Are smart, secure package repositories the next big thing in home technology?

DoorBird Thinks so. The maker of smart doorbell cameras is introducing the new “Video Parcel Box,” where FedEx, UPS, Amazon Prime, friends and family can drop off their packages, and then lock them up.

The locked box can be opened via app, pin-code, RFID, barcode, QR code or some other secure mechanism, alerting the homeowner in the process.

Like the DoorBird video doorbell, the Parcel Box has a built-in camera and the homeowner can speak to the delivery person via smart phone and then unlock the box via the app. And, like the original product, a sensor built into the parcel box triggers the camera to record events and send the footage to the cloud.

DoorBird says users can store tracking numbers through their app, so the delivery person can simply hold the barcode up to the camera for authentication and access.

NEXT: DoorBird May be Best DIY/Pro Doorbell Camera for Home Automation Integration

The box communicates via Wi-Fi or Ethernet, meaning it can’t sit next to the mail box unless the user has a pretty powerful Wi-Fi signal or a long run of Cat 5 cable.

This isn’t the first effort at a remote-controllable package box. Brivo, today a commercial access-control company, started life in 2000 as a purveyor of this type of thing. But that was before smart phones and Amazon, and the effort was abandoned.

Otherwise, the solution today is for users to accommodate deliveries by remotely opening a door using a smart lock and an app or keypad.

Even being able to vet the deliverer, and to monitor their activity at your home, there’s still discomfort with allowing them into your property when no one is there.

So, yes, it seems like protected repositories could be a hot category in the future. On the other hand, why not a dumb-but-secure drop-off box like you see at the post office or Goodwill?

The Video Parcel Box will be available in different sizes, colors and materials. Prices will start at $1,250.

DoorBird Parcel Box Press Release, Next Page

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PRESS RELEASE

DoorBird releases the first Video Parcel Box 

DoorBird, the sophisticated smartphone video door station from Germany, announces the first Video Parcel Box to be released in summer 2016! DoorBird focuses on helping home owners build the most comfortable and secure place in the world. Therefore, the innovative German company is launching a personal front desk soon: The new Video Parcel Box! It enables modern home owners to receive packages conveniently, even when they are not at home.

Receive your parcels from anywhere
Ever had to run to the post office after work to pick up a package? Or the delivery even went missing because it was left at the door step when no one was at home?

The new Video Parcel Box provides peace of mind. It allows its owners to see the delivery person, talk to them and open the parcel box – 100% remotely and 100% safely.

With DoorBird’s Video Parcel Box you can create a customized access code for the delivery person via keypad and save the tracking number of the parcel in the App. The delivery person then just holds the barcode in front of the camera and the Video Parcel Box opens automatically. In either case: DoorBird notifies the home owner via App that the parcel arrived safely at home only waiting to be unpacked. The Video Parcel Box will be available in different sizes, colors and materials. Prices will start at $1.250.

As with all DoorBird products: Video footage is recorded anytime someone presses the doorbell button or motion is detected in front of the DoorBird. The optional cloud storage can be used to access the footage in video format later to see what really happens in front of the door.

The company
DoorBird is a product of Bird Home Automation GmbH, with offices in Berlin and San Francisco. DoorBird is designed and manufactured with German quality engineering. It is the best-selling video door station in Europe and successfully entered the North American market in 2015. Bird Home Automation specializes in products for private customers that keep the user’s comfort as much in mind as their security. 
DoorBird products are available, starting from $349, via www.doorbird.com and through authorized resellers.
 

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