Ordering stuff online is great – you don’t need to drive out to a shop, load whatever you bought in your car, and then take it out for unboxing inside the house. It’s very convenient, especially when it comes to heavier items that you’ll have to haul around while walking. Of course, there are tradeoffs. You can get shipped the wrong items, get something broken, or even have the package outright stolen when it’s delivered while you’re out of the house. If you’re frequently receiving packages without anyone in your place, it might be a good idea to have a safe place for the delivery guys to put them. That’s exactly what the Eufy SmartDrop brings to your front door.
Billed as a “smart delivery box,” the connected home device is, basically, an oversized mailbox for the front door, giving delivery folks a secure place to leave your packages. Not only will your packages end up stored in a place that thieves won’t be able to access, it will also keep you informed of every delivery received, complete with a video feed in real time.
The Eufy SmartDrop is a secure lockbox that measures 27.5 x 21.6 x 21.6 inches (height x width x depth), with a design that allows it to be bolted to either the ground or the wall to hold it in place. It can be opened either with the use of a key or a pin code that you enter either on the keypad or the companion app, although the lock is only engaged once the device detects there are actually packages inside. When empty, all a courier has to do is press the Open button to get access to the main compartment, which simplifies things if you’re only getting one delivery a day.
Of course, that’s not how most of us tend to order online. As such, the delivery box comes with autonomous tech that allows it to detect when a person is in the vicinity, at which point the device will provide voice guidance, providing step-by-step instructions about how they can make the delivery. At the same time, the device will alert you via the companion app, complete with a video feed of the courier, so you can decide whether to allow them access or not. If you decide to give the courier access, you can then talk to them via two-way audio, either opening the lock yourself via the app or giving them the pin code.
The Eufy SmartDrop has a housing clad in high-density carbon steel with anti-corrosion and hydrophobic coating to keep the elements from damaging the surface. It’s also IP65 water resistant, so your packages will never get wet from rain or splashes, making it perfectly safe to keep outdoors the whole time. According to the outfit, it’s large enough to fit 99 percent of the packages that get delivered, including small home appliances. It won’t, however, accommodate furniture or large appliances, so you’ll stil have to find other accommodations for those.
The Eufy SmartDrop is slated to ship in late January. Price is $399.99.