August is already one of the most popular smart lock Lord , but now , with its fourth - generation Wi - Fi Smart Lock , it feels like August has really perfected its craft , especially for tenant and apartment inhabitant .
Unlike a portion of other chic locks that require you to remove or replace your current hardware ( which often is n’t an option when you ’re renting ) , August ’s smart locks slip over the inside latch on your deadbolt , allowing you smarten up your security department while still keeping the outside of the lock looking and operate the same .
August ’s previousSmart Lock Prohad a couple of painfulness points , most notably that it was a mo bulky , and because it only had Bluetooth progress in , the lock take a separate span ( that also requires its own power release ) if you wanted to tack on wireless local area internet desegregation . That meant , unless you ponied up another $ 50 for the bridgework , you would n’t be able to practice feature film such as remote access voice controls ( for Alexa , Siri , and the Google Assistant ) .
Photo: Sam Rutherford (Gizmodo)
Thankfully , on the Modern Wi - Fi Smart Lock , August has deal both those issues . equate to the previous model , the Wi - Fi Smart Lock is 45 percent small and , more importantly , has work up - in wifi , so there ’s no need for a separate bridge . So now , all you have to do to deploy the curl is err it over your deadbolt ’s latch , pair the curl with the August app on your speech sound , and you ’re serious to go .
On top of that , the Wi - Fi Smart Lock has also been given a subtle facelift featuring a more or less sleeker pattern , while still sporting the same easy - to - remove faceplate that gives you access to the ignition lock ’s replaceable barrage . Because of the Wi - Fi Smart Lock ’s novel small-scale dimensions , however , August had to switch over to CR123 battery instead of the more vulgar AA batteries used in the previous model , which is a minor trade-off .
The rest of the Wi - Fi Smart Lock ’s feature film are middling much the same as before , including August ’s Activity Feed , which transport you notice anytime someone opens the door , propinquity and time - base automatic locking and unlocking , and configurable guest keys . And despite using physically smaller batteries , August ’s Wi - Fi Smart Lock also has about the same barrage life as before , lasting between three and six months on a pair of CR123 ’s , depending on how often you spread out your doorway , of course .
alas , it seems August is still seek to decide how much the Wi - Fi Smart Lock should be because it has n’t provided any official pricing . But if its final price rag is anywhere near $ 230 , the full - cost for the earlier third - gen Smart Lock Pro , the Wi - Fi Smart Lock should be an excellent choice when it get sometime later this spring .
Meanwhile , when it comes to other smart locking widget , August ’s sister company Yale is also announcing a kitchen stove of gimmick including an $ 80 Smart Cabinet Lock to facilitate keep youngster or pets for rummaging inside the wrong cupboard , a $ 230 Smart Safe , and a $ 230 Smart Delivery Box designed protect software program legal transfer from potential porch pirates .
One potential trouble , though , is that because all three of these other gadget are Bluetooth - only , they ’ll each need their own wireless local area internet nosepiece if you need to be able to supervise them when you ’re not at home . Like the Wi - Fi Smart Lock , Yale ’s unexampled lockable gadgets will also go on sales event sometime this springtime .
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