August Smart Lock Pro Review: The Best Smart Lock

Our Verdict

An easy installation process, a solid app feel and lots of helpful features and smart-home integrations brand the August Smart Lock Pro a bang-up choice.

For

• Easy to install
• Works with HomeKit, Alexa, Google Banana, Z-Wave, Nest, IFTTT, and more
• Flexible settings
• User-friendly Motorcar-Lock and Auto-Unlock features

Confronting

• No alarm, dissimilar competitor Kwikset

Tom's Guide Verdict

An easy installation process, a solid app experience and lots of helpful features and smart-home integrations brand the August Smart Lock Pro a great choice.

Pros

• +

  Like shooting fish in a barrel to install

• +

  Works with HomeKit, Alexa, Google Assistant, Z-Wave, Nest, IFTTT, and more than

• +

  Flexible settings

• +

  Convenient Auto-Lock and Machine-Unlock features

Cons

• -

  No warning, unlike competitor Kwikset

At my house, setting upwardly any new smart home gadget, and smart locks in detail, involves an extra installation step: Convincing my less techie family members to utilize it. With the $249 August Smart Lock Pro, the top selection of best smart locks, that was easy. Commencement of all, you don't accept to supercede your keys, then you can lock and unlock the door just like you always did.

Nonetheless, subsequently almost a calendar week of watching me use the August'due south car-lock and auto-unlock features and Siri integration, my husband put the August app on his own phone and joined me in the future. Having a lock that unlocks itself as you lot approach and locks itself again if yous forget is just too convenient to pass upwards.

Editor's Notation: August has a newer model, the August Wi-Fi Smart Lock, which has a Wi-Fi module built in and is 45 percent smaller than the August Smart Lock Pro. Yet, the Smart Lock Pro is still available at a lower price. For more information, bank check out our Baronial Wi-Fi Smart Lock review.

Baronial Smart Lock Pro: Installation

Baronial includes everything needed to install the Smart Lock Pro, correct down to the piece of masking record you'll demand to keep the front one-half of your existing deadbolt from falling down when you remove the back half. The Smart Lock Pro is only uniform with deadbolts that are divide from the doorknob, called a single-cylinder deadbolt. (Mortise, rim cylinder and interconnected locks aren't supported — August has full compatibility info.)

The previous version of the Smart Lock included multiple adapter plates, and yous had to figure out which ane worked all-time for your deadbolt'southward shape. But this new version includes a single universal adapter plate, which simplifies the process a lot.

All you'll do is tape the front end half of your deadbolt to the door, and so unscrew the back half. You'll use the aforementioned screws to adhere the adapter plate, and add one more piece to extend the part of your deadbolt the lock'due south built-in motor needs to turn. Finally, you'll raise upwardly two artillery on the sides of the Smart Lock Pro unit, fit the unit over the adapter plate and extender, and snap the unit's artillery back downwards to firmly catch the adapter plate, resting flush against the door.

Once the Smart Lock Pro unit is installed, y'all'll just insert the four included AA batteries and fire up the app to connect the device to your Wi-Fi network. The Smart Lock Pro is round and pretty beefy, at three.iv inches across, and extends from the door about ii.5 inches. A rotating piece around the outside lets you manually lock and unlock the deadbolt — just catch and twist — and a raised bar on the rotating piece even gives you a visual clue as to whether the deadbolt is locked.

Baronial Smart Lock Pro: Pattern

August as well includes an optional DoorSense module. This is a sensor you'll stick  on the door frame well-nigh the lock, and then after you lot calibrate it, the distance betwixt the sensor and the lock tin can tell the app if yous've left the door open. My son yet needs to be reminded to close the door after him, so it was nice to get a ping on my iPhone or Apple tree Lookout when the door was left open up for a gear up amount of fourth dimension, which can be equally piffling every bit 1 minute.

The Smart Lock Pro ships solitary for $199, or for $249 with the Connect module (which is $79 if purchased separately, and is pictured in a higher place). The Smart Lock Pro uses Bluetooth, and the Connect module acts as a bridge between the lock and your Wi-Fi network. That manner, yous can see the condition of your lock, lock it and unlock it remotely, from anywhere. Withal, if you lot have a quaternary-gen Apple Boob tube within Bluetooth range of your Smart Lock Pro, and you have the lock connected to HomeKit, the Apple tree TV will also act as that span

Still, the Connect module is seamless — merely plug it into a ability outlet and ready it upwardly in the August app — and volition allow any Android users in your house to get remote admission to the lock from their phones equally well, since HomeKit only works with iOS devices.

