Introducing Knockli: Your AI Doorman Is Here

Your apartment buzzer doesn't care what you're doing.

It doesn't care that you're on a work call, in the shower, or finally asleep after a long day. When someone downstairs presses that button, your phone rings, and you get about three seconds to decide: answer it or ignore it.

Most of the time, you ignore it. And most of the time, you regret it.

The "Sorry We Missed You" sticker on your mailbox. The package that sat in the lobby until it disappeared. The dog walker standing outside for 10 minutes because you couldn't get to your phone in time. These aren't edge cases. They're weekly reality.

What if an AI doorman handled all of it for you? Today, that's exactly what we're launching. Knockli is your AI doorman. It answers your building's buzzer, screens visitors through natural conversation, and handles access based on rules you set. No hardware to install. No landlord approval needed. Ready in 10 minutes.

Meet Your AI Doorman

Knockli is an AI-powered doorman that answers your apartment building's buzzer, screens visitors through natural conversation, and unlocks the door based on your rules. It works with any phone-based intercom system, including those old 90s buzzers that have been in your building since before you moved in. No smart locks. No cameras. No equipment of any kind.

Here's how it works in three steps:

1. Your buzzer calls your Knockli number. Instead of ringing your personal phone, your building's intercom dials a dedicated Knockli number assigned to your unit.
2. The AI answers and screens the visitor. Knockli has a natural conversation with whoever is at the door. It asks who they are, why they're there, and follows up based on your rules.
3. Based on your rules, access is granted or denied. Deliveries get in during your specified hours. Your mom gets in anytime. Strangers at midnight get politely declined.

No phone trees. No pressing buttons. No interruptions unless you want them.

If Knockli is ever unavailable, calls forward directly to your phone. You never lose access to your own building.

Why We Built an AI Doorman

Smart building access has transformed offices and luxury high-rises, but the average apartment buzzer hasn't changed in decades. Your thermostat is smart. Your lights respond to voice commands. Your groceries arrive on schedule. But your building's front door still relies on you being available to pick up the phone every single time someone rings.

Here's what apartment residents are dealing with right now:

The delivery problem keeps getting worse. Americans received 22.37 billion parcels in 2024, averaging 167 packages per household. But for apartment residents, getting those packages safely inside is the real challenge. Package theft hits apartments hardest: residents in multi-unit buildings are 3.5 times more likely to experience it than people in single-family homes. The USPS Office of Inspector General estimates 58 million Americans are affected annually. And that doesn't count the deliveries that never make it inside because nobody answered the buzzer in time.

Interruptions add up fast. Between food deliveries, packages, guests, maintenance requests, and mystery buzzers from people who got the wrong unit, apartment residents can easily face a dozen or more buzzer interruptions per month. Each one pulls you away from what you're doing. If you work from home, the cost compounds quickly. You can try to stop your buzzer from disrupting your workday, but until now the options were limited to "don't answer" or "answer every time."

Renters expect smarter technology. According to Rently's 2025 Smart Apartment Trends Report, 58% of renters now prefer smart technology over traditional amenities like gyms and pools, and 52% are comfortable paying $20 or more per month for it. NMHC's Renter Preferences Survey, based on responses from over 172,000 renters, consistently ranks safety and security as a top priority when choosing where to live.

The buzzer is broken. Not mechanically, but functionally. It was designed for a time when someone was always home to answer it. That era ended years ago.

What Knockli Actually Does

Knockli isn't a call-forwarding service or a simple answering machine. It's a complete AI doorman that handles your building's front door so you don't have to. Here's everything it covers.

AI Call Answering and Visitor Screening

When someone buzzes your unit, Knockli's AI picks up and has a real conversation. Not a phone tree. Not a robotic recording. An actual exchange where the AI asks who the visitor is, why they're there, and any follow-up questions your rules require.

The AI handles the entire interaction on its own. You only get involved if something genuinely needs your attention. For a deeper look at what an AI doorman is and how the technology works, we've written a full explainer.

