GATE – Backerjack

Put a Gate on your front door for smart lock-level protection

The cornerstone of any truly connected home is the smart lock letting everyone that walks in know the house is indeed on the forefront of technology. And with the front door as prime real estate, many companies over the years have come up with wildly different interpretations of what the best smart lock is. Now, the Gate smart lock is up to bat and currently funding on Indiegogo.

Technically, the Gate isn’t one product, but three in one: A smart lock with key cylinder for physical entry, a keypad for coded entry and a motion-activated camera with 2-way audio and video. Together, the Gate offers users the versatility of other smart locks out there while expanding its features. Like others, users can assign temporary keys to Airbnb visitors, for instance, while its system of registered visitors help automate deliveries so that a one-time use code is sent to delivery personnel for scheduled drop-offs.

GATE connected mailbox makes postal mail notifications just as annoying as e-mail notifications

Even though mailboxes have been around for at least a century, they haven’t changed all that much. They’re still physical boxes, they hold mail, and they don’t do much else. In a world where everything is digital and integrated with the Internet of Things, that simply isn’t enough when such important information is routinely mailed everyday.

GATE smartens up the humble mailbox by adding a Wi-Fi or zWave connected home unit and solar-powered mailbox sensor to the mix. With this done, a sensor-equipped mailbox can send an alert to the home unit whenever it is opened, notifying home owners with a blinking light at a range of 500ft. SMS, email, and Twitter notifications can also be sent out as well so that no matter where someone is, they can stay informed through their iOS or Android device. If mail theft is a big problem in the neighborhood, multiple GATEs can connect to share information about the occurrences. Each GATE goes for $249, with an expected ship date of December 2015. Its campaign is looking for $10,000, and ends June 20th, 2015.

GATE sits opposite the bare-bones Postifier, an Arduino-based mailbox solution that sports a low price but a lack of functionality. As such, there is no contest: GATE pushes the bar up on what a connected mailbox should be, truly bringing it into the 21st century — for a premium.