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August Smart Lock satin nickel model comes bundled with Wi-Fi Connect bridge

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The August Smart Lock — one of our favorite smart locks — is now available in satin nickel, the finish used in about half the door hardware sold in recent years, August says.

The new finish will make August even more appealing to people who want their smart home technology to harmonize with their legacy hardware. August’s announcement suggested pairing the new model with the Yale Satin Nickel door lever, not too surprising since both August and Yale share the same corporate parent, Assa Abloy.

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To get new customers up and running, August is selling the satin nickel lock in a $220 bundle with the Connect Wi-Fi Bridge required to activate the lock’s remote access and third-party integration features.

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August, one of the earliest smart lock vendors, is popular for the versatility of its products, which work with existing deadbolts. You install an August lock on the inside of your deadbolt, so you can still use your hardware keys if you prefer.

Even without the Wi-Fi bridge, you can operate the lock using the August app on a smart phone paired via Bluetooth, and you can also grant keyless entry to guests who install the app. August uses bank-grade AES 128-bit and TLS encryption to protect against hackers.

The app also tracks operation of the lock so you can see who has been coming and going, and when they are using it.

An Auto Lock/Unlock feature can lock your door a set period of time after you leave, and unlock the door as you approach, a convenient feature when your hands are full.

August’s DoorSense technology can tell if your door is securely locked, and all August locks can pair with August Doorbell Cams, so you can see and talk to callers before letting them in.

The August app has been our favorite smart lock app, and August also was our top-rated smart lock.

Siri and Apple HomeKit support are only available on Smart Lock Pro models, as is Z-Wave Plus support.

The Wi-Fi bridge is required to operate the lock remotely, and it also enables operation with Amazon Alexa or Google Home Assistant voice commands.

You can buy the August Smart Lock + Connect in Satin Nickel at August.com and Best Buy.

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Denny Arar
Denny Arar
Contributor
A longtime PC World/TechHive editor and contributor, Denny Arar (a.k.a. Yardena Arar) has also written for The New York…
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