At-Home Review: Package Delivery Boxes to Deter Porch Pirates

Every holiday season we see news reports of porch pirates snatching packages off the stoops and thresholds of unsuspecting shoppers.

And not surprisingly, we’ve also seen new developments to deter these thieves: Video doorbells have emerged as a popular way to guard against package theft, but while the devices can record parcel predators in the act, they can’t actually stop them. Amazon offers an in-garage delivery service, Amazon Key, but it’s a viable option only if you have a garage and do all your shopping on Amazon.

Recently, a third option for deterring porch pirates emerged: package delivery boxes. These boxes typically work just like a FedEx, UPS, or U.S. Postal Service drop box, with an opening at the top for couriers to deposit packages that fall into a secure compartment at the bottom. They can even be bolted to your porch or weighed down with sand or weights. Some models also connect to the internet, allowing you to receive alerts when there is a package and lock or unlock the box’s secure compartment from your smartphone.