A secure delivery box is the best way to ensure the packages containing your online purchases aren’t stolen by porch pirates. You give your courier a code to open the box, they place the packages inside, and you use your own code to open the box and retrieve them.
I’ve reviewed several of these products, and the Loxx Boxx Defender series is my favorite by far. It connects to your Wi-Fi network and operates on battery power, so you don’t need to worry about having an outdoor outlet. There’s also an LTE model if the box’s location is outside your router’s range. Your couriers type a PIN on the rugged numeric keypad on top of the box to open it and deposit parcels, and you enter your own PIN on the same to open and retrieve them.
The best way to use the Loxx Boxx is to input each package’s tracking number into the Loxx Boxx app. The last four digits of the tracking number become the PIN for that delivery. If you get a lot of packages, as I do, that can become a pain point. Should you forget to load the tracking number into the app, the courier can’t open the box.
Now, the manufacturer offers an opt-in email integration feature: If you use Gmail and you enable the Google-authorized Connected Inbox feature, the service will scan your incoming email looking for tracking numbers and automatically add them to your Loxx Boxx app. If you use a different email service, you can forward emails containing tracking numbers to a dedicated Loxx Boxx address and the tracking number will likewise be added to your Loxx Boxx app.
The app displays all the tracking information the courier provides, from the time it’s shipped to the time it’s delivered to the box. I’ve found that UPS delivers the most detailed information, but it’s super convenient with any supported courier. Loxx Boxx started this feature with courier services including Amazon, DHL, FedEx, Lasership, UPS and the U.S. Postal Service.
Michael Brown/Foundry
Loxx Boxx has since expanded its secure tracking feature to more than 1,000 parcel carriers worldwide. In addition to tracking deliveries, you can also use the Loxx Boxx app to arrange to have USPS pick up outgoing prepaid shipments.
For smart homes in the Amazon Alexa ecosystem, you can get real-time alerts about shipments by asking Alexa when your next delivery is coming, when the box was last opened, how long the box’s battery is expected to last, and even to unlock the box itself. Alexa will also inform you if the delivery box is tampered with.
But there’s no free lunch, and Loxx Boxx’s service comes with a subscription fee: $3.99 per month for the Wi-Fi models and $5.99 per month for the LTE models. Both service fees are billed annually, but the first year is included with the purchase of a box if you buy one directly from the manufacturer. The secure delivery boxes themselves range in price from $309 to $395, depending on size and radio type.
Author: Michael Brown, Executive Editor, TechHive
Michael is TechHive's lead editor, with 30+ years of experience covering smart homes, home networking, and home audio/home theater. He holds a BA in Multimedia Journalism, authored the book Desktop Video Production, and was awarded Best Online Review by the Computer Press Association. Michael built a smart home in 2007 and used it as a real-world product-testing lab. Now living in the Pacific Northwest, he is converting his 1890 Victorian bungalow into a modern smart home. Michael has worked at CNET, PCWorld, Electronic Musician, and Maximum PC. As a freelancer, he contributed to New Media, Camcorder, MacWeek, and more.