Smarter, connected homes are the wave fo the future. Lights that can be turned on with the push of a button from the couch using your smartphone, thermostats that turn on your central heating and cooling when you’re about to arrive so you can be greeted with the perfect temperature when you walk in the door, and of course, smart locks which you can unlock with your mobile device. A new smart lock, called the August Smart Lock, aims to do away with the idea of traditional keys and locks. They want to “replace your keys and the keys you’ve given to others.”
The August Smart Lock may not be the first product of its kind to hit the market, but it’s a new product in a newly emerging market of devices which are still growing and expanding, with compelling enough features to capture the attention of potential buyers. Like other similar products out there, the August Smart Lock lets you connect with and control the lock functions (locking and unlocking) through the pairing of a companion app downloaded to your device. While the August Smart Lock is being positioned to homeowners, it has applications for business use as well as noted by Business Insider. Businesses (like Google for example) could use the new August Smart Lock to grant access to employees, whether existing or new, for entry to the buildings and offices they inhabit, essentially doing away with the need for a traditional set of keys, key fobs, key cards and the like. All employees would need to do is download and install the companion app on the phone they already own and have it configured to enter, which could save businesses time and money.
The August Smart Lock uses an encrypted keyless locking technology that they boast is safer than keys and key codes that have the potential to be lost, and thanks to the use of four AA batteries the lock is always on and able to function even without power or a connection to a WiFi network. Although people may have reserves about using a Smart Lock that requires the replacement of batteries, the companion August Smart Lock app is set up to send alerts whenever batteries are running low so you know when to change them out. Owners can even issue keys to friends, family members, or anyone else in a matter of seconds, yet still remain in full control of when people can enter the home by setting up specific times for each individual person you hand out a digital key to, whether it be always and forever or just for an hour or two a few days out of the week.
Full control wouldn’t be complete, of course, without the ability to see who and when someone enters the home, and the August Smart Lock has this covered by presenting log records that show up remotely through the app. They’ve implemented features like the Auto-Unlock and Everlock functions (currently in beta) which automatically unlock the door based on proximity, and automatically locking the door behind you when it closes, completely eliminating the need to open the app and press the buttons to lock and unlock the door. The August Smart Lock, which currently retails for $249.95 is available through August themselves as well as Amazon and it comes in a range of different colors to suit your personal tastes.
