August launches new access control products for smart homes

August Home, Inc., today announced August Access a platform that provides secure, trusted home access via the August Smart Lock for top service providers, including home repair, delivery, shipping, cleaning, elderly care, dog walking, among others. To enable this, the company unveiled a new line of products: the August Smart Lock - HomeKit enabled, the August Smart Keypad, and the August Doorbell Cam. Check out our feature on August locks and other smart home products here.

“We created our products to be beautiful, impactful, very easy to use and install, and to provide real value and utility to our everyday lives.”

August’s goal has always been to build products and services that enable people to monitor and manage entry into their homes from wherever they are, making life simpler and more secure. These new products, along with August Access, create a cohesive system that revolutionizes the way people interact with their homes, removing the barriers that currently exist with home delivery services and overall access, while providing total visibility, control, and increased security to the front door.

“Smart home technology today is rapidly on its way to mainstream; however, there are still many challenges that customers and service providers face when it comes to simple, secure home access. With August Access, our partnerships with top home service providers, and a new line of products, we’re solving the problem of bringing trusted services into the home in a secure and convenient way,” said Jason Johnson, co-founder and CEO of August. “It’s been exactly one year since the launch of the August Smart Lock, and we’ve seen exponential growth in daily usage with 5 million lock operations in the past month, signaling that our customers are providing access to their home at a rapidly growing rate and are ready to take it to the next level. Today we’re unveiling the next major step in our mission to deliver a complete system to manage, monitor, and control home access from anywhere.”

August Access is a new platform available today in beta that provides secure home access via the August products for top service providers. Through the August app for iOS and Android, customers can easily discover and sign up for new services, and then control and monitor what is delivered to their homes. This provides a new level of convenience as customers no longer need to be home to receive deliveries; trusted partners can securely enter the home using the August Smart Lock. Customers are informed every step of the way with real time notifications, and with an August Doorbell Cam, they can even see who is at the door and speak to them prior to providing access. Partners at launch include Sears, Postmates, Pro.com, Handy, Fetch, Shyp, BloomNation, Envoy, Rinse, HelloAlfred, Wag!, Pillow, and Doorman.

“As the nation’s largest home services provider, our Sears technicians visit more than 14 million homes each year to install, maintain and repair homes and appliances. By teaming up with August, we provide our Members with the ability to securely open their doors to our trusted technicians – without having to be home or worry about appointment windows,” said Ryan Ciovacco, President of Consumer Electronics & Connected Solutions at Sears Holdings. “The August offering is another example of continuing our Sears Connected Solutions’ commitment to help simplify our members’ lives.”

In addition to August Access, August is introducing three new hardware products that will give customers increased visibility, security, and control over the access to their home — the August Smart Lock - HomeKit enabled, the August Smart Keypad, and the August Doorbell Cam.

• The August Smart Lock - HomeKit enabled integrates with Siri giving customers voice control to lock, unlock, or check the status of their door at anytime. It also has a modified industrial design with a magnetic faceplate, new micro-patterns to improve grip and rotation of the lock, and a slim, chrome indicator at the top of the device so people can visually see if it is locked or unlocked.
• The August Smart Keypad, which works alongside the August Smart Lock, enables an easier point of entry that doesn’t require a smartphone. Unique codes are auto-generated for one-time use or for regular use by friends, family, or trusted service providers. The device is slim and discreet so it can be easily placed near the entryway or hidden away. The Smart Keypad is battery-operated and can be self-installed within 10 minutes.
• The August Doorbell Cam allows customers to see and speak with visitors at the door from anywhere, completing August’s home access system. It is equipped with a one-way, 140 degree HD video camera and two-way audio to ensure privacy. Intelligent motion detection captures images of visitors even if they don’t ring the bell. Through the August app, customers can view a livestream of the activity at their door, receive instant notifications when motion is detected, communicate via audio, and buzz visitors in via the August Smart Lock. The Doorbell Cam is Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) and Wi-Fi-enabled, allowing for a secure connection to the August Smart Lock and remote access from anywhere. It can be self-installed, and replaces the existing doorbell with the same wiring.

“Our new products, and more importantly the ecosystem with third party services we’ve created, are designed not just to provide a delightful experience but to remove the friction that currently exists with home access and transform the way people interact with their homes,” said Yves Béhar, designer and co-founder of August. “We created our products to be beautiful, impactful, very easy to use and install, and to provide real value and utility to our everyday lives.”

August Access is a free service platform available today for August Smart Lock customers. The August Smart Lock - HomeKit enabled, Smart Keypad, and the Doorbell Cam are available for pre-order today on August.com, BestBuy.ca, and Amazon.ca. Select products will be also be available at Apple. The August Smart Lock - HomeKit enabled retails for $229, the Smart Keypad is $79, and the Doorbell Cam is $199. The existing August Smart Lock is now available for $199. For more information on August products and services, please visit www.august.com.