August, the company behind the popular August Smart Lock, today announced a second-generation product that includes support for Apple's HomeKit home automation platform. The new HomeKit-enabled August Smart Lock lets customers use voice commands to lock, unlock, and check the status of their door.
The August Smart Lock can be used with other HomeKit products to create scenes that might unlock the door while also turning on the lights inside the house. August has also revamped the design of its Smart Lock, adding a new magnetic faceplate to improve the grip and rotation of the lock, and an indicator at the top so users can visually tell whether the door is locked or unlocked.
Along with the new HomeKit-enabled August Smart Lock, August is also debuting the August Smart Keypad and the August Doorbell Cam. The August Smart Keypad works alongside the August Smart Lock, allowing for entry without a smartphone. Unique one-time use access codes can be generated for friends and family.
The August Doorbell Cam also works with the August Smart Lock, letting users see and speak with visitors at their door from anywhere. It has a one-way 140 degree HD video camera and two-way audio. Motion detection capabilities capture movement even when the bell is not rung, sending a notification, and a livestream of activity can be viewed using the August app.
All three products connect to the August Access platform, which is available today in beta form. It's designed to offer secure home access to the August products for trusted partner companies like Sears, Postmates, Pro.com, Handy, Fetch, Shyp, BloomNation, Envoy, Rinse, HelloAlfred, Wag!, Pillow, and Doorman. Customers will be able to allow these trusted partners to enter their homes with the August Smart Lock, alleviating the need to be home for deliveries.
The HomeKit-enabled August Smart Lock, priced at $229, is available for pre-order from the August website. The Smart Keypad is priced at $79 and the Doorbell Cam is priced at $199.
Top Rated Comments
(View all)I'm only half-disappointed mainly b/c I still haven't found a use for home kit. No company, especially Apple has shown me the way.
Early bugs gone? Not hardly. After setting up my August lock to use Automatic Unlock I was lying in bed one night and thought I heard my lock automatically unlock randomly. I reached over and picked up my phone, and sure enough my front door was unlocked. After some back and forth with August, and a couple more instances of this very disturbing bug I disabled the feature. Fast forward 10 months, and I moved to a different house. Decided that they'd had enough time to fix the issue, and turned the feature back on. Lo and behold the first time I come home the automatic lock feature won't work, because the lock doesn't realize I had been gone. So I had to use the app to manually unlock it. But the feature worked fine about a half hour later, when I was sitting in bed. In fact it worked twice. No thanks. Turned it off again, never to turn it back on.I was an early adopter of the August. I also gave the Lockitron a try. Kevo was a no-go from the start because my house is Schlage and I'm not change every lock. Schlage's locks were a no-go because the backside looks like it belongs in a hotel.
Anyway I mostly love the August now that the early bugs are gone. As far as aesthetics, no, not perfect, but better than the other smart locks. I can't live w/o a smart lock now anymore than I could live w/o keyless entry on my car.
I can't get the thing to recognize I'm standing right outside my door about 70% of the time. I walk out of my door, and try to lock the door with my app before I leave to go to work. My app won't connect, and the door usually locks itself before the connection ever happens.
Their support is slow to respond.
I know that looks are subjective, and I know the Schlage is not the most beautiful thing in the world, but it sure as heck looks better than the August, IMO. Sure can't work any worse.
I agree on Kevo. I would never trust my security to a Kwikset lock.