Goal

The solution to this problem is to add a connected device to the mailbox that can detect when the mailbox is opened or closed. While there are several ways to do this, I opted for light detection, as that would be the easiest way to integrate with and existing mailbox. This device will need to be in range of a WI-FI connection, so that it will be able to relay the information to the user. Since we are dealing with mail, I thought sending an email to the user of the notification would be most appropriate. This device solves the problem because the user can be sent a notification from anywhere connected to the internet that new mail has been added to their mailbox.