hey James, first of all nice job on your reviews! i went and purchased this same lock after watching your review on it. fitting it on was easy. the tough and painful part was after installing the august app and adding this lock, the app kept prompting me to update firmware, and it kept failing at 2% (probably didn't even get going). i must have re-tried like a hundred times! the app was very persistent and kept trying to update firmware. setting up the wifi for this lock was also very painful. it kept saying my wifi password was incorrect, but in reality it was probably in a spot that couldn't detect a strong enough wifi signal. i actually think many of these smart devices (i had similar experience with google nest speaker) do not have a strong enough wifi receiver/antenna. i took out the lock from the bracket and took it next to the router, attempted another 20 times and it suddenly managed to complete the wifi setup. and after this the app strangely stops asking me to update firmware. you know it's times like this that one worries if their smart devices are setup correctly/perfectly, and if there is some fault with the device that will cause problems and inconvenience you in the future.
Sorry to hear you had such a bad experience. I do know if you report connection issues to August, they will help you. You may need a August smart bridge (I forget what they call it) or something like that. It will plug in next to your lock and provide a consistent wifi signal to it. But, with all the smart devices I have in my home (over 85) I invested in a Orbi wifi mesh system years ago. It covers up to 10,000sft. I get a consistent wifi signal no matter where I am in my home. Even in my backyard or front of the house. It’s the greatest thing ever.
Thank you so much for making this video. How are these locks doing now? I’ve seen some issues with reviews in regards to battery life. That is really the only hesitation I have about ordering.
I did have battery life issues, but it turns out it was because of my Netgear Orbi wifi mesh router. It kept the lock always checking for a wifi signal and drain my battery in like a week. They gave me a solution which was a august connect bridge. I plug that in, that gets my wifi signal and the lock talks to the bridge. Now? The batteries last about 90 days. That’s pretty good considering how small the batteries are. So, as long as you don’t have a whole home mesh system for wifi, they’ll last. But, if you do, still get the lock and if the batteries die quick. Contact august, they give you a free connect bridge like they did for me.
Hi James. Can you have a permanent password for the keypad which would be used by family members and also generate temporary password to share with others at the same time?
August locks let you use your existing keys, so you should never get locked out if you take your key with you, which you really should as any technology can fail to operate :). That's one of the things I really like about the August locks, they let you keep your existing hardware and therefore your existing keys :). How did you find battery life on the new August Lock with the in built WiFi?
To be honest, the battery life wasn’t the best with my Orbi wifi mesh system. The batteries were only lasting 30 days. August ended up sending me a August connect for each lock. Once I connected those, the battery life got MUCH better. Lasting 3-4 months now.
@@locoboof That makes sense. August Connect will connect BlueTooth and turn the WiFi off on the device. It makes it an expensive device needing the Connect to get decent battery life when compared to the August Lock 3 Pro that uses standard AA batteries with the only advantage is it is smaller on the door.....
I do have this issue, though. When the batteries are dead, the lock locks itself and I'm unable to use my key (August Lock 4th Gen). I have to go inside, brute force the lock by hands a few turns and then, the lock is able to turn again. I also have the August Lock 3rd Gen, but I don't have that issue. The 3rd Gen lock is working flawlessly.
Since my door is a right hand in swing and the left is a “dummy” handle set, I just placed it inside where the other deadbolt would go. Didn’t cut/drill or anything. Just stuck it inside where the other deadbolt would go.
btw James, have you tried the auto unlock function? must you have the bluetooth on your mobile phone turned on (as you're approaching the door) for this auto unlock function to work?
I’ve never used auto unlock, I don’t like the idea of it. On paper it sounds great, but there are times I’m around my house and don’t want it to unlock. Let’s say I’m doing yard work and mowing the lawn, washing my car in the driveway. Sometimes I go for walks and hang out close to my home talking with a neighbor, but don’t want the door to unlock. There’s times I come home and stay in my garage for hours. I don’t want it unlocking, so I never use it.
@@locoboof so... I tried the auto unlock this evening. When I was something like a kilometre away from home. My handphone app asked if I was heading home and if it should be on standby. And on standby it doesn't unlock till I'm standing in front of the door.
Hi James, so even if the new lock comes with a built in wifi which clearly drains the battery, once can or should buy the wifi bridge used in the previous version (3rd gen i think) to increase the battery life? Also, will the battery life be extended if the keypad was used instead of the app? What other settings will conserve the battery usage since August lock claim that the battry can last up to 6 months (assuming that they are not predicting a standby approach of the lock? Finally, i heard that the app gives a false warning of the battery being low and that this was corrected from a firmupdate ?
