August Smart Lock: Control Your Home Lock from Anywhere!
Being able to control my whole while I am gone is important to me. One example of this is needing to let someone in while I am gone, usually to take care of my pets. I have a Kwikset smart lock, with a keypad that I can remote lock/unlock, but changing its codes was quite a pain. Maybe I just needed to give a one time code to someone? Well, that was a hassle! I will say it works fantastic on something like a back door, in that it can be auto locked when I sleep, etc, where someone doesn’t need access to it a lot from the outside, though, so give it a look! In any case, I decided to try out an August lock, and I couldn’t be happier!
There are 3 major components of the August Smart lock. You have the 1) Lock (which obviously you need), and you have the optional 2) Keypad and 3) Wifi Bridge
Buying the lock alone lets you control it from your smartphone with the app (or with Siri), when you are in close proximity. If you add the keypad, you are able to assign codes (while close to it), and then unlock the lock without your phone, or let someone else access it, etc.
By buying the wifi bridge, you can connect your August to the internet and do these functions wherever you are, and add in things like Alexa and Google Home integrations.
Installation was really simple. You keep your existing deadbolt, and August comes with 3 adapters for the common brands, that you attach to the pin, and then into the August. This also lets you keep the same keys around just in case there ever was an issue!
One nice feature is when you assign someone a custom code, you can set whether it is one time, recurring (like if someone comes on a schedule, you can set daily access between x time, or a temporary, anytime for a set of days. You can select access to the app, or just a PIN code. You can also get a notification when someone uses their code.
The only “negatives” that I have found so far is that if you are not in close range of your lock, and thus have to use the internet, it can take a bit for the app to recognize and be able to unlock. I also got a notification that my keypad batteries are low, which seems quick (~1 month, but who knows how long they sat in the package, so more on that later)
So far, a wonderful investment!
