Would you allow a courier unlock your front door for delivery?
That’s exactly what Amazon Key is, an In door delivery cloud based service that allows couriers unlock your front door when they have deliveries for you and you’re not around. So your deliveries can be safer. Really???
How does this work?
The service uses Amazon’s new Cloud Cam and compatible smart lock. The camera connects to the internet via your home Wi-Fi. The camera talks to the door lock over Zigbee, a wireless protocol utilized by many smart home devices.
So when a courier arrives with a package for in-home delivery, they scan a bar-code which in turn sends a request to Amazon’s cloud. If everything checks out, the cloud grants permission by sending a message back to the camera, which starts recording. The courier then gets a prompt on their app, swipes the screen, and your door unlocks. They drop off the package, re-lock the door with another swipe, and are on their way. The customer then gets a notification that their delivery has arrived, along with a short video showing the drop-off to confirm everything was done properly.
Hmm!!! While this is a nice service, i’m not quite sure people would be willing to use this service; Talk about security. What happens when an irate delivery guy, or the delivery dude who’s got little or nothing delivering an item to a wealthy home. The what-ifs are just too much for me to think about.
There is one caveat though, and that is, for now, Amazon only trusts its own delivery team to handle this work. The company hopes to expand the service in the future.
For me personally, I wouldn’t trust this service, i find it better to know when my delivery is coming and be available for it. This is simply asking for too much. Think of the legal issues Amazon could face when things start going wrong.
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