Securing your own home can be easy. In fact, with tons of smart locks available on the market today, you won’t probably have a hard time finding one that can fit your home perfectly. However, if you’re renting an apartment, your choices can be very limited.

Monkey by Locumi Labs is specially created for this reason. It’s a chip that’s compatible with almost all types of intercom. Because of this compatibility, you can install it in your garden gate or even your apartment’s main gate. Take note that it isn’t a smart lock. Although you have the option to connect it with one, it’s not entirely a requirement.

 

 

Cool features of Monkey:

• The chip can be hardwired to your existing intercom. Because it is hardwired, there’s no need for batteries.
• It enables your intercom to communicate directly to the internet and your smart phone.
• It allows remote control of your apartment’s main door and not just your front door.

Because of these features, you can conveniently receive your packages in your front door rather than have the delivery man leave it outside of the main building. Aside from this benefit, the chip also allows you to let other people in even while you’re out.

There are three ways you can grant access:

1. Activate Time Windows

By setting a specific time frame, like from 8 am to 12 noon, anyone who rings your doorbell can easily gain access to your door. Once the dedicated time has run out, this feature will automatically stop.

Activated Time Windows is good to use if you are expecting a scheduled delivery on a specific day. One downside of the feature, however, is that there’s no way you can tell who enters your door and when.

2. The app

You can use Monkey’s app, which is compatible with both iOS and Android, to remotely control your door. You can use it to grant access in case someone’s coming over and you’re not yet home. To access this feature, it’s essential that your phone and intercom are both connected to the internet.

Other than access, you can also use the app to get notified of every event involving your intercom. It lets you keep track of activities and events, such as who came in and what time. You must keep in mind, however, that this feature will only be possible if the person who entered your own also has the app and his own profile.

3. Assisted-GPS

Monkey also has the ability to know if you’re already near your home. Through assisted-GPS, the chip can accurately know your location. Geo-fencing makes this technology a lot more energy efficient compared with GPS alone. It won’t drain your smart phone’s battery as it will only work once you reach 1 or 2 meters from your specified geo-fence.

Aside from the individual type of access, you can also have all three accesses running at the same time. Initially, the person who installed Monkey automatically becomes the master user. You can then add more users and give each one either a master or restricted access. Aside from permitting access, there’s also the option to remove it.

As for notifications, you can set exactly how you want to be alerted. You can choose to be notified:

• As every event happens
• Only during events where you are away
• Only when you are inside your home
• Or don’t be notified at all

Another thing to look forward to with this chip is its capability to work with your other smart devices at home. The list includes IFTTT, Apple Homekit and SmartThings. This means that you can conveniently set your main door to respond based on any home automation recipe you create. You can even link it to your front door’s smart lock if you want to achieve a completely keyless way of entering your home.

To install the Monkey chip:

1. First, you need to take the cover of your intercom off. You can do this by pressing the opening latch with a screwdriver.
2. Stick Monkey’s casing inside. It has adhesive tapes which means that you won’t need to put in additional screws to keep the unit in place.
3. Match and connect the wires you’ll find coming out of the chip to the ones in your intercom. In case you’re feeling overwhelmed with this step, you can always refer to the provided wire labels to avoid confusion.

Although Monkey can make your intercom smart, it doesn’t mean that you won’t be able to mechanically open your doors. In fact, you’ll still be able to use traditional keys in the event that you left or misplaced your smart phone. In case you got locked out, you can always ask a family member, who has the app, to open the door for you no matter where he is. Of course, you have to make sure that his location has an internet connection for this to work.

Monkey has been successfully crowd funded through KickStarter. Although the campaign has already ended, you still can pre-order one unit today for only €79 or roughly about $90. Its worldwide shipping is expected to start this July of 2016. In case you are looking for a more comprehensive security for your home, you can check out our top rated home security system.

THE CHECKLIST:

 Monkey is hardwired to your existing intercom which means there’s no need to worry about batteries running low.
 It’s compatible to work with some smart home devices.
 It provides three ways for you to access your home. You can set each one at a time all activate all three options at once.
 You can have it up and running in just 3 minutes.
 It relies on assisted-GPS to know if you’re near your home.
 You can set exactly how you want to get notified.
 It still allows you to use your traditional keys.