August Home Smart Lock, 3rd Generation – Silver

I finally upgraded from the original first gen round August Lock (which I've been happy with your several years now) to this third gen version. The biggest reason I wanted to upgrade was the fact that the design of this one is like a regular lock. While the round one was working just fine, unfortunately other people unfamiliar with the lock just became baffled on how to unlock the door from the inside. With the design of this one, that eliminates that confusion for guests and it looks like a normal door lock to them. The additional features I like compared to the first gen one was the addition of the door sense feature. I haven't experienced it enough yet to really comment on it, but the initial testing of it was nice to prevent it from trying to lock when the door was still open. The issue I did have on the first gen one was that it could sometimes jam the lock if it tried to lock when not fully latched or closed. This one so far also seems to be a lot better with the smart alert notifications. The first gen one was hit or miss when notifications would actually work with the wifi hub. But so far this new one seems to actually notify every time per my settings. The only negative thing I have about the third gen vs the first gen is the missing sounds. On the first gen one, you could have it make lock and unlock sounds when used by the app or auto lock/unlock. Unfortunately the 3rd gen doesn't have the sounds built in. It is louder when the device is working, which somewhat substitutes for that so you can hear it working, but I'd still rather have the lock and unlock sounds option. Outside of that flaw, it is still a great product. If you are a renter, it is also perfect as the original keyed entry doesn't change, and you still only swap the inside part, and when you move out, you simply put the original inside piece back. That's why I preferred August Lock from anything else. It is simple, yet effective. Now I have a spare first gen one, maybe I'll just use it for the back door.

Package includes the Lock itself , 3 retrofit attachment to match your current front key cylinder , and the DoorSense - it is just basically a strong magnet placed on the door jamb (screw-up or drilled inconspicuously a couple of inches below the bolt). The way it works is the August lock somehow detects if the magnet is at its strongest to tell the door is closed or otherwise ajar. The app has a calibration tool to tell the lock whether it is closed or ajar. I installed the Hardware and app with ease. My first intention to purchase this lock is to use its autolock feature, my door is equipped with deadbolt lock paired with a storeroom type of lock- it is always lock where you can exit with a twist but always needs a key to entry. However, I still feel not secure when household just closed the door on their way out. They just gets used to exit at night without locking the deadbolt part. At first I was so excited and felt so relieved to find this lock then I realized another problem arises. If I get used to this close-and-forget. I may not tell if still working like if it needs new battery without constantly dreading about it. Basically the lock communicates by Bluetooth which means is you have to be close to it like 10 ft. with your phone. Beyond it, you still have to either get closer everytime to check on the app or physically checking it which beats the purpose. So I bought the Connect, it links your lock to the internet thru your router. it's very tricky to install. It needs to have a good to excellent signal from your router and at the same time must also be close to the lock 10 to 15 ft away to link the Bluetooth signal. im thankful I have i have 3 routers, even though I have 3 choices i still got difficulty finding the best location. The best I have found is I put the Connect in a very short extension cord and plug it to the ceiling light bulb indoor above the door entrance. From there I have good signal from router and Bluetooth which is enough. I have both iPhone and android and I'm using auto unlock features so far with precision. I think Auto Unlock detects you away when you are out of your wifi signal and detects you home when your phone picks up your wifi signal. Everytime I am about 10ft walking towards the door, I think phone's Bluetooth links up the lock and I can hear my phone notifications, Auto unlock engages and I verified it. Love it, I am able to checks its status on my phone anytime. Anywhere. It also gives you alerts, if it's been manually locked or unlocked. Someone remotely locks or unlock it. If it's in ajar status or it uses its auto locked feature. It's not perfect but I'm satisfied. I wish it has its own notification sound selection than using the phones general notification setting. So there's a differentiation between the others. And I wish the app connects automatically to the internet if Bluetooth is out of range.- in the app you have to press a button to get the signal from the internet after it tries to connect to Bluetooth which is always out of range (needs user interaction, lacks smooth transition)