Everything in the package is sturdy and well-made. The metal lock fifty-fifty has a nice texture on the part you catch and rotate to appoint the lock manually. It's worth noting that this lock has no built-in alarm feature, which its competitor the Kwikset SmartCode 916 does, only the Smart Lock Pro is also easier to install and doesn't require a new set of keys.

August Smart Lock Pro: App and features

August'south cleanly designed app is one of the reasons the visitor's Doorbell Cam Pro is one of the all-time video doorbells, and the aforementioned app controls the Smart Lock Pro. In fact, the app lets yous link the devices, so when you get a notification that someone's at the door, yous tin tap a push button to unlock the door for them. Unlocking takes a couple of seconds, but seemed fast enough to me, and took less time than it would for me to get off the burrow and unlock the door.

While the screen that controls the lock is beyond simple — a huge circular button that'south red when the door is locked and greenish when it's open — the Invitee List screen and Settings are where the magic happens.

The app lets you link the devices so that when yous get a notification that someone'due south at the door, you tin can tap a push to unlock the door for them.

In the Guest List screen, yous can invite other users. They'll receive a text or email with instructions to install the August app and prepare an account. So they can employ the app on their phone to unlock your door.

There are two kinds of guests: Owners are able to lock and unlock the door, plus invite other users, gear up automobile-unlock for themselves, change the other settings, meet the activity feed and control the lock remotely. Guests, on the other hand, tin can only unlock and lock the door, and you tin restrict their access past time, either temporarily or recurring.

Too little things like changing the lock'southward name, or disabling its locking and unlocking sounds, and restoring it to factory status, here's what yous'll find in the settings.

• Smart alerts: Want an warning when a certain person locks or unlocks the door, or when it'due south left ajar? Smart alerts allow you set that up.
• Car-Lock : You can gear up the door to lock itself instantly equally soon every bit information technology'due south closed (assuming you're using the DoorSense sensor), or after a gear up number of minutes. Motorcar-Lock can as well re-lock your door if you unlocked it but didn't open it for whatsoever reason.
• Machine-Unlock: This characteristic unlocks the door for you, and it's quite cleverly designed. When you leave your business firm (with your phone, of class) and get a couple hundred yards away, your lock will become into Abroad mode, which simply means it'south watching for yous to render. In one case you lot're back in Bluetooth range of your lock, it unlocks for you, and switches back to Dwelling mode until you leave again. This feature works great, but I had to extend the time for Auto-Lock to wait until it re-locks the door from 1 to 3 minutes, because sometimes the door would automobile-unlock when I pulled into the driveway, just then re-lock by the fourth dimension I got all the way to the door.
• Door Ajar Timing: If yous're using the DoorSense button, you can adjust the timing before you get a door-ajar notification.
• HomeKit Settings: This lets yous connect the lock to Apple tree HomeKit and specify which HomeKit home and room it's assigned to.
• Z-Wave Settings: This lets you connect the lock to a Z-Wave hub, using the Z-Wave Pro S2 protocol.
• Calibrate Lock: If your lock isn't turning the deadbolt all the manner, y'all can recalibrate it here, but you lot shouldn't demand to. My lock worked flawlessly from the initial calibration procedure.

August Smart Lock Pro: Accessories

As we mentioned earlier, Smart Lock Pro pairs seamlessly with the $199 Doorbell Cam Pro, which lets you unlock the door from the doorbell's live-video view.

The $79 August Smart Keypad lets you set up a code to permit yourself in. It connects to the lock via Bluetooth, and both the Smart Keypad and the Smart Lock Pro run on batteries, which means the keypad can send a signal to the lock fifty-fifty if the power is out and your Wi-Fi network is down.

The August app also lets you set and revoke admission codes for the Smart Keypad, so other people tin permit themselves in with the keypad, instead of having to set upward the Baronial app on their own smartphones. These admission codes can be temporary (I used this to let my friend drop something off within the firm while I was out.), recurring (a scheduled window for your dog walker, for example), or permanent. It'southward very handy, especially if y'all accept kids or houseguests.

The Keypad even has a One-Impact Lock feature that I plant incredibly convenient, letting me lock the door with a single press of the keypad's Enter button. Although I eventually went with the lock's own Motorcar-Lock feature instead.

