How many times have you gone to your mailbox only to find that nothing is there? A simple solution has been made by a tech startup that aims to help keep you informed of what’s in your mailbox, at the right time. Called Mail Beacon, it’s a small yet clever IoT-enabled device that works as a beacon that senses when there’s mail in your box and informs you right away. It can save you time and effort for sorting through snail mail, since it proactively lets you know what to expect before you step out to your mailbox.
Knowing what to expect even before you get to your mailbox is at the top of the list for Mail Beacon’s convenience features. It’s the core function of this device, letting you know exactly what mail you have, from whom it was, when it was sent and delivered, and what subject it entails. It even detects junk mail and lets you know the dimensions of the envelope just by scanning it.
Security of your mailbox is a main priority. Mail Beacon informs you of any unauthorized removal of any of your correspondence with its anti-theft feature. Basically, it works by sensing your relative location to the beacon. When another person without a linked device goes to open your mailbox, the beacon sends out a theft alert to your own device, informing you of the breach.
Another cool thing that adds to its convenience is it lets you know when your mailbox is full, so you can take its contents out and sort through all the mail you have by picking it all up at once.
Mail Beacon is enabled by Bluetooth wireless technology. It works up to a range of 325 feet, enough to cover most distances from your porch to your mailbox. Running on Bluetooth Low Energy paired with just a single cell battery, it can last up to a staggering 1.5 years – all without physical intervention. A built-in optical sensor works to scan the contents of your mail, and an accelerometer detects any intrusions with the anti-theft feature.
All of these hardware features are enabled by the Mail Beacon mobile app for both iOS and Android devices. The app is at the heart of the beacon’s capabilities, organizing your mail within a clean and easy-to-use interface; similar to how you manage your emails on an email client app. This familiarity comes in handy when you have lots of mail, so you can easily sort through all kinds of correspondence without the confusion. The app also informs you via push notifications whenever a new mail arrives, and you can also keep track of your mail history within the app.
With its tiny form factor, Mail Beacon proves that there is more to what it seems to be. It’s small enough to fit any mailbox, while giving you the convenience of notifications and sense of organization for your physical mail. It gives your good old mailbox a smart upgrade.
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