Hyve’s smart porch lockbox can secure incoming gifts—if your delivery driver uses it and there’s still room inside.
Parcel lockboxes aren’t exactly a new concept. They operate basically like a standard post office mailbox, with a cantilevered hatch up top that allows deliveries to drop into a secure storage area below, where they can only be accessed through a keyed door. The Hyve Smart Package Locker is a play on this idea, forgoing the two-chamber design in favor of an electronic hatch accessed via 4-digit PINs. The box itself measures 32 inches high, 20 inches wide, and 20 inches deep. It’s built from a combination of plastic and steel. The unit is powered by four AA batteries and features a solar panel on top for trickle charging a backup battery. Hyve’s app is deceptively simple. The homeowner sets a master PIN, which everyone uses for access to the locker, but a higher-level subscription tier allows subscribers to have items picked up from their Hyve box at no additional charge by Hyve’s own couriers. While the locker is obtrusive, the hardware works well.