Hands-On: Yale's High-Tech Delivery Box Is Made to Defeat Porch Pirates in 2025

Yale's delivery box is one of the smartest I've tried.

Tyler Lacoma/CNET

• Hands-On: Yale's High-Tech Delivery Box Is Made to Defeat Porch Pirates in 2025
• Big bin basics
• Yale's smart tech integration
• Protecting against porch pirates is sometimes complicated
• Final thoughts on the Yale delivery box

I've written before about the new kind of home tech that's defeating porch pirates. 

It's a box, but a smart one, designed to keep porch pirates from stealing packages when they're dropped off (as opposed to a video doorbell, which they may not notice or care about).

This mail protection system is centuries old, but Yale has one of the more advanced smart delivery boxes ($280) for the modern home. Other brands aren't far behind, from Loxx Boxx to Hyve. Since Yale has the longest record in home security with its high-quality safes and locks, I was especially interested in testing its solution for package theft, too.

What I found was a large, innovative box that can protect packages from thieves and the elements. However, this box comes with new delivery requirements that not everyone is ready for. Here's my experience and the details you should know before making this box a permanent part of your porch.

Read more: My 7 Expert-Tested Tech Tricks to Stop Porch Pirates in Their Tracks

Big bin basics

Yale's delivery boxes are larger, so you need room for them in the right spots.

Tyler Lacoma

Yale's hard plastic box comes in two slightly different styles, but both are quite large: My model was ‎28 by 24.63 by 19 inches. It can fit on a small porch, but you may have to make room for it, and it's probably too big to put on a walkway. You'll need to take measurements before you buy. 

That said, it's big enough to hold larger packages and multiple packages simultaneously. Capacity is important for delivery boxes, which is why they all tend to be large, like Yale's models. The size also makes it harder for thieves to carry the box away. 

Don't miss any of our unbiased tech content and lab-based reviews. Add CNET as a preferred Google source.

Yale has another trick for more ambitious thieves. During assembly, you can fill the attached bottom stand with sand to weigh it down, which makes it harder to move. It takes around 20 minutes, and I highly suggest two people tackle it simultaneously. Setup ends by inserting a small electric controller into the box's lock and plugging in a Yale Connect device (included) inside your home for Wi-Fi.

Installation also includes the option to drill small holes in the bottom of the box to drain out water before it can affect packages. Fortunately, nature obliged me with intense thunderstorms while testing this box, so I got to see how it deals with vast amounts of rain. It turns out the drainage wasn't needed at all. When closed, it didn't allow any water inside, leaving the interior and packages entirely dry when I inspected.

Yale's smart tech integration

Yale's app is quite simple and gives you and immediate lock/unlock option.

Tyler Lacoma/CNET

Many delivery boxes use basic combination locks and other designs to deter thieves. Yale's version incorporates more technology, including an app that allows you to lock and unlock the box from anywhere.

The question is, "How does the box stay unlocked for delivery people but locked for porch pirates?" Yale's design offers several options.

First, if you have a video doorbell, you can simply wait for alerts about a person with a package and unlock it manually. That's not a great option, since your delivery person isn't usually going to wait around.

Second, you could add a Yale keypad to the box ($50) and give your carrier instructions along with the code to enter to open the box (more on this approach below). It's more expensive, but it works reliably.

Third, and best for more casual users, is enabling Yale's delivery mode. This mode keeps the box unlocked until it's open for a package delivery, then automatically locks it afterward. That's effective, but it only works well if you're getting just one delivery that day. Multiple deliveries make this option confusing.

Whichever way, you can get alerts when the box is opened or locked and turn on verified access (requiring authentication to unlock the box). It's generally easy to use, although the auto-unlock status was unclear to me without some experimentation.

Protecting against porch pirates is sometimes complicated

The hardest thing to customize with a delivery box is delivery habits.

Tyler Lacoma/CNET

Delivery boxes require one major thing: cooperation from your carrier. I found that element to be hit or miss. When you adopt a delivery box, it's important to include instructions in your order for delivery people to use it. Otherwise, no matter how prominent the box or how big the "Deliveries" that's etched into it may be, rushed delivery people anxious to be on their way will often ignore it.

Even with instructions, not all delivery people may notice the box, which is something that's hard to control. I found some carriers were good about checking the box with or without instructions, and others seemed to ignore it, no matter what. Carriers, like the rest of us, are still getting used to these boxes, which is the most unpredictable part.  

If you don't think the delivery services in your area are reliable, you could try an alternative, like a service that drops off a package inside your garage. But it's hard to say how it will work until you try it.

Final thoughts on the Yale delivery box

Yale's box comes with tools to defeat porch pirates, especially if you're willing to add a keypad, making it an expensive prospect and best suited for frequent package deliveries. The app controls are streamlined and surprisingly practical, and extras like weighing the box with a sand insert make it clear that Yale has thought this through.

However, potential buyers should know that using Yale's delivery box has prerequisites. First, you'll need space for it, which won't be easy for every home. Then you'll need to get in the habit of adding a note about the box to your shipping info, understanding that not all carriers are used to these boxes and that it can create some hassle if multiple deliveries happen on the same day.

Still, as porch pirate crimes become common alternatives to old-fashioned burglaries, delivery boxes like these can be a reliable addition to a home in a neighborhood that has been targeted before. Yale's smart features are an encouraging evolution that could help accommodate our busy lives, especially with a little more refining.