August is out with several announcements today as they now publicly transition from a singularly focused smart lock company into a home automation player. We’ve got service relationships, a smart keypad, a doorbell camera, and, of course, more smartlock. The existing August lock drops in price to $199 with a significantly updated model joining the fray at $229.
Having spent time with both Kevo and August, we appreciate August’s striking visual design and that our existing dead bolt could remain in play – with only the back portion being replaced. However, that beautiful rear (what) had some issues. It could be somewhat slippery and difficult to turn when manually locking/unlocking… and, while futzing with it, the cover could even pop off.
The updated version of August specifically addresses those issues by etching “new micro-patterns” into the surface to “improve grip and rotation” while also incorporating a new magnetic faceplate. Further, by slightly compromising form August enhances function — the dimple has been filled in and topped with a chrome bar to better visualize lock status from a distance.
Beyond the physical improvements, the BIG draw here worthy of the slight upsell is Apple HomeKit integration that provides folks with iDevices Siri voice control to lock, unlock, and check the status of their door. Can’t wait to take it for a spin.
Even though the new August currently runs more than the old August, everything has dropped in price. At intro, August was $249 and the new HomeKit model runs $229. The new service relationships are kind of crazy – no way does the repair or delivery person enter my home when no one is around.
Doorbell cam looks interesting, although I’ll have to do more research to see if it’s something that can be mounted given my setup. Not to mention Arlo’s still running like a champ and meets most of my needs outdoor video needs.
There are no recurring fees at this point, that I’m aware of, but I get the sense the company is pondering some premium features that might.
Not really digging the looks of the doorbell, I have been using the Skybell, and although it has its problems I am hoping the recently released Skybell HD will fix a lot of the v2 shortcomings….additionally on the doorlock side I really like the outside touch requirement of the Kevo, other doorlocks seem to have shortcomings in that you either have to take your phone out of your pocket and click a button to unlock them, or hope that geofencing actually works reliably. On the downside Kevo still needs improvements even with the new Plus accessory (Autolocking is a big missing feature).
Although having an integrated platform would be nice….
I’m with you on Kevo needing auto-locking. If the Bluetooth connection were more persistent, I’d agree on touching the ring as well – but I sometimes have to take the phone out and open the app to relink anyway. Gotta test the app update that was released yesterday that (finally) lets me lock/unlock from the couch.
With my Samsung S6 I have never had to open the app to get the door unlocked, although about 10% of the time I have to touch the ring twice (phone remains in my pocket).
In home locking works pretty well with the last update (although I was a bit confused when it did not show up at first, found out I had to update the firmware). Distance is an issue though as I found it won’t work all the way in my office..to many walls I guess. It’s a head scratcher how such a basic feature took so long to implement.
Agree – that should have been a feature at launch. I got the firmware last night. It works from couch, forgot to check from the bedroom. It’s probably right on the edge.
Are both the August and the Kevo using their own proprietary system here? It sounds like they’re both Bluetooth-based, right? I’m unclear as to what the advantages are over something like the Schlage units which use Z-Wave.
The Schlage Z-Wave are agnostic. August and Kevo are mostly silo-ed (for now) but bring their own bag of tricks and don’t require someone else’s hub to function.
So I just did a tiny bit more research, since it had been a while since I last looked into these things, and I see that Schlage now offers a couple of different lines of smart locks. Their older Connect line uses Z-Wave, but they now also offer a Sense line which uses Bluetooth and is Apple HomeKit compatible. I also found a CNet review of their Sense lock which mentions that HomeKit can utilize an AppleTV for controlling these things if you’re away. It sounds like it’s using the AppleTV’s Bluetooth radio to handle that, which leads me to a couple of questions (in case anyone here has the answers):
1) Which has better range: Z-Wave or the version of Bluetooth used by HomeKit?
2) And which of those two has lower power consumption?
Another question…
One of the supposed advantages of HomeKit is the Siri-integration. Presumably, though, your iPhone would need some sort of Schlage HomeKit-compatible app (in this example) installed to know that you have a lock that Siri could control. So, wouldn’t it also be possible for someone to offer a HomeKit-compatible app that tied back to a Z-Wave hub? So, your Apple TV wouldn’t be utilized, but you *would* still be able to utilize Siri?
…and, once again, I should have Googled first. It looks like there are bridges for Z-Wave and HomeKit:
http://z-wavealliance.org/first-z-wave-to-apple-homekit-bridge-demonstrated/
If you’re not part of someone else’s ecosystem (like ADT, Verizon, whatever), I’d probably lean towards a more CE-focused product like August and Kevo (which is Kwikset licensing UniKey technology). However, now that you mention it, I recall Schlage is indeed expanding their line with “Sense” (and actually recently offered us a review sample, but I’m crushed and my HOA might object to the exterior).
http://www.build.com/schlage-be479-cen/s1147646
For max door compatibility and general good looks, I want this new August to be good. Schlage and Kevo require replacing the deadbolt, whereas August rides it.
I was at the event and touched the hardware. The doorbell is “boxy but good” and uses the Broadcom WiFi chipset and gets lower from the 48v line. I’ve had problems getting their competitor Ring on an Apple mixed mode WiFi network, having to sperate 5Ghz and 2.4Ghz SSIDs, then put them back to one once configured.
The door lock is only slightly smaller in diameter and has an improved battery door which doesn’t accidentally twist off due to a new flip out removal mode.
The keypad and doorbell mount on plastic back plates, which is odd to be for an easy theft prevention by using steel at a low cost to the BOM.
One cool thing about the doorbell is that it has a separate chip to do facial detection before waking up the WiFi, so sun movement or trees blowing don’t set off the alerts. At doorbell press a photo is sent to the phone, with an answer initiating a video call. One more note; a bug in HomeKit kept Siri from Unlocking the door. She heard me say “Unlock the door.” But was insistent on saying “I cannot Unlock the phone.” She has become HAL…
My IoT hub is WordPress based. Got everything working except the Smart Bidet. Any advice, Dave?
The problem with the doorbell cam is that it doesn’t look like a doorbell button. Most people wouldn’t know it’s a botton that can be pressed. And it’s too wide to mount on a door frame where many conventional door bell buttons mount. But otherwise…
Carlton, I mentioned that same fact. Their rebuttal was that the motion detector lights up the bell icon as you approach. The cutout for this is thin and the light recessed so it was hard to see.
Chucky, you joke but due to app fatigue, my latest IoT hacks have web servers built in and do not require the Internet or Bluetooth pairing – let alone an app as they host it themselves on HTML. WordPress has too many holes.
Carlton, Never mind for the moment that I don’t really need a video doorbell, but it likely wouldn’t work for me. I have glass on either side of my front door and the doorbell is mounted on a fairly narrow, not-flat strip between.
Dave, part of Chucky’s joke is in relation to my tweet last night saying I should do some WordPress consulting after seeing how many small businesses use it for things other than blogs.