Package Management

SMIOTA vs. ButterflyMX: Why You Shouldn't Trust Package Management to a Building Access Company

ButterflyMX recently reviewed SMIOTA's package lockers. The review has a significant flaw: it was written by a company that sells video intercoms — not package management systems.

Smiota Team · June 2026 · 8 min read

ButterflyMX recently published a review of SMIOTA's package locker system. It's worth reading — not because it's accurate, but because it reveals something important about how ButterflyMX thinks about package management.

ButterflyMX is a video intercom and building access company. Their core product is a smartphone-based intercom that lets residents buzz in guests remotely. Their "package room" is an extension of that access control infrastructure — a room you unlock with a PIN — not a purpose-built package management solution.

SMIOTA does one thing: package management. That distinction is the foundation of everything that follows.

"We believe package lockers are a state-of-the-art amenity that will provide a true benefit to our residents."
— VP, LIVEbe Communities

ButterflyMX's Core Business Is Building Access — Not Package Management

ButterflyMX makes video intercoms. That's where they started, where their engineering focus lives, and what they're known for in the multifamily industry. Their package room is a feature add-on to that access control infrastructure, not a ground-up package management system.

That distinction shows up in the product:

No smart locker option. Every delivery — a small envelope and a 60-pound box alike — goes into the same shared room.
No per-package tracking. Their system logs who entered the room, not which package was delivered or picked up.
No package-level resident notifications. Residents know someone entered the room — not that their specific package arrived.
No package management platform. No dashboard for delivery volume, package aging, or resident pickup trends.

This isn't a criticism of ButterflyMX's intercom product. It's a recognition that package management is not their specialty — and it shows.

SMIOTA Offers What ButterflyMX Can't: SmartLocker + PackageRoom on One Platform

SMIOTA doesn't ask property managers to choose between a smart locker and a package room. We offer both — managed from a single unified platform.

SmartLocker

Individual Package Security

Each package gets its own secure compartment. Residents receive an instant notification with a unique pickup code. No shared access, no mix-ups, no theft risk. Every transaction logged at the package level.

PackageRoom

Any Package, Any Size

For oversized items, furniture, bulk deliveries, and high-volume days. Couriers access through building security or outdoor configurations. Every drop-off is logged. Residents are notified immediately.

Unified Platform

One Dashboard, Everything

Both systems run on the same platform. One admin dashboard, one resident app, one source of truth for every delivery and pickup across both the SmartLocker and PackageRoom.

The Package Room Limitation ButterflyMX Doesn't Mention

A package room — regardless of who makes it — has one inherent limitation: shared access means shared risk.

When any resident with an access code can walk into a room containing everyone's packages, you've built a system that relies on resident honesty rather than package security. ButterflyMX's wide-angle camera captures who entered the room. It doesn't prevent someone from picking up the wrong package — or the right package that isn't theirs.

Smart lockers eliminate this entirely. This matters especially for:

High-density urban buildings where package volume and resident turnover are high
Luxury properties where residents have elevated expectations around security and service
Garden-style communities where a single shared room can't serve residents spread across multiple buildings

Responding to ButterflyMX's Specific Claims

Claim: "Couriers find SMIOTA complicated."

SMIOTA's SmartLocker interaction takes about 15 seconds. For couriers who prefer open drop-off, SMIOTA's PackageRoom is available on the same property. Properties get both options. The "complexity" ButterflyMX describes is the absence of any managed process — not a better one.

Claim: "SMIOTA can't handle oversized packages."

This is only true if you ignore SMIOTA's PackageRoom — which ButterflyMX's review does entirely. SMIOTA's combined solution handles standard parcels, refrigerated deliveries, and oversized items. The review evaluated a locker-only configuration and called it a verdict on SMIOTA. It isn't.

Claim: "SMIOTA lacks secure courier building entry."

Building access configurations depend on the property. SMIOTA works with existing building security infrastructure. Properties with outdoor locker installations require no building entry at all. This is deployment flexibility — not a product gap.

The Real Question for Property Managers

When evaluating a package management system, the right question isn't "lockers or package room?" It's: is this vendor's primary expertise actually package management?

ButterflyMX's primary product is a video intercom. Package management is an add-on. SMIOTA's entire platform — every engineering decision, every product feature, every integration — is built around getting packages from courier to resident as securely and efficiently as possible.

That specialization is why properties like LIVEbe Communities choose SMIOTA. "We believe package lockers are a state-of-the-art amenity that will provide a true benefit to our residents." That's not a statement about a shared room with a PIN pad. That's a statement about a purpose-built package management platform that treats deliveries as a premium resident experience — not an afterthought.

SMIOTA vs. ButterflyMX: Side by Side

Feature	SMIOTA	ButterflyMX
Primary product	Package management platform	Video intercom / building access
SmartLocker	✓ Yes	✗ No
PackageRoom	✓ Yes	✓ Yes
SmartLocker + PackageRoom combo	✓ Yes	✗ No
Per-package tracking	✓ Yes	✗ No (door-level only)
Individual resident notifications	✓ Per delivery	~ Room entry only
Unified admin dashboard	✓ Yes	✗ No
Purpose-built for package management	✓ Yes	✗ No

The Bottom Line

ButterflyMX makes a good intercom. If you need a video intercom system and want a basic package drop-off room as part of it, they're worth evaluating for that purpose.

If you're looking for a dedicated multifamily package management platform — one that offers individual parcel security, oversized package handling, a distributed locker model for garden-style properties, and a unified system that gives both residents and property managers full visibility — that's not what ButterflyMX sells.

That's what SMIOTA sells. And we've built nothing else.

See SMIOTA's SmartLocker + PackageRoom in Action

20 minutes. We'll walk through how the combined system works at a property like yours.

Schedule a Demo