August Smart Lock, lock and access system, August Home, Inc., San Francisco, California, USA

The connected home is rapidly becoming a reality, and the August Smart Lock is at the forefront of a new era.

We've reached a stage where most consumers are familiar with the concept of a "smart home," full of "connected devices," that works, at least in the commercials, something like the futuristic home of The Jetsons. The problem is that unless you're building a home from scratch, most people are going to be adding these smart features in a piecemeal fashion. Each device has to justify its price tag over cheaper, more conventional appliances.

The August Smart Lock brings a couple of enticements to the table, starting with its design. Crafted by the legendary Yves Behar, the August lock is a gleaming, modernist beauty. More importantly, it's social. Because the "keys" to the lock are just some code executed by a phone, you can use the app to send "keys" to anyone you like. Having friends over but you're stuck in traffic and won't be there to let them in? You can use the August to send a temporary key that will get them into the house and self-destruct at your command.

Our host Alexis Ohanian sat down with August to discuss the challenge of taking a hardware startup from an idea, to a prototype, to a finished product at a store near you. The rise of crowdfunding platforms like Kickstarter and Indiegogo has helped to provide hardware startups with seed capital from curious consumers who don't mind dealing with products still in beta mode.

August decided to skip that step, raising venture capital the traditional way and relying on its well-known designer and a press tour to generate interest, awareness, and demand. After all, this wasn't a pain point that really needed explaining. "The past two years I've been working on this, if there is a phrase I've heard more than anything, it's 'I hate keys.'" That's how August co-founder and CEO Jason Johnson described the company's market research.

Speaking from personal experience, the struggle is real. As Johnson notes, in New York City alone, two million people per year get locked out of their own homes. Since my smartphone is basically welded to my hand at this point, perhaps it's time to try using it in place of an analog device I can't seem to help misplacing on a weekly basis.

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The August Smart Lock and Open House TV

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You can install August's second-gen Smart Lock in minutes flat. Here's how.

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The $229 Apple-HomeKit-enabled August Smart Lock gives Siri control over your front door.

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We put Amazon's Alexa in charge of locking the deadbolt.

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August's Smart Lock works with HomeKit, Alexa and Google Home, but is voice control making home security devices more vulnerable?

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Upgrade your deadbolt with the all-new August Wi-Fi Smart Lock. Remotely lock or unlock the door, check door status, grant virtual guest keys, and see who’s coming and going. Or use your favorite voice assistant to control your door. Our smart lock is easy to install and attaches to your existing deadbolt on the inside of your door so you can keep your original keys. And with built-in WiFi, our lock requires no additional bridge to connect.

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Upgrade your deadbolt with the all-new August Wi-Fi Smart Lock.
Remotely lock or unlock the door, check door status, grant virtual guest keys, and see who’s coming and going. Or use your favorite voice assistant to control your door. Our smart lock is easy to install and attaches to your existing deadbolt on the inside of your door so you can keep your original keys. With built-in Wi-Fi, our lock requires no additional bridge to connect.

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August's new lock features a couple of important changes: built-in Wi-Fi and a much smaller body. We've liked August's previous offerings, and this is the best one yet. The August Wi-Fi Smart Lock proves itself as the best retrofit smart lock and wins CNET's Editors' Choice award.

The $250 lock is expensive, but we talk about why the cost is worth it if you want retrofit smarts for your front door.

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