The reason mine was draining so fast is because I have a wifi mesh system in my home. I guess that and this 3rd gen lock don’t work well together as far as battery life. So, that August connect solves that issue. So, if you have a wifi mesh system, I’d suggest getting the connect. If not, you should be fine.
It all depends. I have one door where it lasts about 55 days. Because it’s used a lot. Then, my other door it lasts about 80 days. In the beginning, due to my whole home mesh system batteries were only lasting 30 days. Then, they said I had to buy a bridge so the lock would stop searching for a WiFi signal and drain my battery. Although, my WiFi is strong all over my house, these locks don’t play well with mesh systems.
I live in a place where I can't drill into the walls, but would really like to have the numeric keypad feature in addition to a lock. I've read that the keypad comes with adhesive as well, so it could just stick to the wall rather than be drilled in. Did you find that to be accurate? Also, if just attached with adhesive, would it still be possible to easily change the batteries?
Yes, it comes with adhesive mounting tape to stick it on a wall. It won’t stick to stucco though like my home in this video. Absolutely, it would still be able to detach the keypad from the back and replace the batteries. And then re-attached it by clipping it in. It clips in and clips on to the back. Very easy. In the video you see where I screwed in the plate and then clipped it in. It would be the same for you, but mounting tape. No screws.
They say 3 months, but for me it was only lasting 30 days. I contacted them and they ended up sending me a smart bridge. Apparently me having a mesh internet system was causing it to constantly look for a Wi-Fi signal, thus draining the battery. With the bridge they sent for free, it now lasts around 3 months with heavy usage.
Unfortunately it will not work via cellular network. Only wifi and Bluetooth if you or your optional keypad are within range. But, if wifi goes down, you can still use a manual key or your phone or keypad if you’re within Bluetooth range of the lock.
Thanks Thom! I love the lock. If you get one and the batteries only last 30 days contact their customer service. They’ll help you. That was the only issue I had. They ended up sending me a bridge connect thing and that fixed my battery issue.
August gen4 is crap. Had it for a year auto unlock barely works, it's always a surprise when it does. Sometimes the phone and keypad won't detect lock and you have to use a key. support has no idea what they're doing and they vanish on you.
I’ve had nothing but a great experience with the both of mine. I don’t use automatic lock, but I use automatic lock. Batteries last about 3 months and I’ve had zero issues.
Hi, I can't figure out how to put the 4th gen lock in to bluetooth pairing mode (discoverable) to pair it with my iPhone? The app is already set up and calibrated on my fone with the wifi. Apparently to set the lock up for remote wifi access using your router when you're away from home, you must first have the bluetooth connection set up!
When you’re near the lock it automatically switches you to Bluetooth. Giving you certain options that are only available via Bluetooth. When you’re out of Bluetooth range, it switches to wifi.
@@locoboof THANK YOU! I'm doing better with it now. Do I understand correctly that even though it's connected to bluetooth via the app that all you see is a little bluetooth icon in the app? It's confusing me that the lock does not show up in the area of the iPhone for bluetooth as a discovered/connected device? No manual pairing apparently?
@@locoboof talk to your internet provided, your router most likely has a 2.4 g band if it is 5 g. they can set it up for you so devices that need 2.4 g will work
At first, not very good. I was only lasting about 2 weeks or so. Until I found out my wireless mesh system was the cause. So, I told august and they gave me a august connect. My wifi connects to that, that connects to my lock via Bluetooth and now it lasts 70-90 days.
Right, because that’s what happens. People go around door to door in random neighborhoods looking for august lock keypads to steal and sell on the black market. To make a whole 30.00. Lol
@@locoboof I've wanted this lock for sometime but again i have the same issue that i have keys on both sides of the doors. Augusts website though says that it does not work with locks that have keys on both sides PLEASE NOTE: We are not currently compatible with: Mortise locks Double Cylinder deadbolts (key hole on both outside and inside of door) Medeco, Mul-t-Lock or single sided deadbolts
The August 4th Gen is absolute trash! The company has to fix their software and API before this product can be good. Practically unusable most of the time. Currently trying to a replacement. AVOID AUGUST AT ALL COST
I’m not going to upload at 10 second video just for you. But, send me your email address or DM me on twitter (locobooff) I have no problem sending you a video right now.
