Amazon wants access to your home to help it deliver packages in a more secure fashion, rather than leaving branded boxes on doorsteps, under plant pots or with difficult neighbours.
To do this Amazon has taken the wraps off its Amazon Key, a service that mixes smart security tech with its Prime service to allow delivery drivers to drop packages off inside a customer’s home.
Aimed at people who make a lot of Amazon purchases but aren’t home often enough to accept their parcels, the Amazon Key requires specialist equipment, including the internet-connected Amazon Cloud Cam and a compatible smart lock from companies like Kwickset and Yale.
According to Amazon the service uses high-end smart tech to make sure a deliver driver is at the right address at the right time, and an authentication process is in place to prevent other Amazon drivers from accessing a customer’s house. The service is also encrypted to stop hackers from using their cyber skills to break into a house through the Amazon Key.
“This state-of-the-art technology doesn’t simply replace a key with a digital passcode. Each time a delivery driver requests access to a customer’s home, Amazon verifies that the correct driver is at the right address, at the intended time, through an encrypted authentication process. Once this process is successfully completed, Amazon Cloud Cam starts recording and the door is then unlocked,” said Amazon.
Unfortunately for UK Amazon addicts, Amazon Key will only be initially available in the US, launching November 8 across 37 US cities, with the equipment costing $249.99.
There’s no word on whether Amazon Key will eventually come to the UK, but if it turns out to be a success in the US, then we’d be surprised to not see it turn up on our side of the Atlantic.
Related: Amazon Echo review
Is the Amazon Key inspired or just a bit too creepy? Let us know on Twitter or Facebook.
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
