Smart lock surpasses crowdfunding goal

ORLANDO, Fla.—Westinghouse Security's Nucli smart lock raised $90,000 in two weeks on crowdfunding site Indiegogo, far surpassing its goal of $50,000. At the same time, Indiegogo is affording Nucli principals insights into what potential customers want in a smart lock.

Kevin Henderson, CEO of Strattec Advanced Logic, which owns Westinghouse Security, told Security Systems News that the crowdfunding site allowed him the opportunity to get customers' valuable input.

“Indiegogo offers a way to have a dialogue—and even a debate—with customers, a rich, robust conversation about the product,” he said. He is pleased with the input from people who have a stake in its usefulness, he said.

“Option B is a focus group, a random sample of the population, often they don't match up at all,” he said.

Henderson said he has been involved in developing a large number of security products.

“Sometimes you get the worst advice in a room full of your own people,” he said. That's why he values Indiegogo as a launching point. He's had great discussions “with the Indie people about every aspect of Nucli,” he said.

Nucli enables homeowners and business owners to check on their properties from anywhere using a Westinghouse mobile app. The app lets owners lock their door remotely, control who can come in and also see who arrives. Owners can listen to voicemails that visitors leave when they're not there, too.

Nucli also includes an external camera, which adds an extra level of security on top of the keyless entry through fingerprint recognition and up to 50 unique PIN codes.

Similar products end up at big-box retailers, such as Best Buy, Henderson said. “But they are often works in progress. I didn't want to go that way,” he said.

Going with Indiegogo “was a way to break out of that mold,” he said, reiterating that interaction with customers was key for him.

“This method is far faster than randomly putting polish on something and sending it out to big retail stores or do big studies,” he said.