Review: Tolviviov Mailbox Notification System

For those of us who get important mail, the Tolviviov Mailbox Notification System is a godsend. Using a small sensor and antenna powered by a flat button cell battery, it transmits a signal to a USB-powered base station receiver inside your house. Every time your mailbox is opened, the alarm goes off.

In the box, you get the base station, sensor with antenna, USB power adapter, USB-C power cable, a hook and loop system (Velcro) for the sensor, and two security decals. The required button cell battery for the sensor with antenna is pre-installed and you just have to remove the connection tab.

I had no problem installing the sensor in my standard metal mailbox. I attached the sensor with the hook and loop adhesive and then ran the antenna through one of the factory-drilled holes in the side of the mailbox. I then fixed the antenna to the side of the mailbox with one of the security decals.

Inside my home, I eschewed the included USB AC adapter and simply plugged the base station into the spare USB port on my home alarm system. It was plenty of power to make the wireless connection, which is rated for up to 60 meters (about 200 feet). My mailbox is definitely not that far from my house, but it is a good distance away.

When the mailbox lid is opened, the alarm on the base station goes off and the light flashes red. The alarm is quite loud, and well, alarming. It would have been nice to have a gentler sounding alarm. Still, it gets the job done and you can mute the alarm quickly by pressing the SET button on the back of the base station.

This is a simple device, but one that works exactly as it should. While I’d like more alarm options, a larger mute button, and maybe something that instead sent an alert to my phone, it’s hard to argue with the relative simplicity and low price of what it does offer.