It seems like the loss of delivered packages whether to transit or theft is rampant these days. A deliveryman leaves a package for you on your front porch, and there his job is complete. But if you aren’t home or do not notice the package’s arrival, what guarantee do you have that it will still be there when you are ready to pick it up?
But what if you had a way to safeguard your deliveries from being stolen from your front doorstep? We bet it would relieve a lot of anxiety as you await receiving your highly anticipated gadget. Luckily, eufy Security has the solution with its SmartDrop mailbox.
The SmartDrop Mailbox
The eufy Security SmartDrop mailbox is essentially an Internet-ready lockbox for your packages. It is an easy to use intuitive solution, not only for you but for your delivery person as well. Similarly, it will act as a deterrent for any aspiring porch pirates.
It is built using mighty cold-rolled steel and reinforced with anti-pry reinforcement bars, anti-impact latches. Moreover, it is mounted/bolted to your ground surface. You can keep track of each delivery as it happens and check on the contents of your porch as often as you need. You can do it with the help of the on-device AI and a 1080p camera. If there are issues, you can always communicate with the delivery man via a built-in 2-way radio. Or give a potential thief a good fright and send them running by surprising them with your voice. The latter is available through the SmartDrop Pro system.
It works on a rechargeable battery, but lest you think you need to charge it frequently, fear not. The SmartDrop holds a charge for an impressive 3 month (90 days) period. You can charge it through a power adapter and a Micro USB charging cable.
Package Problems SmartDrop Mailbox Helps With
Package theft seems to be the new craze. People are stealing things, not because they need them (they do not know the contents of your package of course) but they can certainly try to sell the item. In that way, they are profiting off your hard-earned purchases. Your money is wasted on a product you paid for but now do not have. Moreover, you are left on the hook for dealing with the hassles of compensation, which wastes your time.
Weather can also be an issue with your packages, which could get soaked (and ruined) in the rain, degrade in the heat, or freeze due to low temperatures. The SmartDrop is water-resistant. Its design redirects water from the outside to a bottom drainage trough through the surrounding inner walls.
The current solutions for any of these at the moment are lacking. A heavy box with a cover has no lock. So packages might be safe from weather to some degree, but they can simply be lifted out. A regular lockbox can be a pain. The delivery person would need to be able to unlock it, which means the key must be outside. If a delivery person has a way of accessing it, so will a thief. But even if you had a lockbox with a code and it was either too easy or too hard to use, such as one with a keypad, you are not able to use it to keep track of what is happening on your porch.
These problems are solved by the eufy Security SmartDrop product. For would-be thieves, they will not be able to carry the SmartDrop lockbox away as it is bolted down for security. They won’t be able to access its contents due to it being locked by a code. The code will be available to place on the delivery instructions. The delivery person will be able to simply use it to open the container to place your items inside.
The spacious container (14.4L X 12.6W X 23H) detects if anyone is approaching. If that someone is you, you have the ability to put in a code or do so through a smart device. The container is unlocked if it is empty but locks down if something is detected inside. You can use your phone to view the video feed of who is attempting to access your SmartDrop and communicate with them if need be via two-way radio. The illuminating buttons will make anyone with authorized access be able to easily put in the code to place content inside.
The courier access is simple. If the SmartDrop is empty, pushing the big lit-up button to open it is all it takes. In case the SmartDrop already has stuff inside, you can simply include the code to use with the delivery instructions. This code can be generated and changed as frequently as you feel the need.
Access Methods
There are multiple different modes by which the SmartDrop operates. The default mode simply requires you to tap and open when the case is empty, while code is needed when contents are inside. Locked mode always requires a pin, phone app, voice assistant, or key to open, whether or not the SmarDrop includes contents. Unlocked mode, conversely, means you can tap to open, whether SmartDrop is empty or not. The Deliveries Denied mode will permit being opened with only the Master PIN or a physical key.
The code and the key have been discussed, as has the use of the pin, but the SmartDrop can be accessed via a phone app as well. If the courier has any issues or is unable to open your SmartDrop because they do not know your pin, the app connects you to the view of the courier on your porch through the 1080p camera. Once you confirm the presence of a trusted courier, you can unlock the SmartDrop right from your app.
Additionally, the SmartDrop works with the Google Voice Assistant and the Amazon Alexa products. The AI can be told with voice guidance that it is safe to unlock the SmartDrop for the courier outside.
Contributions
The Kickstarter effort for this project was initiated in August of 2020, but 2019 is when the ball got rolling on the R&D process. The final design specs will be locked down in November of 2020, and trial production kicks off in March of 2021, with field testing to follow in May of that year. The goal is to begin mass production and shipping in June of 2021.
Those contributing to the Kickstarter campaign fall into various tiers, many of which include the product delivered at a discounted price. Check out the eufy Security SmartDrop Kickstarter page to learn more about the various pledges and rewards.
Startup
A startup or start-up is a company or project undertaken by an entrepreneur to seek, develop, and validate a scalable business model. While entrepreneurship refers to all new businesses, including self-employment and businesses that never intend to become registered, startups refer to new businesses that intend to grow large beyond the solo founder. At the beginning, startups face high uncertainty and have high rates of failure, but a minority of them do go on to be successful and influential. Some startups become unicorns; that is privately held startup companies valued at over US$1 billion.
Actions
Startups typically begin by a founder (solo-founder) or co-founders who have a way to solve a problem. The founder of a startup will begin market validation by problem interview, solution interview, and building a minimum viable product (MVP), i.e. a prototype, to develop and validate their business models. The startup process can take a long period of time (by some estimates, three years or longer), and hence sustaining effort is required. Over the long term, sustaining effort is especially challenging because of the high failure rates and uncertain outcomes. Having a business plan in place outlines what to do and how to plan and achieve an idea in the future. Typically, these plans outline the first 3 to 5 years of your business strategy.
Design principles
Models behind startups presenting as ventures are usually associated with design science. Design science uses design principles considered to be a coherent set of normative ideas and propositions to design and construct the company's backbone. For example, one of the initial design principles is "affordable loss".
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