Security box is a great idea but we have some issues
The Yale Smart Delivery Box feels as though Yale wanted to find another use for its smart locks, so built this product. While it’s well built and will protect parcels from theft, it’s expensive, particularly considering that you don’t even get the modules that give you the full smarts. The biggest issue is that the Yale Smart Delivery Box is just too difficult to get couriers to use, to the point where delivery drivers seemed to actively avoid using it. A traditional parcel safe, with a secure drop flap at the top and a locked safe at the bottom is cheaper and easier to use.
Pros
- Well made
- Decent software
- Z-Wave and Wi-Fi options
Cons
- Not connected out-of-the box
- Complex for couriers to use
- Expensive
Delivery boxes are nothing new, but the Yale Smart Delivery Box attempts to add some smarts into the equation, adding a smart lock to the front of the secure metal case with the potential for remote control and notifications.
It’s a great idea in theory, but the implementation and complexity of the device mean it’s sometimes more hassle than it’s worth.
It’s also quite pricey at £199.
Read on for our full Yale Smart Delivery Box review.
Yale Smart Delivery Box: Installation and setup
While most delivery boxes have a parcel flap at the top with a secure lockbox at the bottom, the Yale Smart Delivery Box is different.
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This large metal box (600 x 450 x 350mm) is more like a safe for outside, protected by a pre-fitted Yale Keyless Connected Smart Lock, a smart lock designed for night latches on front doors.
This is very different to the US version of the product, which had a dedicated Bluetooth mechanism fitted. In the UK and Europe, the Yale Smart Delivery Box all feels a bit DIY.
A feeling that only continues when the door is opened to reveal a traditional Yale Nightlatch on the inside.
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Lookswise too – the version we’re reviewing here is nowhere near as pretty as its US counterpart and, let’s face it, sticks out like a sore thumb.
That’s not to say someone will just pick it up and pinch it; four large bolts are provided, so the safe can securely attach to the ground.
Rubber grommets protect the box from water ingress, which is good to see. In terms of durability, this isn’t a product that’s going anywhere.
The default version of the product can only be controlled using the touch panel on the front of the lock. It’s a painfully difficult interface to programme and use, so you’ll want the manual to hand.
There’s also no actual smart connection to the internet provided by default.
For this, you have to add a connection module: there’s a Z-Wave version if you’ve got a SmartThings hub (or equivalent) or the newer Yale Access Connect module, which adds internet control via the Yale Access Module and Yale Access App.
That’s all extra expense, and it feels as though these components should be included in the price.
Yale Smart Delivery Box: Features and in use
Once in place, the Keyless Connected Smart Lock can be set up with a master PIN (up to six digits), plus 20 user PINs.
Also in the box are an RFID tag and a smart card, which can be programmed to unlock the box by holding them to the lock’s touch panel.
Things are a bit easier if you get the module and Yale app, as the lock can be remotely programmed with new user PINs.
With the smart module, there’s an optional magnet that can stuck to the inside of the safe. Once calibrated, the lock can tell whether the door is opened or closed.
While the module and app make life a bit easier, PINs are all at the heart of why the Yale Smart Delivery Box isn’t a very good product for deliveries.
Everything about setting up users and PINs is fine with a smart lock that provides entry to your house, but it’s just annoying when you’re dealing with couriers.
Take this example: you order something from Amazon, but in the special delivery instructions you have to tell the courier where the delivery box is, the PIN to unlock it and how to unlock it.
It’s far too complex to explain in a short box: hold a palm to the display to turn it on, enter the PIN, hit *, then when the lock beeps, turn the handle to open it.
This level of complexity and the detailed instructions that have to be left mean that couriers simply ignored the delivery box and left my packages in recycling boxes or tucked away behind the wheelie bin.
With the Yale module installed, you can remote unlock the box, which gives the courier more of a fighting chance, but only if you catch them on a smart doorbell.
Even then, when I did get a courier, I had to try and explain that they needed to walk to the box, then wait for it to beep, then open it, add the parcel and then shut the door. Only once did the stars align for a delivery to be left in the box.
Even when you get a courier to leave something in the box, if you have another delivery on the same day, the second courier has to be given a code to open the Yale Smart Delivery Box, which means they have access to previous deliveries.
It would make more sense if the lock could be set to be open, only locking after the door had been opened and then closed. This would only allow for one delivery, but it would be easier for the courier and more secure.
You can kind of do this if you leave the door ajar, but that does run the risk that it will rain and the Yale Smart Delivery Box will fill up with water, so it’s not a great idea.
The only potential advantage of Yale’s way of doing things is that a courier could collect a parcel from you that you’ve left in the delivery box. That’s a minor advantage at the best.
I will say that inside, there’s plenty of room, with the delivery box big enough for most average-sized packages.
