August lock lets you use the phone to unlock your door
NEW YORK — Most of us freak when we leave home without our phones, wallets or keys.
Of course, you've probably heard about all the efforts to fold a digital wallet into your smartphone. And you might even be keyed into the fact that the phone can also lock or unlock your front door.
I've been testing one of the emerging ways to make this last bit of digital hocus-pocus happen, the August Smart Lock that was first demonstrated publicly in May 2013, but that's only today going on sale.
Through Bluetooth Low Energy, August works in conjunction with an app on your iPhone or Android handset. It attaches to most standard North American deadbolts on the inside of your door. The lock on the outside remains intact, meaning you still can use your regular keys.
The promise of August is that you won't have to. Instead, you can tap inside the app to lock or unlock your door without fumbling with keys or punching in a security code. From inside, you can also manually turn the lock.
It's debatable whether opening an app on your phone before you open the door is that much simpler than dealing with physical keys, which raises the question of why go digital. But the August has an auto-unlock feature that senses your approach and will unlock your door without you having to reach for the phone. The beta feature, which relies on a "geofence" near your home, currently works with the August iOS app and is coming later to Android.
There are other presumed advantages. If you accidentally lock yourself out of the house, you can unlock August by logging into the app from a neighbor's phone.
Moreover, you can issue temporary virtual keys to friends, relatives, plumbers and other folks who need access to your place.
For babysitters, housekeepers or other regular visitors, you can arrange for the keys to work on a recurring basis during specific hours and days. You can even give access to people you invite to a party. Through the app you can leave instructions for visitors and view a log of who comes and goes.
You can obviously grant full-time access to the people who live with you.
When you issue a virtual key to somebody, the person receives a text message and must download the app and register, even if they don't own their own lock. It's done for security purposes, but may be a minor hassle for some.
If you report a lost or stolen phone, the lock will cease to work. August takes advantage of industrial-strength encryption to prevent virtual break-ins. And because the outside of the lock looks as it did before, any person coming to the door would have no way of knowing you've installed a digital lock.
August is industrially designed
August is made of anodized aluminum and comes in four colors. It was designed by noted industrial designer and co-founder Yves Behar, also the chief creative officer at Jawbone. It resembles a thick hockey puck, too thick for some tastes. It was significantly larger than my prior lock handle and seemed awfully large sitting above the handle on my front door.
August claims do-it-yourselfers can install the lock in about 10 minutes. Helpful videos and clear instructions walk you through the installation process and the kit comes with the parts you need, even a piece of tape to hold the front of the old lock in place while you mess around in the back. You reuse the screws that came with your old lock. You can send a picture of both sides of your current lock to the company at photos@august.com to make sure it's compatible.
It actually took me roughly an hour to get the lock installed, as I futzed around trying to get August to fit my door snugly. If you're uncomfortable installing the lock yourself, August has developed a network of certified locksmiths who will do the job for about $100.
That's on top of the $249.99 cost of the lock itself, so August isn't cheap.
Alas, I also ran into some snags with the software, including occasional delays of several annoying seconds before the app and the lock connected. My wife (who was not as enamored with the whole idea of August as I was) and I were also forced to recalibrate the lock. But my 7-year-old son thought it was really neat — he kept asking people if they wanted to go out for fresh air just so he could unlock the door.
Nice feature: You can arrange for August to automatically lock your door behind you after you leave. But for now you can't remotely unlock the door from a place such as the office for guests arriving at your home who don't have the app or a compatible device.
August runs on four AA batteries, and you'll receive an alert on your phone before the battery is about to die. If August — or the phone you're using — does poop out, you can always still use your old-fashioned keys. Assuming you've got them with you. And August works even when you lose power in the house or Wi-Fi.
August is promising but also pricey, and the software didn't always behave. At this point, it's a good attempt, but not something that I'm ready to latch onto.
E-mail: ebaig@usatoday.com; Follow @edbaig on Twitter.
The bottom line
August Smart Lock
$249.99, www.august.com
Pro. Lets you unlock door with phone. Can give temporary virtual key access to visitors. Can unlock door as you approach the house (iPhone only for now.).
Con. Pricey. Software sometimes misbehaved. Bulky design won't work for everyone.