After what ended up being a year-long wait, August Smart Locks have finally started shipping out to preorder customers recently. The company plans to have supply ready for a larger launch by mid-October. The August Smart Lock, which was originally announced in May of last year, the product went up for pre-sale a few months later in October and after a few delays is finally on their way to customers.
For those of you who don’t know much about it, August is an app-connected deadbolt add-on that is similar to other products such as Lockitron. The difference is that it attaches directly onto the bolt, replacing interior latch hardware. It is designed by Yves Behar, August shares similarities with Nest’s Learning Thermostat, except without the display and touch controls. The lock can be accessed wirelessly via Bluetooth Low Energy and an iOS app, allowing users to share virtual keys with family and friends from an iPhone.
The August Smart Lock claims to be compatibility with a wide variety of deadbolts and promises quiet operation, which is something that many other similar products tend to lock. The device is made of metal and runs on four AA batteries which last a claimed six months and are able to operate in the event of a power outage. If the lock malfunctions, a rotating collar is set to act as a physical backup inside, while users can unlock the deadbolt with a regular key from outside.
As of right now, any orders placed recently have a ship date of mid-October. August comes just in time for the launch of Apple’s HomeKit app framework for connected homes, which is set to debut in iOS 8 alongside the next-gen iPhone models in September. It hasn’t been made clear if August will support HomeKit but it would be silly not to be on board. Those of you who are interested in purchasing the smart lock can do so for $250 from the company’s website.
Are any of you thinking of picking one up?
Source: August via AppleInsider
Connect With Us
Message