I've been watching the development of smart locks for years, even supported a promising one on Kickstarter. None of them ever really lived up to their promise. With the 3rd gen, August comes about as close as there is to a reliable smart lock. That said there are problems. The first bump in the road was installation. Having lived through the Kickstarter campaign I got a real education on the incredibly high bar set for compatibility. There are just too many dead bolt configurations and factors to take into consideration. Most of the smart locks sell ease of installation by having you place the opening mechanism over the deadbolt turn key. Compromises are made and this does not work universally. August sidesteps this by having you remove the inner lock housing and mounting there drive mechanism to the directly to the tail-stock of the deadbolt. This works as long as the tail-stock is dead center. In my case it was located at the bottom, 6:00 position. A call to support gave me a helpful but apologetic agent. I would have to replace the matched handset deadbolt with another deadbolt. Once that was done, installation, pairing, registration were a snap. The second problem comes from the weak bluetooth. As others have noted you can have the phone right next to the lock, inside the house and the August will not pair. Coming back to the house after being out of range would be hit or miss. Some times the lock wold auto-unlock, some times it would establish a connection but not auto-unlock and sometimes it just would not pair. The solution (for an additional price) is the WiFi bridge. Once purchased and installed (again a snap to install) I'm always connected. Auto-unlock is still hit-or-miss but calling up the unlock screen and opening the lock is no different and just as easy as pushing a button to open the garage door. The good: Easy installation (if you have a compatible deadbolt) Good customer support Works without a hitch (if you have the WiFi bridge) The bad: Does not work with all dead bolts Bluetooth is so weak as to be considered useless For reliable use requires that you purchase the WiFi bridge That said, it works well for me and as long as you go into the purchase heeding the short comings I could recommend the August

Consistently works every time. Easy to use.

So everything works as intended. However like other people have mentioned, the auto-unlock feature is a little quirky, but it's not because of the lock, but more due to my phone and its operating system and how it handles connections (bluetooth and WiFi specifically). So the auto-unlock feature works flawlessly if I have my phone in my hand and the screen is on, and that's because when the screen is on, the phone actively detects bluetooth and WiFi connections (it has to detect your home WiFi connection so that it knows you're actually "home", for security purposes). Since I'm typically on my phone, that works well. If my phone is in my pocket, the bluetooth and WiFi connections are detected passively (this is how it works on all Android phones to save battery power), and so the detection of the WiFi network switch happens slightly slower, but still reliably works about 80% of the time. Sometimes, I'll reach my door and it's still locked and the second I go to reach for my phone, my phone passively detects the WiFi (or is in the process thereof), and the door unlocks. The other thing people may not be aware of is that the app is watching for you to return to your "neighborhood" which is about 200 meters from your door. That said, this means that the auto-unlock feature typically doesn't engage if you go somewhere close, like your mailbox or to put the trash out for example. You've gotta travel outside of the 200 meter region that represents where your place is. The app works reliable to auto-unlock my door whenever I leave that 200 meter circle. On the way back the app, as I approach my neighborhood, the app shows up in my notifications with the auto-unlock feature engaged. By the time I park, and walk towards the door, it unlocks 9 out of 10 cases before I reach the door, and 1 out of 10 cases as I reach the door. If my phone is in my hand, this happens in 10 out of 10 cases. If my phone is in my pocket, roughly 9 out of 10 cases as I approach the door, 1 time out of 10 it'll open as I reach the door, or within a second or two after I reach the door (when my phone connects to my home WiFi and the app detects that scenario occurring). I have a Samsung Galaxy S9+ for reference. My son who has an iPhone XR has the same experience as I do with the auto-unlock on his phone. I'd say his works even more reliably than mine does. This lock is definitely worth the purchase. It works well, is easy to install, and now when I leave, it locks the door behind me too which I love.

