You’ve probably had a package stolen at your doorstep. Porch pirates are a nuisance and Security.org’s annual 2024 survey found that roughly $12 billion in packages were stolen in 2023, affecting 58 million Americans. Hyve is the latest gizmo to attempt to secure packages at your doorstep. It’s no glitter-bomb, but this ASA plastic box attaches to the hinge of your front door frame via a carbon fiber security tether, and you can bolt it down if you’d like. Packages stay secure inside until you unlock the box via the app to take them out.
The app is also where you can set up codes for delivery companies like UPS and FedEx so they can place packages inside. You’ll need to provide these codes to these companies as part of your delivery instructions, and there’s a little window in the lid where delivery drivers can take a picture with their phone to prove the package was left in the box. The Hyve uses four AA batteries but it should last 18 months thanks to the solar panel on top that trickle charges it, plus there’s a USB-C port in case it’s completely dead as a back up, and the box is IP65 water resistant.
It’s not big enough to fit everything, but it should cover most deliveries. If someone tampers with Hyve, it’ll send a notification to you as well as to neighbors if you can convince them to join the app, which can be helpful if you’re not home. A loud siren goes off as well when you try to break in, spooking thieves away.
Hyve has loftier goals than just securing packages. The company tells me it’s envisioning a world where you can place items you want to return in the Hyve box and delivery drivers can just grab them on their usual routes, eliminating the need for you to go to a shipping center. Also, the company says it could eliminate wasteful packaging because items can be shipped without a box and placed right inside the Hyve, which also keeps it private.
Hyve is using these claims to court retailers and delivery companies into partnerships to enable these features and others, like the box automatically opening for drivers as they walk up to it. It’s suggesting that the more customers use Hyve, the more companies can save on packaging and dealing with the repercussions of package theft.
Unfortunately, it’s expensive. It starts at $299 and it requires a $10 a month subscription, which supposedly is for many of the features in the app. That’s a pretty steep price, especially since retailers will often just eat the cost of a stolen package and resend it anyway. But if you’ve had to fight to get a replacement or are just about done with pirates, well, the Hyve goes on sale in June of 2025.