the dongle is removed, your software steps down through Normal → Grace → Restricted → Safe hold → Stopped, and recovers automatically when it is plugged back in.
A standard HID device: no drivers on Windows or Linux, and several program instances on one PC can share a single dongle.
Both models share the same SDK and licensing system. Choose by whether you need an on-board clock.
The general-purpose hardware key for most software protection and licensing needs.
From ¥99 per key
Everything in Standard plus a hardware real-time clock, built for time-based licensing.
From ¥199 per key
| — | Standard | TimePro |
|---|---|---|
| Secure element anti-cloning | ✓ | ✓ |
| Driver-free HID | ✓ | ✓ |
| Feature / instance / quota licensing | ✓ | ✓ |
| Per-version key derivation | ✓ | ✓ |
| OEM branding | ✓ | ✓ |
| Hardware real-time clock | — | ✓ |
| Expiry checked against | PC clock | Dongle clock |
| Availability | Available | Coming soon |
TimePro specifications are subject to the final release.
OEM
We build a dedicated firmware for OEM customers: the USB manufacturer and product names become your company and product, and you can use your own USB VID/PID. End users see you in Device Manager and system information — not us.
The SDK ships as a C++ library that you integrate with CMake.
Priced per order quantity — the more you order, the lower the unit price.
| Quantity per order | KeelGuard Standard HW1 | KeelGuard TimePro HW2 Coming soon |
|---|---|---|
| 1–100 keys | ¥99 | ¥199 |
| 101–1,000 keys | ¥89 | ¥189 |
| 1,001+ keys | ¥79 | ¥179 |
Create a free account and verify your email to download the KeelGuard SDK. Cloud production and license management will also open in your account.
