Automated locks
Since I love technology, it does not take much for whatever the newest gadget is to entice me into purchasing it. In my quest to make my home fully automated, I have made many purchases on a whim which I ended up regretting. Be it that the technology was not perfected yet or it is so complicated to utilize that I am the only one who can operate. I now ask myself the following questions before I make any tech purchases:
1) Will this add convenience and security to my life.
2) Can this be integrated with other tech I own.
Convenience to me means that it reduces the amount of steps it would of taken me to perform a task. An example would be instead of trying to remember if I locked the door as I ran out this morning I can quickly check on my phone for the status of each door of my home.
Security would be receiving a notification when my door is unlocked during a period when no one should be home.
Integration is important because I need my technology to be able to communicate with one another. Gone are the days when every product spoke its own language. If what I am coveting cannot interact with existing gear I own or plan to own, that is a deal breaker for me.
Not as important as far as functionality but important to what I bring in my home is aesthetics. My system should be invisible and if it can’t be than it should be at the very least discreet.
I began researching automated locks because I saw my daughter reach for the front door handle one day in an attempt to follow my husband outside. If she had a little more strength she would of been able to open the door.
I thought about this for awhile and began to think of features the lock would have to have to validate my purchase. If it was only about my children’s safety I could easily just install a child safety lock and be done with it so it had to offer me more.
Enter the August smart lock with HomeKit. This lock met every single one of my qualifications
1) The lock is placed on the inside of the door so it is not visible to the outside. My door decor is unaffected and no one knows there is a smart lock on the door. I can also keep my higher quality lock on the outside which is harder to pick if someone was so inclined.
2) It uses the Bluetooth and GPS of my phone to sense my location and unlocks itself as I am heading towards the door (it also knows which side of the door I am on so it doesn’t unlock when I am inside the house). As a mom, this feature has saved me when my arms are full of bags and kids and adding unlocking a door to that equation would require me to place one or both down.
3) I can remotely access it via my iPhone HomeKit app and an AppleTV 4th generation. This allows me to unlock the door from anywhere I have an internet connection. If you don’t have an AppleTV 4th generation or iPhone, August sells an August connect which gives you that capability from their app. It can also be integrated with Amazon Alexa and Google Home.
4) I have a time stamp of each time the door is opened and wether it was done electronically or manually. If the door is opened electronically I see a picture and a name of the person who unlocked it.
5) I can schedule specific times that allow guest access to the lock. Guests can also download the app and get added to the access list at no additional cost.
The install was incredibly easy which is another perk of this lock. All I needed was a Phillips screw driver. Once the lock was in place I downloaded the app and followed the directions. August also has decent customer service if you need assistance.
Since the existing front lock is unaffected it was my only option of a smart lock when I lived in an apartment. This allows me to recommend this lock to everyone I know. I especially wanted my younger sister to have it for the safety features in her apartment.
All in all, I am quite impressed with this smart lock. There are some features I wish they would address like how quickly it goes through batteries (4 AA every three months) and once the batteries get too low the lock does not always respond before I am notified to replace the batteries. I always carry my keys with me in my purse but if I were to try to go jogging I doubt I would take them and I would want the lock to do it’s job without trepidation. Bottom line, I have not found a comparable smart lock at the same price point which gives me all these features and it has added to convenience to my life as it will to yours.
Please leave me a comment if you have comments, questions, or just want to say hi.
