Holiday deliveries mean porch pirates are out in full effect! Here is a look at some of the gadgets that can help stop them.
Having items delivered right to our front door is great, but having them stolen isn’t very fun!
If you can’t be home 24/7 and don’t want your items delivered to your workplace, there are some technologies that can help you keep an eye on your house and keep your packages secure.
“The USPS says they deliver 800 million holiday packages and nearly 1 third of Americans are reporting package theft,” Google search trends expert Justin Burr told us.
Sometimes, porch pirates will look for opportunities, such as packages sitting on doorsteps during the day, or they will simply follow delivery personnel like we recently saw in Burbank.
Ring
Interest is high in security cameras and video doorbells like the one pioneered by Ring.
We met up with Ring founder Jamie Siminoff at the company’s headquarters in Santa Monica.
“Ring changes the presence. Someone comes up to the door, you get an alert, you open it up, they’re bending down – we have these videos – they’re bending down to pick up that package, and you say ‘hey, get out of here!’ And that’s how you can stop the porch piracy,” explained Siminoff.
Their second generation video doorbell, also known as Video Doorbell 2, has a removable battery and clearer video so you can see what’s happening on your doorsteps. Perhaps not ironically, the company was purchased by Amazon this past year.
Ring charges $30 a year for their Protect Basic Plan, which lets you access videos of every Ring, Motion, and Live View event for up to 60 days.
Nest
Nest is known for its popular video cameras. They also make a video doorbell called the Nest Hello. “You see a package be delivered, you can go out there and make sure it’s not sitting out there for too long and actually just grab it and put it inside,” explained Google’s Burr.
Good to know: Nest just added a less expensive subscription for their cams! It’s now $50 a year for a 5 day, 24/7 video history, as opposed to the more expensive plan which costs $100 a year for 10 days of 24/7 video storage.
Nest, which is owned by Google, uses algorithms to send you alerts when their cameras spot an unfamiliar face.
Dynosafe
Dynosafe is taking a more secure approach with a climate controlled cooler style lock box you install on your porch.
“This past year was the first year that we ordered more online than we bought in brick and mortar stores. So we need to keep those items secure and protected from the elements,” explained Dynosafe’s founder Rebecca Romanucci, who we spoke to via Skype.
Delivery personnel use a one time unlock code to place items inside.
“Now you can also order perishable items like groceries, electronics, flowers, medication and it’s going to be kept safe,” mentions Romanucci.
The device is expected to go on sale next year for $850.
Hear extended interviews and learn more about these gadgets in today’s Rich on Tech Podcast.
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