THESE ARE A FEW OF OUR FAVORITE THINGS, ADVANCES IN PACKAGE DELIVERY FOR SMART HOMES

The song "My Favorite Things" from The Sound of Music is not specifically about the holidays but is often in holiday song playlists. This probably comes from the line "brown paper packages, tied up with strings, these are a few of my favorite things."

With the holidays approaching, there will be lots of packages—lots of favorite things—being delivered. And the smart home products available to expedite and safeguard those packages? Those security features have arrived.

From smart home doorbells to new, installable smart mini-fortress mailboxes, smart home technology has a lot of ways to help with home deliveries. And Evolve Technologies can help with that help.

DELIVERY AND THE OLDER SNAIL MAIL

Gen Xers will remember mail-order shopping in the days of yore: paper magazines or paper catalogs. A live human took your order of J. Crew khakis over the phone, and you'd get it in maybe two weeks. There was also mailing a paper check in an envelope. Today, we can order mayonnaise through a host of eager delivery services by smartphone and get it in six hours.

In days of yore, the process for getting our favorite things—khakis, novelty t-shirts, books, expensive steaks shipped in dry ice—was much more complicated and slow.

Getting our mail-order goodies is much more efficient and convenient nowadays.

HOME DELIVERY SURGE IN RECENT YEARS

The arrival of a package to our homes is still vaguely exciting, but it's not something we wait for with bated breath like the days of CDs and dial-up. Packages at Christmastime were once a surge for couriers; now, it's a tsunami.

Smart home devices and systems can help you track and get your goods. Evolve can help. We've been delivering premium smart home services with unparalleled industry knowledge. Our developers and technicians have combined decades of hands-on, in-the-house experience.

ENHANCED SECURITY TO KEEP THOSE BROWN PAPER PACKAGES TIED UP

There are countless ways to get updates on package deliveries from virtually any device at any step of the delivery.

Foundational home automation systems are essential for smart homes, and Evolve Technologies uses Control4. The open platform means it plays well with thousands of apps, integrations, software, and smart devices. It can be as simple as saying, "Alexa, where's my stuff?" Plus, Control4 has the inside track on Amazon, too, by the by.

Nest now has the ability to distinguish between humans and packages. This can be an excellent option for side-door, breezeway, or patio/deck deliveries if you don't want to run video doorbells to every single port (but Evolve can definitely do that if you want to.)

SMART HOME INTEGRATION ("SEAMLESS")

One word we hear a lot in tech copywriting is "seamless." Everything in the automated world is now apparently seamless. A more original one would be that smart homes can do things "without a hitch." And the holidays have enough hitches as it is.

Sometimes for package deliveries, that hitch is a new delivery driver. (If it's a new house, and that house is yours, Evolve can help you with pre-planning, CAD drafting, and more to create a smart home from the ground up). If the deliverer calls you, you can now answer through the doorbell with Control4's Intercom Everywhere.

Voice-controlled delivery by you, for your packages, to your house, where you want them delivered.

DELIVERY CHALLENGES AND SOLUTIONS

Wherever you get your packages delivered--front, back door, wherever you want them to stay there. As such, some homeowners have begun installing home package or parcel delivery boxes. As home deliveries become a weekly (or more than that) matter of convenience and necessity, it's harder to ensure there's someone home to bring your daughter's new laptop inside. Even in the safest of neighborhoods, Moms and Dads are wary.

There are several options, and Home Depot is getting in on the action. It's not some dented rectangle rusting on the corners; there are premium parcel delivery boxes. Early-comers like the companies dVault and QualArc have some high-end options.

TRENDS OF CHRISTMAS FUTURE AND OTHER INNOVATIONS

At one time, Santa Claus was the only person who delivered packages directly by air. With advances in drone technology, we're seeing many things being provided that way. Last year, Texas saw the start of aerial delivery for medicines, pet goods, and ice cream. Now, Dallas-area Walmarts are getting on board. 

What comes next?

EVOLVE TECHNOLOGY

With the light-speed innovations of home delivery, the home is still the home. And the gifts and packages we exchange over the holidays are a nice treat, but the home is the best part. The goal of smart homes is efficiency and convenience. With that, we really can squeeze a few more hours out of the Christmas break—watching unrealistic Hallmark movies, playing flag football, going to see nieces and nephews at holiday plays—with home automation. Happy Holidays from Evolve Technologies!