At CES today, smart lock maker August announced the newest addition to its home security line, called the August Smart Lock Mortise Kit. The company called the new product the first solution in North America that converts mortise style door locks into smart locks. Mortise locks are typical in multi-unit apartment buildings and integrate the locking bolt functionality directly into a door's handle.
With the new kit, August said that building managers can install smart locks in their properties and control access to the building, as well as individual units, all from the connected August smartphone app. The August Smart Lock is installed on the inside of the door, so all of the fixtures remain unchanged on the outward-facing side, and users can still use a traditional keyed entry if they desire.
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August has given the Mortise Kit to some property owners in a beta test:
“We’ve been Beta testing the August Smart Lock in our properties. We embrace innovation that serves our customers and the new mortise solution offers benefits for our apartment residents, and for us as the property owner,” said Yat-Pang Au, CEO of Veritas Investments, owner operator of $2 billion in urban mixed use multi-family and retail property in San Francisco.
“Residents appreciate the control and improved home security August offers. As a property owner, the flexibility to offer residents shared-economy services including laundry pickup, cleaning and grocery delivery is a great benefit too.”
Additionally, August announced a partnership with Logitech's POP home switch system. With the collaboration, users can create home automation recipes through a POP switch without having to interact with any connected smartphone apps after the initial set-up process. For example, a switch next to your bedside table can send a signal to an August lock, and lock up your house when tapped at night. Logitech sells the POP switch on Amazon at $99.99 for the starter pack of two switches and one bridge, while additional switches can be added on at $39.99.
For those interested in the August Smart Lock Mortise Kit, which encompasses a mounting plate and adapter, the company mentioned that it will be available for certified locksmiths, property developers and managers for $100. That'll be added on top of the base price of the August Smart Lock, which costs $229 and was last updated with HomeKit and a new design in April 2016.
Top Rated Comments
I don't think I'd ever trust any of these new companies with something like a door lock. Schlage seems to take security both "the cyber" and physical seriously, as they should. They don't directly connect the lock over any vulnerable wifi/bluetooth, it requires the administrative code which is 6 digits to pair or un-pair it to a compatible Z-Wave hub, the lock uses the high quality schlage strike plate/anti-kick features and on top of that it has physical anti tamper and kick alarms/alerts. I don't understand why you would pay more for a worse product; Even if it is a little bit bulky it's a lock not a fashion item. To me it makes as much sense as buying a less secure alarm system just because the better one doesn't look as nice... What's the point of a security product that doesn't do security first?