August good locks are fashionable, and for good motive. They’re simple to put in with out changing your deadbolt and good sufficient to work with good house setups for Google Assistant, Apple HomeKit and Amazon Alexa. We gave a number of generations of August locks our Editors’ Choice Award for his or her simple set up, nice app and good house integration.
LikeSmaller design.Wi-Fi in-built.Smoother mechanics.Works with Google, Alexa and Siri.
Don’t LikeStill costly.Shorter battery life.
August is again with its new August Wi-Fi Smart Lock. Slimmed down and additional smartened, it is the perfect one but. It comes with built-in Wi-Fi, negating the necessity for the additional August Connect ($58 at Amazon) plug-in modules. At $250, the brand new lock is costly but it surely’s in the identical value vary because the earlier era lock, and nicely value your cash when you’re trying to get your entrance door on-line. I popped it onto the again of my door and lived with it for every week. Here’s what you should know. Smaller good lock designAugust’s distinctive retrofit design stays true to its roots on this fourth-generation mannequin. What’s remarkably completely different is the scale. The August Wi-Fi Smart Lock is 45% smaller than its predecessors, measuring 2.83 inches in diameter and simply 1.81 inches in depth. While there’s by no means been something significantly ugly concerning the lock, placing a giant chunk of metallic on the inside of your door is not an inside designer’s dream.
Chris Monroe/CNET
Nearly all good locks require this aesthetic obstruction, counting on a big battery and thumb latch housings mounted on the inside facet of your door. I used to be delighted with the small scale of this August mannequin. It’s a lot much less distracting, partly as a result of I’m a bit extra accustomed to seeing good locks on doorways by now, but additionally as a result of it is actually considerably smaller. A wise house ought to mix in, for my part, and August’s design is far improved in that regard. The August Wi-Fi Smart Lock (proper) is 45% smaller than the August Smart Lock Pro (left).
Molly Price/CNET
The design group, which incorporates famend designer Yves Béhar, stayed true to the unique design, whereas making small updates. You’ll discover a barely completely different ridge sample across the sides of the lock, designed to enhance grip. I can not discern an enormous distinction, however I’m not bothered by it, both. Along that ridge is a cleverly positioned August brand that can assist you inform whether or not your door is locked or not. On the within, the August Wi-Fi Smart Lock is powered by two CR123 batteries. I’ll discuss extra about these later. The up to date facet texture of the lock is designed to offer higher grip.
Molly Price/CNET
Installing the August Wi-Fi Smart LockAs at all times, putting in an August good lock is a breeze in case you have 10 minutes and a screwdriver. You’ll additionally need to obtain the August app out there on iOS or Android, as there’s a useful information with animations to stroll you thru the method. Because it is retrofit, you will not have to a lot in any respect to your bodily deadbolt, past eradicating the thumb latch on the inside facet of the door. Next, you will match on the August plate and proper adapter to your lock, and clip on the Wi-Fi Smart Lock with its two locking wings.
I’ll take a second right here to handle my normal good lock suggestions. Be positive your door closes nicely earlier than you start this course of. Smart locks have hassle calibrating and absolutely locking doorways that want an additional shove to shut utterly. Make positive the deadbolt strikes freely and there is no friction within the lock’s mechanics. Make positive you’ve an excellent Wi-Fi connection. This impacts not solely the set up, however the lock’s on a regular basis efficiency, too.Keep your screws organized. Which screw size goes the place can actually matter on a wise lock. It’s vital to do your finest to maintain the cam bar (see under) centered within the August again plate whilst you safe the screws. If you discover that it is too far up or down, loosen and readjust the screws whereas holding a little bit of stress on the plate to maintain it in place. It’s troublesome to suit the required adapter if issues aren’t lined up neatly. The inexperienced adapter offered match my Kwikset deadbolt.
Molly Price/CNET
The August system is the only good lock set up on the market, and the steering in each the app and printed, in-box directions are simple to comply with. No shock there. If you are involved about compatibility along with your present deadbolt, August has a useful web page itemizing suitable fashions from most manufacturers. A greater good house lockLet’s begin with the plain. This is the primary August lock with Wi-Fi in-built. That means you not want to purchase the $80 August Connect module to manage the remotely. While it’s the first August lock to incorporate Wi-Fi, it is not the one lock in the marketplace with the improve. Schlage and Kwikset even have Wi-Fi fashions (each additionally priced at $249), and it is probably the best way of the longer term for many good locks. Many good locks join by way of Bluetooth to your cellphone, which helps you to management the lock whenever you’re in shut proximity to it. For management outdoors of that vary, certainly for management from anyplace on the earth, you want Wi-Fi. Previously, good lock makers have relied on a plug-in Wi-Fi adapter, just like the August Connect, to combine Wi-Fi, however the good lock panorama has modified rather a lot for the reason that first August lock. Redesigns in Wi-Fi chip expertise made it attainable for corporations like August to work it into lock design extra simply. After that, it is all about tremendous tuning lock and app efficiency to get essentially the most battery life attainable out whereas nonetheless hanging onto that Wi-Fi sign nicely. As for compatibility, the August Wi-Fi Smart Lock works with Alexa, Google and Siri for voice instructions in addition to routines and automation along with your platform of selection. Assigning digital keys to extra lock customers stays free, a spotlight of August’s insurance policies, and you may additionally get loads of choices for setting notifications when one thing occurs, or does not, at your door. The August Wi-Fi Smart Lock comes with a DoorSense sensor, so you may know if somebody leaves the door open or closes it however leaves it unlocked. I’ve at all times been keen on August’s geofencing auto-lock and -unlock capabilities, and that is still true for this mannequin. When your cell gadget is 200 meters (656 ft) from your house both leaving or returning, the lock will lock or unlock, when you’ve chosen to activate that perform. It requires that you just hold Wi-Fi enabled in your cell gadget, and it labored nicely in my testing. That’s a giant assist not having to fiddle with keys or an app to open the door. Auto-lock may also be custom-made for time, so you may set the door to lock anyplace from instantly after it is unlocked all the best way as much as 30 minutes later. The August Wi-Fi Smart Lock runs on two CR123 batteries.
