Smart Technology Can Help Protect Your Holiday Deliveries

'Tis the season for shopping -  and that means, of course, that home holiday deliveries are on the rise. Unfortunately, one of the fastest ways to ruin the holiday cheer is by having your packages stolen. It’s frustrating, heartbreaking, and of course, expensive, to have your thoughtfully-purchased gifts disappear.  Following are some of the ways that smart technology can help protect your holiday deliveries.

Porch Pirates Bring Holiday Blues

As many as 4 out of 5 people shop online. That’s a lot of packages! And as December arrives, the number of deliveries soars. Nearly half of those packages are left outside the door for hours before the homeowners return to retrieve them. This window provides plenty of opportunities for those inclined to steal. Don’t despair, though - there’s more than one way to protect your packages from these thieves, commonly called “porch pirates.” This term almost sounds amusing, but there’s nothing funny about having your packages stolen.

Creating Deterrents to Theft

If you’re expecting a package delivery, there are ways you can increase your chances of avoiding theft. For example, you can find DIY instructions on YouTube and Pinterest to create a box that looks like a planter. However, the planter houses an “undercover” spot for the delivery to be placed. In addition, most delivery companies, including USPS, allow you to add directions to the driver. This simple out-of-sight camouflage can be enough to keep your packages safe. 

Another easy way to conceal packages from would-be thieves is to have the delivery driver use bushes or hedges in the yard as cover for the deliveries. This option works well for homes with landscaping between the street and the house. 

You can purchase spray paint that makes a piece of furniture look like granite or stone. For example, when you paint a deck box with a lid to look like heavy rock, it can act as a visual deterrent that prevents one of these “porch pirates”  from even attempting to look inside. 

Another quite obvious solution is to ask trusted neighbors who happen to be home during the day if they will receive and sign for your delivery and keep it safe until you arrive home.

Smart Technology Can Help Protect Your Packages

If any of the methods outlined above don’t work for your particular situation, then here’s something that will: Smart Technology.  Combined with homeowner ingenuity, it can help ensure that your packages are there when you get home. In addition to the easy tricks above, smart tools can protect your deliveries with no additional effort.

Video doorbells are one of the best security features of a smart home package. It can ‘see’ who’s at your door through an app or connected device, and because a video doorbell is activated by motion, it records movement outside your door, including package delivery or theft. You’re enabled to receive your doorbell camera’s video from anywhere: utilizing a device such as Amazon’s Alexa or Google Home, on your TV, or even through a smart appliance like a Samsung refrigerator. You can see what’s happening by using a Smart Home hub or control center that lets you operate security cameras, lights, appliances, and more from a single device, using Samsung SmartThings or a similar app. A central hub simplifies your life by adding devices that work together, providing safety and convenience for your family. For instance, turning lights on and off throughout the day and evening can make it appear to thieves that the house is occupied, even when it isn’t. That makes your home more secure and increases safety when combined with a video doorbell.

When you add SmartThings technology to your home, having your devices installed and connected by a professional is the best route to success. In the Washington D.C. area, Wilcox Electric is your go-to home electrician. Our team is qualified and trained in Smart technology from Samsung and Leviton to ensure you have a widespread network of security and convenience for your home. Contact Wilcox Electric today to help protect your home and your deliveries during the holidays and all year long.