Online marketplace Amazon has unveiled a new range of products to support its keyless entry initiative – Key by Amazon.
New offerings include the Schlage Encode Smart wi-fi Deadbolt – the first wi-fi-enabled smart lock for Amazon Key; Key for Garage in partnership with the Chamberlain Group (CGI), enabling deliveries to be left in a garage; compatibility with the Ring smart doorbell for access control; and Key for Business, a smart fob for drivers delivering Amazon packages to commercial and residential properties.
Rohit Shrivastava, general manager of Key by Amazon, said, “For the past year we’ve been thrilled to see how customers have benefited from Key by Amazon. We started with the idea of in-home package delivery and quickly learned that our customers found peace of mind and delight from the control Key gives them over their most important place – their homes – even when they aren’t there themselves. Key puts security, convenience, and control in the hands of our customers and we are excited to expand Key and open up more possibilities for them.”
The Schlage Encode Smart wi-fi Deadbolt is the first wi-fi-enabled smart lock for Amazon Key, enabling users to remotely manage access to their home. The smart lock doesn’t require an additional hub, only wi-fi access.
“Even with all the advances in the category, we recognized there was still a gap in simple, secure, high performance and cost-effective, all-in-one access solutions,” said Lee Odess, vice president, solutions providers business at Allegion, maker of Schlage locks.
Key for Garage will allow any customer to monitor and control their garage door via the Amazon Key app. Also, in addition to receiving deliveries at home and in their car, eligible Amazon Prime members will soon be able to get packages delivered to their garage.
Jeff Meredith, CGI president and chief operating officer, said, “A self-contained extension of the home, the garage offers a convenient destination to overcome delivery hurdles such as potential theft and missed deliveries. We are proud to collaborate with Amazon on this game-changing in-garage delivery initiative.”
Ring customers will now be able to use their Amazon Key-compatible smart locks in combination with the live feed from their Ring camera. For example, users can pull up the live feed using the Ring Video Doorbell app, verify the individual at the door, and unlock the Yale, Kwikset or Schlage lock with the push of a button right in the Ring app.
“Giving customers the ability to lock and unlock their Amazon Key-compatible locks direct from the Ring app is a no-brainer,” said Jamie Siminoff, chief inventor and founder of Ring. “Ring’s customers already regularly use two-way talk on Ring devices to scare off would-be thieves or other bad actors. With the integration of Key, they’ll also be able to use the Ring app to open the door to neighbors, family and service providers.”
Key for Business is a smart fob for drivers delivering Amazon packages to commercial and residential properties. The technology allows building owners and managers to give controlled access to delivery drivers to drop off Amazon packages to their residents and eliminate the need for building staff to manually provide access each time deliveries are made.
“Our residents order a high volume of packages from Amazon, requiring frequent access by delivery drivers to our communities,” said Karen Hollinger, vice president at AvalonBay Communities. “To help ensure that packages aren’t ever delayed in reaching our residents, we’ve enabled the Key for Business technology at key doors and gates. This reduces work for our associates and provides a more secure digital verification of driver activity.”
Read analysis from Marek Różycki (Last Mile Experts) and Ian Kerr (Postal Hub Podcast) on the new Amazon service here.