Not sure you locked the door when you left home? Forget to deadbolt the front door when you’re inside? We do get a little more forgetful as we get older, so stop worrying and get the August Smart Lock Pro + Connect which can lock & unlock your door for you, even if you forget.
The August Smart Lock Pro is pretty easy to set up because you’re not replacing the deadbolt you already have (and you have to have a deadbolt installed if you don’t) you’re simply adding the device to the inside of your door with the help of a universal mounting plate. By the way, it can be used only with deadbolts that are separate from your doorknob.
Anyway, you just have to follow the instructions to attach the August Smart Lock Pro to the back of your deadbolt, in place of the mechanism you have there now. Some people might have just a small lever to turn, at my house you need a key to lock/unlock the deadbolt from the inside because there’s a sidelight window next to my front door and I don’t want someone breaking it, reaching in and unlocking the door!
The instructions are not included in the box, but are in their phone app – and you don’t have to sign in to get to the step-by-step video instructions that let you work at your own pace. The August Smart Lock Pro runs on two AA batteries, which are supplied and very easily replaceable.
The “Plus Connect” in the name means the box includes a usually optional DoorSense module that you plug into an electrical outlet near the door. It can “sense” when a door is left open and alert you on your phone, and it works on Wi-Fi while the lock works on Bluetooth, so the DoorSense is a bridge between the two.
As you might suspect, the August Smart Lock Pro + Connect works with Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, Apple HomeKit and Nest, as well as their app on your phone. So you can ask Alexa or Siri to unlock or lock the door, among other things.
You can set the smart lock in different ways to lock and unlock the deadbolt for you, including locking it immediately as soon as the door’s closed – the DoorSense model does that – or locking the door after you leave because your phone has gone out of Bluetooth range and unlocking the door for you when you approach it and you (meaning your phone) is in Bluetooth range.
And more than one person in your house can have the app on their phone because you can set up a Guest List and invite others to be able to unlock or lock the door, and you can – if you wish – restrict their access to certain times. I can see where this could be handy for the door of an elderly relative who can’t get around easily so you can enter as needed, and give more restricted access, say, to a health aide.
The August Smart Lock Pro also works in conjunction with their other devices, such as their Doorbell Cam Pro which can notify you when someone’s at the door, you can see who it is, and remotely unlock the door; and they have a Smart Keypad so you can give others access codes instead of having to install August’s app on their phones.
The August Smart Lock Pro + Connect is currently $249 direct, or the same price on Amazon, both in silver or dark gray.
Here’s their promo video:
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