August

From AirPower to the Samsung Galaxy Fold, it’s been a tough year for hardware and it’s only April. Now smart home company August is the latest firm to face an unexpected hardware challenge. Sales of the $230 wire-free August View video doorbell are being halted and some customers are receiving refunds less than three weeks since the smart doorbell started shipping.

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After seeing a sneak peek of the new August View video doorbell back in January, the smart home company has officially unveiled the new product today. The wire-free View comes with a rechargeable battery, interchangeable faceplates, 1440p resolution, and more.

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Smart Home companies August and Ring look set to introduce new products this year. Today we’ve got a look at August’s upcoming View doorbell cam that has a sharp aesthetic, while Ring is poised to launch its first lineup of security lights.

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When Yale’s parent company bought August Home last year, it promised to ‘create the future of smart residential doors.’ It is now taking the first step in that direction with two new Yale locks incorporating August technology.

There’s even good news for owners of existing Yale smart locks …

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Perhaps fearing competition from Amazon’s acquisition of Ring last month, August today announced they are adding free cloud storage for customers of August Doorbell Cam and August Doorbell Cam Pro.

With the new ‘Basic August Video Recording’ subscription, the doorbells will save the last 24 hours of video to August’s servers, with access to view it through the August app. Premium paid plans offer larger storage quotas.

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August unveiled its latest generation of smart locks and doorbells last fall with its improved Pro lineup, and we’ve had a chance to test out some of the new features. Smart Lock Pro includes upgraded internals and Z-Wave Plus support, while Doorbell Cam Pro adds a useful floodlight for scaring off intruders and seeing visitors in the dark. Check out our hands-on below:

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As CES 2018 continues, August today has announced a partnership with Deliv, bringing in-home delivery options to users of August smart locks, as well as Yale residential and commercial locks. Called August Access, the service will allow “any retailer to offer their customer the option of secure in-home delivery.”

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Yale’s parent company has today bought smart home company August Home, and is promising to combine the strengths of the two companies to ‘create the future of smart residential doors.’

August has created a fantastic consumer experience through differentiated features and software. We look forward to the opportunity to draw from the 180 years of cumulative experience of the Yale team plus the technology expertise of the August team to create the future of smart residential doors …

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August is upgrading its connected home lineup with two new smart locks including a new design and an updated doorbell cam with more features. August is also introducing a clever new technology called DoorSense that delivers several benefits to smart lock features.

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The August Smart Lock product family is already one of the easiest smart security solutions for anyone to install, and today August announced several software features to improve the user experience as well. Changes include improvements to the Smart Lock, Smart Keypad, and Doorbell Cam.

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When the Echo Show launches next Wednesday, Amazon’s smart speaker with a display will work with a number of smart home cameras including the August Doorbell Cam from day one. For comparison, Apple’s HomeKit smart home feature supports video cameras and doorbells but only one camera has hit the market with support so far.

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August already makes one of the most consumer-friendly smart locks with HomeKit support and much more, and now a new pro version with support for the Z-Wave protocol is coming soon. August announced the new hardware and its entry into Z-Wave Alliance today.

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As CES officially kicks off in Las Vegas, smart home products are again one of the biggest trends. This year, August, makers of the popular smart lock accessories, is further expanding its lineup with a new smart lock kit, as well as integration with Logitech’s POP Home Switch.

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The HomeKit-enabled August Smart Lock (reviewed) has had one big missing feature since iOS 10 was released back in September: Apple Home app support. Today that’s finally changing thanks to a new firmware update rolling out to August Smart Lock.

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The latest update to the August Home app on iOS brings two new features to the August Doorbell Cam: motion detection and video recording. Adding the new features to Doorbell Cam (review) simply requires updating to the latest version of the iPhone app.

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Being able to automate locking and unlocking your front door is one of the easiest ways to transform your house into a smart home and enter the age of the Jetsons. Dom reviewed the first August Smart Lock (reg. $199) last year, and August has released updated hardware with a feature Apple fans will want. The updated August Smart Lock (reg. $229) features HomeKit support and a slightly tweaked design (magnetic battery cover, lock orientation notch, grooved edges). I’ll go hands on with the new capabilities and share my take on the newest August Smart Lock below.

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Smart doorbells are an interesting category of connected appliances. There’s an undeniable cool factor in bringing your home to the Jetsons era when you add a video camera, mic, and speaker to your doorbell. I’ve been testing the August Doorbell Cam ($199), which replaces your existing doorbell and lets you see and communicate with visitors from your iPhone, and it’s not just the smart doorbell features that have interested me…

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These products from August, Canary, Withings, Kuna, D-Link, Ring & others will be next to gain support for Apple’s HomeKit in the coming months.
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Apple’s HomeKit platform for connected accessories around the house has been steadily expanding over the last few months, and today August is adding to it with a new version of its Smart Lock. Revealed today, the new HomeKit-enabled August Smart Lock is an upgraded version of the Bluetooth-connected door lock that first launched last year. HomeKit compatibility means you can use the Siri virtual assistant on iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch to lock or unlock August Smart Lock using voice commands. Working with Apple’s smart home platform also means Smart Lock can be a part of commands like “Goodnight” that turn off connected lights, lock the front door, and lower the temperature.
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