Low-Cost IOT Device Security for Standard Mailboxes
Ansh Maroo · International journal of high school research · 2023
Communities across America have witnessed increased crimes such as shoplifting, car break-ins, burglaries, home invasion, and even mailbox theft.Mailboxes are easily accessible from curbs, and most have no locks making them accessible and attractive targets for thieves.Additionally, these thieves can empty the mailboxes of entire neighborhoods at a time.Due to stolen mail, many homeowners have been victims of identity theft and other financial crimes.While homeowners have access to various home security devices and systems, their mailboxes remain largely unprotected.This study analyzes the effectiveness of a low-cost device that utilizes home Wi-Fi, the Internet of Things (IoT), and cloud computing to secure standard mailboxes.Once installed in a standard mailbox, the device sends alerts to the homeowner shortly after the mailbox is opened.The possibility of leveraging communication from multiple "secure mailboxes" in a neighborhood to detect in-progress thefts and alert homeowners of possible upcoming thefts is also discussed.Tests indicated that a cloud-connected mailbox sensor was effective when connected to a home Wi-Fi network.A cloud-connected secure mailbox is a reliable, cost-effective solution to address mailbox security.