Baronial Smart Lock Pro: Smart home integration

The Smart Lock Pro is one of the best Apple tree HomeKit products, which means you tin add the lock to Apple'due south Home app and control it at that place, or in the iOS Control Center. Simply the all-time part is, you can also ask Siri if the door is locked, and take Siri lock or unlock the door for you. Apple'due south Home app besides lets y'all set scenes that group multiple devices together — your "good dark" scene, for instance, could shut off lights, lower the thermostat and make sure the August Smart Lock Pro is locked.

Of these abilities, Siri control is the most convenient. I loved existence able to double-tap an AirPod while strolling up to the house, tell Siri, "Unlock the door," and hear the deadbolt unlatch with a cheerful tone merely as I reached for the doorknob. The simply drawback was that I started getting notifications from both the Habitation app and the August app. It would be not bad if the Home app let you disable notifications for individual HomeKit devices, but it doesn't, so I wound upwards turning off its notifications entirely.

Alexa fans will appreciate the Smart Lock Pro'south integrations with Amazon's platform. When yous enable the Baronial skill, you lot can ask Alexa to lock and unlock the door, or merely go the status. The phrasing required is a lot more specific than Siri: "Alexa, ask August to lock the door," and "Alexa, enquire August to cheque the door," both work as presently as you link your Alexa and August accounts, which gives Alexa permission to command your lock.

The August Smart Lock Pro is besides one of the best Google Habitation uniform devices, significant you can integrate into your Google Assistant ecosystem.

The all-time part is you lot can also enquire Siri if the door is locked, and have Siri lock or unlock the door for you.

If you want Alexa to be able to unlock the door, likewise, you accept to set a PIN code when linking the Alexa and August accounts. That way, someone standing outside your door couldn't but yell for Alexa to permit them in. If you requite Alexa the wrong Pivot code three times in a row, you'll have to reset the Pin code before Alexa will exist able to unlock the door.

Confusingly, your August lock can exist covered past the more than generic Smart Home skill too. That way, yous can just say, "Alexa, lock the door," or "Alexa, bank check the door," without having to "enquire August to" do it. Only the Smart Home skill can't unlock the door at all; you demand the custom August skill and a Pin for that.

One of the best Google Banana skills is that it can as well lock and check the Smart Lock Pro, but information technology can't unlock it just even so. Outset, you say, "OK Google, talk to Baronial," which will enable the August action and prompt you to link your Google and Baronial accounts. Then you lot'll be able to bank check or lock the door using your voice, either with a Google Home speaker, the Google Assistant app, or other Google Assistant-enabled device.

If you utilise a Z-Moving ridge hub to automate your dwelling, the Smart Lock Pro supports Z-Wave Plus with the S2 security protocol, simply we didn't exam that equally role of this review. August even has an IFTTT channel, which lets you set upwardly all kinds of integrations. You can accept your Hue lights plough on when yous unlock the door, for example, or arm your iSmartAlarm arrangement when you lock up.

Connect your Nest thermostat, and y'all can program it to go into Away mode when you leave the business firm and lock the door.

In the August app's hamburger carte, you'll also find an August Access screen that describes other integrations. Connect your Nest thermostat, for case, and you tin view your abode'due south temperature inside the Baronial app, and program the thermostat to go into Away mode when y'all leave the house and lock the door. You can view Nest Cam videos inside the August app besides. Other integrations include Airbnb and HomeAway (provide keyless entry to your guests), Logitech Popular (unlock the door with a press of the Pop push), and Wink and Xfinity Abode (command your lock from those apps).

August's lock as well works with AirBnB; hosts who take an August Smart Lock Pro tin connect it to their AirBnB account, and it will automatically transport a code to guests that will activate and deactivate automatically based on their check-in and bank check-out times.

Baronial Smart Lock Pro: Verdict

The Baronial Smart Lock Pro performs its tasks well, and its settings are so flexible that information technology'south easy to get it to practise just what y'all want. Additionally, August's other products (such as the keypad and doorbell cam) further add to the functionality of the lock, and its deep integration with other smart-home systems (such as Alexa, Google, and Siri) make information technology the near-connected of all the smart locks we've tested. Although we wish information technology had a congenital-in alarm, August otherwise has covered all the bases, making this smart lock our top pick.

Credit: August

Source: https://www.tomsguide.com/us/august-smart-lock-pro,review-4970.html

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