We’ve all heard stories about an Amazon package getting stolen while sitting at the owner’s front door. Now Amazon has a new service to combat that problem.
Amazon today introduced Amazon Key, a service that allows an Amazon delivery person to open your front door and leave your package inside. Amazon will offer an in-home delivery option for Prime customers that have an Amazon Key.
Amazon says that when a delivery driver requests access to your home, Amazon will use an encrypted authentication process to verify that the delivery person is at the right address at the right time. Once that’s done, the Amazon Cloud Cam security camera that’s included with Amazon Key will begin recording and the door will unlock.
The Amazon Key service can also be used to allow access to your home for friends and family as well as other services. You can use Amazon Key to add and remove contacts as well as set the frequency and length that a guest can access your home, and in the coming months, Amazon plans to integrate Amazon Key with more than 1,200 services, like home cleaning from Merry Maids and dog walkers from Rover.com.
Amazon Key is priced at $249.99, is now available for pre-order (it'll launch November 8th), and includes a smart lock from Yale or Kwikset as well as an Amazon Cloud Cam security camera. It’s available exclusively to Prime members, and at launch, it’ll be offered in 37 cities. Those cities are:
Customers that buy an Amazon Key will be able to use the Amazon Key app to control who has access to their home, track their delivery, and either watch a delivery happening live or watch a video of it after it’s done.
Amazon also plans to sell its Cloud Cam separately for $119.99. It’ll begin shipping on November 8th.
The Amazon Cloud Cam is a 1080p camera that offers night vision, two-way audio, and free storage for video clips. There’s also motion detection support, and when the Cloud Cam senses movement, it’ll send you a notification with a clip for you to view.
It’s integrated with Alexa on Amazon’s Echo Show, Echo Dot, Fire TV, and Fire tablet devices. You can just say “Alexa, show me the [camera name]” to view your camera’s feed. You can also view your camera’s feed in the Android or iOS app.
Finally, Amazon plans to offer subscriptions for its Cloud Cam. Customers already get access to the last 24 hours of clips and support for up to three cameras, but Amazon will offer subscriptions that offer longer clips storage and support for more cameras:
These subscriptions also include advanced features like Person Detection, which can flag human activity and ignore other motion like pets moving. Also included is Zones, a feature that’ll let you designate parts of your home with motion that you want ignored, like a ceiling fan.