Chris Monroe/CNET
Wi-Fi is not simple on batteries, and that is the primary August mannequin with the CR123 battery. The group at August estimates the lock’s batteries ought to final three to 6 months. That’s a shorter steered lifespan than the six months to a 12 months promised for the older, AA fashions. According to August, the primary consider battery life is the standard of your Wi-Fi connection. If the lock must continually reconnect to an entry level or get up on account of polling from the entry level, you will see a faster drain. Battery life can even be affected by how usually you lock and unlock your door, particularly over Wi-Fi or information connections. If you do not like the thought of maintaining with the batteries on a wise lock, clearly this is not the product class for you. A two-pack of CR123s at your native large field retailer ought to price round $8 to $10. The excellent news is, as with earlier era August Smart Locks, even when the batteries are lifeless you may nonetheless use a bodily key to unlock your door. Note: I did encounter a low battery warning simply three days into testing the August Wi-Fi Smart Lock. I knew my batteries should not be low so quickly. I used to be utilizing a beta model of the August app and after speaking with the group, they discovered a bug within the battery prediction algorithm that led to a untimely low-battery notification. August engineers resolved the bug on the again finish, and I did not have any points after that. The August group assured me that clients is not going to see this as soon as the good lock is accessible for buy. When it involves safety, August implements sufficient options to make me be ok with placing it on my door. It makes use of two-factor authentication to log into your account or create a brand new one. It additionally makes use of Bluetooth encryption, AES 128-bit and TLS encryption for the cell app. You may even disable your August app and all digital keys at any time by way of a particular desktop web site in case your cellphone is misplaced or stolen. Voice unlocking by way of the varied digital assistants requires a spoken PIN. August fashions in contrastPriceMeasurement (in inches)Wi-FiZ-WaveGoogleAlexaHomeKitAugust Smart Lock$1502.7 W x 4.8 H x 2.1 D Requires August Connect ($199 for bundle)NoYesYesNoAugust Smart Lock Pro$2803.4 W x 2.2 DRequires August Connect (included)YesYesYesYesAugust Wi-Fi Smart Lock$2502.83 W x 1.81 DBuilt-inNoYesYesYesRead extra: How to make use of your good lock safely | What to know earlier than shopping for a wise lock A reviewer’s anecdote Before I examined this lock at my home, I had a wise keypad ($50 at Walmart) on my entrance door. My husband and I are identified to run or stroll the canine with out our keys and telephones, so a keypad is an effective way to get out and in of the home with out pockets stuffed with {hardware} and let household and neighbors in with their very own codes when wanted. The day after I arrange the August Wi-Fi Smart Lock, we walked the canine across the neighborhood with out our keys or telephones. It’s a good, digital detox. In setup, I opted for the lock to relock after 5 minutes. When we bought again after half an hour, I noticed I had no approach to open the door as a result of my cellphone and keys have been inside. Luckily, we might left a facet door unlocked, however I had a enjoyable 60 seconds of panic. If you are switching over from a keypad or another keyless exterior system, you will have to retrain your mind. If you personal an Apple Watch ($399 at Apple), you may keep away from this downside altogether by putting in the August app, which is able to work by way of geofencing similar to your cellphone. An add-on August keypad ($60) can be an possibility. To purchase or to not purchase? If you are eager about a wise lock, however need to hold your exterior {hardware} conventional, that is the lock for you. It’s not low-cost at $249, however understand that you will not should spend any extra cash on a Connect module to get Wi-Fi distant entry advantages. That addition of Wi-Fi makes August really feel contemporary and up to date. The discount in measurement is nice, too. Other locks with Wi-Fi in-built price simply as a lot and require changing your whole deadbolt. The August Wi-Fi Smart Lock turns rather more easily than earlier August fashions, takes up much less area and is simply as good and safe. If you appreciated earlier August good locks, you will love this one. For these causes, we have determined to award it our Editors’ Choice for Best Smart Lock, dethroning the August Smart Lock Pro ($195 at Walmart).