Why bother piecing together smart home accessories from various manufacturers when you can buy the entire system outright? That appears to be the concept behind the Masonite M-Pwr smart door, which includes an integrated video doorbell and smart lock built into the frame.
The Masonite M-Pwr smart door began as a concept a year ago, but the company demonstrated its viability at CES 2022. A Masonite door, a Yale Assure smart lock, and a Ring Peephole Cam for video surveillance are the first products to be created in collaboration.
The fibreglass door has integrated power to run the wifi and Bluetooth-connected PIR motion sensor, sensors to determine whether the door is open or closed, and motion-activated LED lighting so you and your guests can see it. There’s even a smart hub built in, presumably to aid in the execution of routines. In addition, because the grid is becoming increasingly unreliable, there is an emergency backup battery that can provide up to a full day of power.
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Masonite understands that you can’t keep the same components stuck in the door indefinitely, so the M-Pwr will be serviceable. “It’s intended to be upgraded over time,” Masonite International’s SVP and chief innovation officer, Cory Sorice, told The Verge.
Sorice also mentioned the possibility of a “Google Nest door” outfitted with the company’s smart home accessories, implying that more component options are on the way. That would be a welcome alternative, as not everyone wants to go all in with Ring (especially given its reputation in the home security space), and there are so many other brands vying for a spot on your front door.
Because all of the Masonite M-Pwr smart door’s components must be wired together, professional installation is required. The smart door is currently only available for model homes and will make its debut in North Carolina first. There’s no word on individual pricing yet, but Sorice told The Verge that renovation options should be available in “one or two years.”
This concept of a set-it-and-forget-it smart home package may appeal to more consumers than the do-it-yourself route. Even if you purchase the most user-friendly smart home hub with accessories, getting everything on the network and synced together takes time. Assuming it’s affordable — and it doesn’t sound like it will be — the pre-configured M-Pwr smart door sounds like a little less of a pain.
There is a flip side to everything. If you live in an older house that was built before developers considered gadgets, you will have to consider upgrading beautiful, decades-old hardware to get online. For example, I adore my original 1970s doors; they are beautiful and sturdy, and they are one of the reasons I chose the house I live in over others. However, installing a smart lock with rusted hardware was my most difficult smart home gadget installation to date. At the same time, I couldn’t imagine replacing those doors in order to make it easier to install automated locks. Wouldn’t it be nice if there was a way to do both?