Luckily, we'd left a side door unlocked, but I had a fun 60 seconds of panic. When we got back after half an hour, I realized I had no way to open the door because my phone and keys were inside. In setup, I opted for the lock to relock after five minutes. The day after I set up the August Wi-Fi Smart Lock, we walked the dog around the neighborhood without our keys or phones. , so a keypad is a great way to get in and out of the house without pockets full of hardware and let family and neighbors in with their own codes when needed. My husband and I are known to run or walk the dog without our keys and Read more: How to use your smart lock safely | What to know before buying a smart lock A reviewer's anecdoteīefore I tested this lock at my house, I had a Requires August Connect ($199 for bundle) Voice unlocking via the various virtual assistants requires a spoken PIN. You can even disable your August app and all virtual keys at any time via a special desktop site if your phone is lost or stolen. It also uses Bluetooth encryption, AES 128-bit and TLS encryption for the mobile app. It uses two-factor authentication to log into your account or create a new one. When it comes to security, August implements enough features to make me feel good about putting it on my door. The August team assured me that customers will not see this once the smart lock is available for purchase. August engineers resolved the bug on the back end, and I didn't have any issues after that. I was using a beta version of the August app and after talking with the team, they found a bug in the battery prediction algorithm that led to a premature low-battery notification. I knew my batteries shouldn't be low so soon. Note: I did encounter a low battery warning just three days into testing the August Wi-Fi Smart Lock. The good news is, as with previous generation August Smart Locks, even if the batteries are dead you can still use a physical key to unlock your door. A two-pack of CR123s at your local big box store should cost around $8 to $10. If you don't like the idea of keeping up with the batteries on a smart lock, obviously this isn't the product category for you. Battery life will also be affected by how often you lock and unlock your door, especially over Wi-Fi or data connections. If the lock needs to constantly reconnect to an access point or wake up due to polling from the access point, you'll see a quicker drain. 1 factor in battery life is the quality of your Wi-Fi connection. That's a shorter suggested lifespan than the six months to a year promised for the older, AA models.Īccording to August, the no. The team at August estimates the lock's batteries should last three to six months. Wi-Fi isn't easy on batteries, and this is the first August model with the CR123 battery. The August Wi-Fi Smart Lock runs on two CR123 batteries. The August Wi-Fi Smart Lock comes with a DoorSense sensor, so you can know if someone leaves the door open or closes it but leaves it unlocked. Assigning virtual keys to additional lock users remains free, a highlight of August's policies, and you'll also get plenty of options for setting notifications when something happens, or doesn't, at your door. After that, it's all about fine-tuning lock and app performance to get the most battery life possible out while still hanging onto that Wi-Fi signal well.Īs for compatibility, the August Wi-Fi Smart Lock works withįor voice commands as well as routines and automation with your platform of choice. Redesigns in Wi-Fi chip technology made it possible for companies like August to work it into lock design more easily. Previously, smart lock makers have relied on a plug-in Wi-Fi adapter, like the August Connect, to integrate Wi-Fi, but the smart lock landscape has changed a lot since the first August lock. For control outside of that range, indeed for control from anywhere in the world, you need Wi-Fi. To your phone, which lets you control the lock when you're in close proximity to it. Schlage and Kwikset also have Wi-Fi models (both also priced at $249), and it's likely the way of the future for most smart locks. While it is the first August lock to include Wi-Fi, it isn't the only lock on the market with the upgrade. That means you no longer need to buy the $80 August Connect module to control it remotely. This is the first August lock with Wi-Fi built in. If you're concerned about compatibility with your existing deadbolt, August has a helpful page listing compatible models from most brands. The August system is the simplest smart lock installation out there, and the guidance in both the app and printed, in-box instructions are easy to follow. The green adapter provided fit my Kwikset deadbolt.
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