Solid lock for the price

Bought this lock for the auto-unlock feature. It does not unlock at all. I also bought the August connect to have it automatically unlock when I get home. I live where it rains almost everyday, all summer long. The auto unlock would have been nice, not fumbling with keys in the rain. Now I must sit in the car and fumble with the phone to unlock the door. The auto lock/lock feature does work with voice control via Amazon Alexa. Just will not auto unlock when you get home (as stated as one of the main features). You MUST get your phone out, open the app, tap on the lock then tap unlock. This works fine, but takes longer than just using your key. I have sent multiple feedback to August via the app and via e-mail letting them know that the unlock feature is not working. I have not heard anything from them nor has the unlock feature been fixed. So, for the feature I bought this lock for, not working and no response from August after multiple messages sent over the past two weeks. Because of this, I can only give this lock two stars. August, fix the unlock feature and get some C/S. 10/08/18 I have sent two more e-mails to August's non existing customer service. You guessed it, NO response. The August app has been updated a little. The August icon is now visible in the up left of my phone. It does show, home and away, BUT the auto unlock feature, still does NOT work. Hello August, this was one of your selling features and it still does NOT work. 01/22/2019 Update. I wish I could lower the star rating to ZERO stars. I have sent four or five more e-mails and several via the August App, still waiting on a real response and or a fix to get the auto-unlock feature to work. August does NOT return/answer e-mails at all. I have only received automated e-mail responses (e-mail states it is an automated response). August did push out another hardware update on 1/19/2019, it did not correct the auto-unlock feature. Over all, If you are looking for a lock that will automatically unlock when you get home, find another lock: 1) Main feature (auto-unlock) does NOT work. 2) NO customer service. 3) Takes longer to unlock door using app than it does using your key. 02/04/2019 Received feedback from August. The problem is that my phone connects to my car's Bluetooth and wifi when I get in it. Just like many other people who have smart phones and newer cars. If you disconnect the phone form the wifi and unpair it from the car's Bluetooth (meaning you cannot make hands free calls from your car) the August smart lock/connect with start auto-unlocking. With this done, the lock works, so it is only worth three(3) stars now. If you have a August connect, it is connected to your home's wifi and your phone can unlock the lock. Bluetooth is not needed. 07/17/2019 update: With the new app update, I wish I could this this lock a negative five(5) starts. No one a August must used their own products. What they have done, If you turn of any of the following: Wifi, GPS, Bluetooth or set your phone in airplane mode, the auto-unlock disconnects and MUST be reset up. It does not matter that you turn these sub-system back on, the August App disconnects the auto-unlock feature. Then the re-setup REQUIRES you to be home to get your GPS location, to access your wifi and to connect via Bluetooth to the lock. This is the dumbest thing I have every seen a developer do. Once the setting are made, the app should store the setting so that you can turn on/off sub-system to save battery or if nothing else for security of your phone (open wifi/Bluetooth connection). This firmly displays that NO one at August really uses these products in the REAL world. So my current option is not to waste you money on this over priced useless lock. It is dumb lock, NOT smart lock.

I can't believe how easy this is to install. Took maybe 10 minutes? It even has a calibration process to deal with those locks that need an extra "push" to secure the lock. The app works perfectly and tracks each open/close. I purchased this so we could go on vacation without having to give out a house key to a hired pet sitter while we're gone. I purchased the separate keypad that allows me to give the pet sitter their own code, too. One of the best purchases I've made.

Remote access but difficult to install if not deadbolt initially

This is a fantastic lock especially if you live in an apartment with strict strata laws. The lock looks normal on the outside because the smart lock is installed on the inside. Because of this, you can still use your regular keys to open the door, especially when/if the lock runs out of battery. Everything is installed and optimized through your smartphone and is unlocked/locked via Bluetooth connection. It comes with door sensors so it can automatically sense when your door is locked, meaning that you can walk away from your door without any worries. At most, it will take you roughly 15-20 minutes to install. Within the app, you can invite family and friends to have either guest or owner privileges to your lock which eliminates the need to cut keys for them. You can also track who opened your door and how (manually or wirelessly) and at what time. This lock gives you so much control for your home and it's the best investment that I've made in the past 5 years. They do need to make some improvements to the application itself since it can be quite slow in connectivity, but you can't really expect much from Bluetooth connections. Highly, highly recommended!

Amazon or the August product descriptions never pointed out the fact that the August skill is not available for Alexa outside of US. Now my purchase of two August products worth hundreds of pounds is not even half as useful as I thought they would be. Stay away from this if you are not in US.

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Item was delivered fast. Packaging could have used some bubble wrap to prevent damage or dent. No sweat installation and setup. Family was very pleased with the auto lock feature. Will recommend this item if you need auto lock security.