Rules in Plain English

You don't need to configure anything technical. Tell Knockli what you want in normal language:

• "Let my mom in anytime"
• "Ask me first for deliveries after 9 PM"
• "Allow my dog walker Sarah on weekday afternoons"
• "Block all unknown visitors during quiet hours"

Knockli understands these instructions and applies them consistently, every single time.

Press-to-Unlock Access

Knockli unlocks your building's door the same way you would: by sending the keypad tones through the intercom line. No special hardware. No smart locks to install. It works with whatever unlock mechanism your building already has.

Spoken Delivery Instructions

Instead of just buzzing a delivery driver in and hoping for the best, Knockli gives them specific directions. "Please leave the package outside apartment 4B" or "The mailroom is on the left after you enter." This helps you stop missing apartment deliveries and makes sure packages end up exactly where you want them, not abandoned in the lobby.

Quiet Hours and Away Mode

Set time windows when only known visitors get access. Unknown buzzers during quiet hours are politely declined with no notification to you. Away mode keeps everything running smoothly even when you're traveling, on vacation, or simply don't want to be disturbed.

Allowlist and Passphrase Codes

Add specific people to your allowlist for automatic access whenever they buzz. Or create passphrase codes that visitors can use to unlock the door themselves. Give your friend a code for game night. Give your pet sitter a recurring access window. You decide who gets in and when.

Multi-User Household Support

Everyone in your apartment uses Knockli together. Roommates and partners each get their own access to the app, their own rules, and their own view of the activity log. One subscription covers the full household.

Activity Log with Audio Playback

Every buzzer interaction is logged with full details: who buzzed, when, what they said, and how Knockli handled it. You can play back audio recordings to verify exactly what happened. No more guessing whether that delivery attempt was real or what the person at the door actually said.

Security and Privacy Built In

All data is protected with 256-bit encryption and two-factor authentication. You choose your security level: from open (most visitors get access) to locked down (explicit approval required for everyone). You control what's stored and can delete your data anytime. Knockli is privacy-first by design.

Setup Takes 10 Minutes, No Hardware Needed

The biggest barrier to an apartment buzzer upgrade has always been the setup. Landlord approval. Hardware installation. Building-wide adoption. Professional installation fees. Months of waiting.

Knockli requires none of that.

Here's the actual setup process:

1. Sign up and create your Knockli account
2. Get your Knockli number: a dedicated phone number assigned to your unit's buzzer
3. Update your buzzer's destination to point to your new Knockli number (through your building's resident portal or by requesting the change from management)
4. Set your rules for deliveries, guests, quiet hours, and your allowlist

That's the whole thing. Most residents finish everything in a single sitting. No hardware to install. No wires to run. No landlord approval needed, because you're simply changing which phone number your buzzer dials.

Works with any phone-based buzzer. If your building's intercom calls a phone number when someone buzzes your unit, Knockli works with it. This includes older 90s-era intercoms, modern IP-based systems, and everything in between. The vast majority of apartment buildings use this type of system.

If you already know how to screen visitors when you're not home, Knockli takes that from manual effort to full automation.

Simple Pricing, No Surprises

Knockli costs $19 per month. Or save with annual billing at $15 per month ($180 per year).

One plan. Everything included. Every feature listed above. Full household access for everyone in your apartment.

No per-call fees. No tiered plans where basic features cost extra. No long-term contracts. Cancel anytime.

For perspective: one prevented package theft covers months of service. One uninterrupted workweek is worth more than a full year of Knockli. And compared to a traditional virtual doorman service or living in a doorman building (where the cost is built into rent at thousands of dollars per year), $19 per month is a fraction of the price for many of the same benefits.

Knockli operates under a fair-use policy. Most households use between 30 and 60 minutes of AI call time per month, which is more than enough for typical buzzer activity.

Never Answer the Buzzer Again

We built Knockli because your apartment's front door should work for you, not against you. You shouldn't have to race to your phone every time someone buzzes. You shouldn't have to choose between missing a delivery and interrupting a meeting. You shouldn't have to wonder who rang your door while you were out.

Starting today, you don't have to.

Get started with Knockli and set up your AI doorman in 10 minutes. No hardware. No landlord approval. No buzzer anxiety. Just a smarter front door that knows your rules and follows them, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.