In-home Amazon delivery coming soon to Sacramento

Alexa, has my item arrived yet?

Sacramento is one of 37 cities tapped to receive support for Amazon’s newest product, Amazon Key. The device allows Prime customers to have packages delivered inside their own homes, rather than left out in the open on the front porch.

Amazon Key will allow company-verified delivery workers to temporarily unlock customers’ homes, then lock again before leaving. Users can also remotely grant access to guests such as maintenance workers or dog walkers, and will be notified each time someone enters their house.

Visitors will be recorded through the Cloud Cam, a 1080p video recorder with night vision and two-way audio that streams live to the Amazon Key app. The digital lock can be also accessed with a key code, which delivery workers are not privy to.

Customers will receive a notification through the app when their package has been delivered and the door is locked. Security cameras can be mounted on houses or apartment buildings, though Amazon recommends people with pets skip the in-home delivery option when checking out.

The entire contraption is billed at $249.99, while the security camera alone runs $119.99. Installation is free for either.

Amazon isn’t the only corporation experimenting with in-home delivery. Walmart announced last month it would let Silicon Valley customers opt to have employees shop for their groceries, drive to customers’ homes and put them away in refrigerators or cabinets, all monitored through user security cameras.

Sacramentans will be able to install Amazon Key on Nov. 8, the company announced Wednesday, as will residents of Los Angeles, Orange County, San Diego and the Bay Area.

This story was originally published October 25, 2017 at 7:19 AM with the headline "In-home Amazon delivery coming soon to Sacramento."