Roll call! Who has left the house and wondered, “did I lock the door?” and then turned around to go back and check or had anxiety the entire time you were out because you were unsure and had no one to call and check? ::raises hand::
One day after coming home to the house being unlocked again (granted, my son was home), I realized we needed something that would allow me to look at my phone and see if the door was locked or not. Something that would give me peace of mind that I could quickly check and lock the door if it was in fact unlocked. Bonus: something that would unlock when it detected my car in the driveway.
Enter the August Smart Lock (4th Generation), retail $229.
Wellbots was kind enough to send me an August Smart Lock to check out and to say I loved it would be an understatement. This thing is awesome.
What Is It?
August Smart Lock is a smart lock that fits over your existing deadbolt and allows you to see the status of the lock and unlock or lock the door depending on what you need. It operates via the app and Wi-Fi. In addition to the lock, you also get a door sensor. The sensor tells you if the door is left open and doesn’t latch. It comes in two colors: black and grey (silver) and the box has everything you need for the installation.
Likes
The installation was super easy. It fits over your existing lock and from the outside you can’t tell that you have an app-controlled lock. My husband did the installation in about 15 minutes. He did not install the door detection sensor (I’ll talk about that in a minute), so that might have had something to do with his speed. Configuring was also user-friendly (just don’t have you and your spouse/roommate be configuring at the same time).
Once you open the app you can see a list of the homes you have access to, and when you click the one you want you to see the lock status. It’s as simple as tapping the big red or green button to lock or unlock the door.
You can set location alerts to tell the lock to unlock or lock based on your phone’s location. My husband has it programmed that when he pulls up, the door unlocks automatically. You can also set alerts in the app to let you know whenever the door is unlocked or locked. I had this set at first, but it got to be annoying so I turned it off.
If you have Google or Alexa in your home, the August Smart Lock will link up with your account and you can tell your assistant to manage the lock for you.
If someone doesn’t have a key to my place but I want them to be able to enter when I’m not home, I can add them as a guest in the app and the times/dates they are allowed to enter. They just need to install the app and accept the invite. I can revoke access anytime.
In the activity log, I can see everyone that has come in or out and what times the door was unlocked or locked (including if it was done manually or via the app).
Dislikes
I’d like to see the app walk you through all the setup at one time including adding it to your Wi-Fi. You need to do this step if you want it to work with your smart home devices.
I also wish the door sensor was user-friendly. The design of the sensor is such that it doesn’t work with our door and I would have liked to use that feature.
Final Thoughts
The August Smart Lock has given me peace of mind when it comes to knowing if my house is locked or not. I like that from the outside you can’t tell that it’s a smart lock and I can still use a regular key to open the door. Check the requirements to make sure you have a lock that supports it before purchasing.
Disclaimer: GeekMom was given a review sample.
