Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Smart Home
  3. Emerging Tech
  4. News

Latch shows off its new Latch R Series, a smart access system for the modern home

Add as a preferred source on Google

The inside of your home is getting smarter, so shouldn’t the exterior be getting the same treatment? At the very least, your modern home should have a modern entry system. We’re talking about getting rid of that old lock and key, and looking to a company like Latch. Its new Latch R Series is heralded as the “first smart access [system] for apartment and office building entrances and elevators.” Now, in the same way that you can swipe a keycard and get into work, you can swipe your way into your home.

Thanks to the Latch R, residential users will be able to lock and unlock doors with a smartphone, smartcard, or special door code. No more worrying about losing your keys or someone duplicating them with your knowing. With the Latch R, security becomes a much more straightforward endeavor. And of course, you can manage guest access by way of Latch R’s digital log.

Recommended Videos

“While many companies have focused on home automation gadgets, the R Series recognizes that a whole generation of users need smarter devices in the apartments and workplaces where they actually spend the most time ” said Luke Schoenfelder, Latch Co-Founder and CEO. “We have built our system to work through enterprise contexts that have been largely ignored and our philosophy is to make these environments great by default, providing an unmatched experience to the thousands of people who live and work in urban buildings.”

Promising to serve as a standalone access control system that doesn’t require any fancy wiring or reader devices that can get very expensive very quickly, the Latch R instead makes use of onboard Wi-Fi, Ethernet, Bluetooth, and Wiegand communications to help folks access their modern buildings.

“This is the second object we launched using our innovative interface that is offering a variety of ways to enter spaces,” said Thomas Meyerhoffer, Latch Co-Founder and Chief Design Officer. “The simple interface was designed to deliver a seamless and trustful experience. It’s very exciting for us to have more people using our system designed for the new life patterns in today’s cities.”

Meyerhoffer is an award-winning designer who has gained international attention with previous work, including his past tenure at Apple.

You can reserve your own Latch R today for $399, which comes with a two-year service contract.

Lulu Chang
Fascinated by the effects of technology on human interaction, Lulu believes that if her parents can use your new app…
Fraimic’s E Ink art frame generates art from your voice and looks incredible doing it
Fraimic's AI art canvas is one of the most thoughtfully designed smart frames I've come across.
Indoors, Interior Design, Person

We’ve seen a lot of "smart art frames" at CES over the years. Most of them feel like glorified digital photo frames in turtlenecks. However, there’s one that feels genuinely different: Fraimic, and I say that as someone deeply skeptical of this category.

The pitch appears quite compelling at first. Speak a prompt into the device, and its built-in mic sends the command to OpenAI's GPT Image 2.0, which then generates full-color artwork that lands on a Spectra 6 E Ink display. 

Read more
Google Home’s latest update makes it easier for you to start using automations
With version 4.20, the app will offer pre-built automations you can start using with a tap.
Google Home Automations tab screenshot on gradient background

Google is rolling out a fresh batch of updates to Gemini for Home and the Google Home app, and the headline change is one that could get more users to try out automations. Version 4.20 of the Google Home app adds a handful of pre-built routines to the Automations tab, so instead of building one from scratch, you can pick one and turn it on with a tap.

No more starting from zero

Read more
Roborock brought FIFA World Cup fever to Miami and it was blast to experience
Roborock Miami Fifa World Cup event

World Cup fever has hit Miami, and I experienced a bit of it myself at the famed Aventura Mall. Robotic vacuum manufacturer Roborock hosted a pop-up event there all weekend, allowing guests to play games, win prizes, and find out about the company’s current lineup.

The installation, dubbed “Your Home, Your Stadium,” ran in collaboration with two of Roborock’s partnerships: Real Madrid and Miami Lighthouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired. So, naturally, there was plenty of Real Madrid memorabilia on display, including a shirt signed by France striker Kylian Mbappe. Real Madrid and Brazil legend Roberto Carlos was present on the last day of the installation to greet fans.

Read more