Sure stuff comes blind. That's what started this project.
How can you leave a note for them if you don't know the package is coming nor what method it is coming by and if you're out of town? If the four or five major carriers all alerted me when they had incoming packages, that would eliminate the problem, but they don't.
Well, bitch at FedEx someday and you might find that you, the lowly little package RECIPIENT is NOT their client. You have basically no rights of recovery of fees or much else because the SENDER paid them the money to ship. I went up the food chain to a VP at FedEx. They are doing much better now and I suppose they'll continue to do a good job until there's a new driver on my route.
But the bottom line is that I don't just want HA to turn lights on and off. I want a truly *smart* home. Part of that rudimentary intelligence should include the ability to relay to me who is at my front door (or side door or garage) or whether there are any packages sitting in puddles, visible from the street or in a package box, should I choose to go that route. The technology "bricks" are all there. I just have to figure out how to mortar them together into a reliable structure. Considering that this will also be an integral part of a remote security system, I think it's time well-spent.
Lots of folks here have designed annunciator systems with various special requirements. I don't think you were here in CHA when the gentlemen with the image recognition cat door presented his work but it was a fascinating look at how powerful PC's had become. Overkill? Sure. But people DO this sort of stuff because they enjoy the challenge. Some people build ships in bottles. If they enjoy doing it, and they derive some measure of satisfaction from it, then who's to say it's a waste of effort, "surpreme" or otherwise?
-- Bobby G.