Your house that is. Automating your door lock can be easy and give you some versatility and control that is almost magical. Imagine that your door is unlocked whenever you approach it and locks whenever you leave home. Or imagine that a friend wants to stay at your house when you are gone but they don’t have a key. You can send them an eKey or just unlock the door for them from anywhere that has Wi-Fi.
You can do all that and more with the August Smart Lock. I have installed August Smart Locks both here in Vermont and in Key West. Since I have renters or friends using my house when I am not there, it is easy to send them a key via email or let the cleaners in to clean up after them.
The physical installation of the August Smart Lock is pretty darn easy. Yes, YOU can do it if you already have a deadbolt on your door you are only changing the inside of the lock. The outside with the key slot stays just as it is and you can, in fact, use your old fashioned key if you want. To install the lock the only tool you will need is a Phillips screwdriver.
Step One
Buy an August Smart Lock from Small Dog Electronics!
Step Two
Put the included piece of tape over the outside of your current deadbolt (the side with the key!) to hold it against the door as you complete the installation.
Step Three
Unscrew the two screws holding the inside of your deadbolt and remove that latch or knob. You now have a piece of the deadbolt sticking through the door.
Step Four
Install the August backing plate and tail-piece adapter. The clever August backing plate fits most deadbolt locks and has adjustable holes so that the screws will fit. Using the screws you removed in step three, screw in the August backing plate. The August lock comes with an assortment of tail pieces. You need to select the one for your brand of deadbolt (there is a chart that comes with the lock!). Select the right tail piece and install it onto the August Smart Lock by pressing it into place.
Step Five
Install the August Smart Lock. Here’s a smart feature, the August Smart Lock has two little handles that you pop open and then you can place the lock into place with the tail piece connecting to that piece of your deadbolt that was sticking through your door and the lock clicking into place on their backing plate. Simply, push the two little handles back down to lock it into place.
Step Six
Push on the front plate of the lock to remove the magnetic front cover. The lock comes with batteries installed but they have a little piece of plastic to remove to make them active. Remove that. Just a note on batteries, I find that they last about 6 months and the August app will remind you when you need to replace them.
This is the point at which I take a break and pat myself on the back for my mechanical skills. Everything from this point is software. One of the best features of the August Smart Lock is the ease of installation but it is also notable that it does not require a separate hub.
Step Seven
Download the August App. It is available for free in the Apple app store. Once you download the app and launch it, you are in the capable virtual hands of the app which will walk you through the set-up. Once you have the app and launch it, the app will scan for your lock. Once it finds the lock it will update the firmware on the lock if the lock needs it. Be patient and leave your iPhone near the lock while this is going on.
Step Eight
The August app will next ask you to calibrate the lock. This is a simple process of asking you to manually lock and unlock the door so that the software knows which is which. After calibration, you need to name your lock and assign in to your house and if you want, add a picture.
Check it out! Use the August app to open and close your lock. In order for you to be able to operate your lock remotely you must have HomeKit set up and an Apple TV or iPad set as your HomeKit hub. We have written in past issues of Kibbles about how to do this. Once you have it set up as a HomeKit device you can ask Siri to lock and unlock your door and incorporate your lock into “scenes” or “automations”.
Step Nine
Invite someone. Using the invite screen you can send an electronic key to almost anyone. You can invite them via their cell phone number or by email. You can grant them “always” access or just for a set period of time.
Step Ten
Automate with your iPhone. The August Smart Lock knows where you are because it knows your iPhone. When you are nearby it knows to open the door and when you leave, if you set up the auto lock feature it will lock the door. It does this through geofencing which uses GPS or RFID technology to create a virtual geographic boundary. Using the August App you can set this boundary so that when you are within that limit your door unlocks or when you leave it locks the door. Better yet, if you are using HomeKit, you can set up an automation to unlock the door through HomeKit. That way you can add other features, too, like unlock the door, turn on the lights and turn up the heat.
The August Smart Lock is easy to install and set up and yet, it is one of the most powerful and versatile pieces of home automation gear. I like the lock a lot and highly recommend it. It is also great for renters since you are not removing or changing the deadbolt.