More than a decade ago, the first home-based package lockers began appearing in home security stores and online. They were basic plastic or metal boxes secured by a combination lock and affixed to the front porch with bolts. For some reason, they never took off. But here we are in 2025, and home-based package lockers are back. They are smart, too!
Manufacturers have decided that it’s time to bring the package locker back better than ever before. So instead of just building boxes with locks, they are building them with smart technologies, Wi-Fi access, and even cellular capabilities.
The Package Locker Concept
You might already be familiar with the package locker concept if you normally have packages delivered to an external location for later pickup. Delivered packages are secured in lockers located in public places. You simply drive by and pick up your package when it is convenient for you.
It turns out that home-base packaged lockers were around long before their public counterparts became a thing. The concept is simple: install a package locker on your front porch or stoop and you provide a more secure delivery option when packages arrive.
The big downside to first generation package lockers was access. Some lockers were designed to remain unlocked until someone manually locked them. That meant depending on a delivery driver to make the effort to lock the box after dropping a package.
Other boxes relied on the idea of providing a secure code to the delivery company, trusting that company would give the code to the driver in possession of your package. Having to count on delivery companies and drivers to be middlemen could explain why the original package lockers never took off.
Technology Changes Everything
Fortunately for homeowners and delivery companies, technology changes everything in the package locker space. Let us start with access. Modern package lockers can still be accessed with a manually sent code supplied by the homeowner. But some allow access using the last four digits of a delivery’s tracking number.
The tracking number idea is brilliant. Every delivery driver can look at the shipping label to get those last four numbers. Drivers don’t have to trust dispatchers to make sure they have the right numbers for each house.
Modern package lockers also offer wireless accessibility. This is ideal for the homeowner. Wi-Fi enabled package lockers connect to the internet directly through the homeowner’s local network. Better yet, some of the higher-end boxes come with onboard LTE – no Wi-Fi needed!
How does this benefit homeowners? Check it out:
- Knowledge – They say knowledge is power, right? With a smart package locker, a homeowner instantly knows that a package has been delivered. This feature also benefits delivery companies who now have evidence that deliveries were made.
- Remote Access – When a notification comes in, a homeowner can remotely access his package locker. He can ensure the locker has indeed been locked. He can also unlock the box remotely, in the event a delivery driver makes a mistake and can’t get it open himself.
- Tampering – Remote access also makes a homeowner aware of the fact that his package locker is being tampered with. Combined with a home security system that includes video cameras, this feature makes it easier to chase away porch pirates.
Making home-based package lockers smart was a wise business decision. Adding smart features has drastically improved a basic concept, perhaps enough to convince large numbers of consumers to buy them. A product that failed in the past now looks ripe for success.
A Great Product at the Right Time
It seems to me that the smart package locker is a great product introduced at the right time. I say that because package theft shows no signs of abating. Check out these 2024 numbers from Security.org’s annual package theft report:
- Porch pirates nabbed some $12 billion in packages in 2023.
- An estimated 58 million Americans were porch pirate victims.
- An estimated 25% of American adults have been victimized at least once.
- Some 90% of American adults worry about package theft.
Amazingly, apartment dwellers are twice as likely to experience package theft than homeowners. This could be due to delivery companies leaving large numbers of packages in public spaces. That’s another topic for another post. For now, my focus is on the millions of homeowners who have lost packages to thieves.
Anything that can help consumers protect their packages is worth looking at. Personally, I have always been a big fan of the home-based package locker. I’m surprised that they didn’t sell so well when they were first introduced. But I suspect adding smart features will change that.
Don’t Make It Easy on Them
More than a decade of researching and writing on home security has taught me one fundamental truth: the best way to thwart crime is to not make things easy on criminals. For instance, that’s the whole reason behind installing a home security system with around-the-clock monitoring.
Let’s say you installed a Vivint Home Security system complete with video cameras, window and door sensors, broken glass sensors, and motion sensors. Professional monitoring guarantees that someone is always keeping an eye on your system.
The combination of equipment and monitoring makes it a lot more difficult for a burglar to successfully target your home. Cameras and motion sensors alert to a burglar’s presence. Cameras also generate evidence. Monitoring guarantees that someone will know if a burglar tries to enter your home.
Package Lockers Make Theft Hard
A home security system will not keep out a burglar truly determined to break in. No security to a will. But most burglars are not willing to put in the effort it takes to get around a security system. The same is true for package lockers.
A package locker makes porch piracy harder. Your average thief will not put in the time or effort necessary to break into a locker because doing so is too risky. And now that package lockers are smart, they make life even harder on criminals.
