With more than 1 million burglaries in the U.S. each year—one every 26 seconds, according to the FBI—an old-fashioned home safe may not feel that safe anymore. If a criminal can hack encrypted online passwords, it’s a sure bet they’ll find a way to crack your combination, dupe a key, or just cut out the locking mechanism.
Fortunately, a new generation of safes incorporate smart technology that makes it much harder for bad guys. Safes now harness biometric data to identify you; send real-time updates if anyone lays a finger on your safe; and eliminate the memory games of numerical combinations by letting you open the safe through your phone or tablet. And though you should always conceal safes in secure locations, some of these are so well-designed you might want to show them off.
iCube
iCube
Minimalist and sleek, iCube bills itself as the world’s smartest safe. It’s certainly one of the easiest to use, with a well-designed app that lets you lock or unlock your safe, catalog its contents, review safe activity in real time, and give other users access to the box. For an extra layer of protection, iCube runs on its own secure cellular cloud, meaning you won’t need to seek out Wi-Fi or Bluetooth to operate it. As a bonus, iCube comes in glossy black or white to suit the other décor in your secure locations.
iCube is available for $695
iCube
The Space Safe
The Space Safe
The Space Safe
Along with good looks, the beautifully designed Space Safe may offer the richest features of any smart safe on the market. Along with biometric authentication or PIN access on its elegant LCD touchscreen, The Space Safe offers integrated HD cameras to view the safe’s interior and exterior, live app activity updates, temperature and humidity sensors, and even a motion sensor accelerometer. After a successful 2021 Kickstarter campaign to fund the product, word is out; Smart Safe is sold out until January 2023.
The Space Safe is available for $799.99
Motorola XL Smart Safe
Motorola XL Smart Safe
Along with standard Motorola safe features like device-connected security and access alerts, the sleek XL boasts more than .44 cubic feet of interior capacity. It’s secured with heavy metal construction, a fingerprint sensor for instant access, a USB charging port, bright interior lights, and bolting options on the bottom and back of the safe. Motorola’s simple, clean Smart Safe app delivers real-time intel and security alerts. And if you store medication in your safe—which many people do, especially with young children around—the XL will send text or email reminders that it’s time to dose up.
Motorola XL Smart Safe is available for $350.
Motorola XL Smart Safe
SentrySafe SFW205BXC
SentrySafe SFW205BXC
SentrySafe SFW205BXC
If you’re worried about more than thieves, SentrySafe’s biometric-enabled safe may put your mind at ease. It’s fireproof to 1 hour at 1700 degrees Fahrenheit, which is critical if you’re storing documents. It’s waterproof—reassuring if your home’s flood-prone. And it’s certified to survive a 15-foot fall without opening, always good to know if you ever have to toss it out a window. Along with biometric ID security, this SentrySafe model features six live-locking bolts, steel construction, a pry-resistant hinge bar, two drawers and a powerful interior light.
SentrySafe SFW205BXC is available for $469.
Forfend Smart Home Safe
Forfend
Forfend may be the only smart safe with a kidnap alarm. “When you’re forced to unlock, the safe will send real-time messages to family and friends,” Forfend promises. Its versatile app also sends an alarm after five unsuccessful unlock attempts; sounds an instant alert if the safe gets moved; allows trusted users to open the safe from their own phones; and integrates with Amazon Alexa and Google Home Assistant. Forfend also touts its facial-recognition technology; though it has yet to apply it to a smart safe, that may be next.
Forfend Smart Home Safe is available for $169.99
