It’s been nearly six months since Amazon first debuted its Amazon Key system, a keyless entry solution that makes it possible for delivery people to leave your packages inside your home rather than at your front step. And while it took a while for customers to warm to the notion of people unlocking and walking through their front doors for the sake of a parcel delivery, it seems as though the creepy and invasive aspect of the system is slowly starting to wear off.
At the very least, Amazon’s partner Kwikset is making Amazon Key a much more aesthetically pleasing choice. The company has added a total of five new smart lock offerings to the Amazon Key Home Kit, which means that you now have a total of eight options from Kwikset (as well as Yale) when it comes to determining just how a delivery driver will make it into your home.
With Amazon Key Home Kit, customers can grant keyless entry, as well as remotely monitor their door. With the dedicated Amazon Key App, you can lock and unlock your door from afar and also temporarily share home access. And with Kwikset, Amazon Key users can take advantage of certain security features they may not find in other smart locks.
For example, there’s the company’s SecureScreen technology, which requires users to touch two random digits before entering their access code to prevent fingerprint and code detection on the touchscreen surface. This, Kwikset says, should help to prevent unauthorized entry.
Kwikset, the No. 1-selling residential door hardware manufacturer in the United States, offers Amazon Key users unique security features not available in other smart locks like SecureScreen technology. SecureScreen is a Kwikset-patented security feature that helps prevent unwanted entry and is only available with touchscreen locks from Kwikset, such as Obsidian and SmartCode 916. With SecureScreen, users are prompted to touch two random digits prior to entering the access code to prevent fingerprint and code detection on the touchscreen surface.
The five locks now available from Kwikset include the Obsidian (Amazon Key Edition), which boasts a low-profile design and is BHMA Grade 2 certified. This lock ought to integrate most seamlessly into contemporary and modern homes. Then, there’s the Kwikset Convert (Amazon Key Edition), a smart-lock conversion kit that allows folks to add smart home capabilities to existing deadbolts.
There’s also the SmartCode 916 Traditional (Amazon Key Edition), available in three finishes and capable of being programmed with guest and family access codes (much like the Obsidian). The SmartCode 916 Contemporary (Amazon Key Edition) is, as one might expect, the contemporary version of the SmartCode 916 Traditional. Finally, the SmartCode 914 (Amazon Key Edition) is a 10-digit touchpad smart lock with a one-touch lock button for added convenience. The traditionally designed lock comes in three different finishes.
In addition to the new locks, Amazon has also announced a new feature to Amazon Key — entry and exit clips. That means that customers can now view video footage of a person entering or leaving their home anytime their front doors are locked or unlocked. This content can also be accessed from the Amazon Key app.
“Customers have told us that they love how easy it is to use Amazon Key for keyless entry and door monitoring from anywhere with the Amazon Key App,” said Rohit Shrivastava, General Manager, Amazon Key. “It’s a great service for busy families; you no longer have to worry about giving keys to service providers like house cleaners, instead you can give them their own code right from your Amazon Key App. We’re excited that customers across the country can now take advantage of these convenient features.”
Updated on April 5: Added news about Amazon Key’s new entry and exit clips.
