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Got 10 minutes and a screwdriver? You can now get your own personal doorman for under $100.
The 3rd gen model of August, a smart lock we’ve recommended in the past, is now at its lowest price ever, and if you frequently host house guests or want an additional layer of security to your home, it’s certainly worth picking up.
Essentially, August turns your phone into your virtual key, while still allowing you to use your physical keys as a backup. Besides a bit of extra convenience for you (it automatically locks and unlocks when you leave and arrive via a Bluetooth connection), August allows you to “share” your lock with guests, so you can control who’s coming and going via an app. You can even set these temporary keys with time limits, which is great for Airbnb guests or letting in maintenance people.
An additional perk is DoorSense, August’s sensor that will notify you if you’ve completely shut your door (or not).
The whole system only takes about 10 minutes to get it up and going. It works with your existing lock (single-cylinder deadbolt only) and keys, and you’ll only requires a screwdriver to install.
OK, but if someone has your phone, they can break in easily, right? Not really — first, they’d have to break through the security you have on your device (fingerprint authentication, people!). And it’s actually more secure than if you lose your phyiscal keys … if you lose your phone with the August app on it, you can simply disable your account and the lock via the website.
The on-sale third-gen model is voice-assistant agnostic: it integrates with Alexa, Siri and Google Assistant, though you’ll need to add the August Connect Wi-Fi Bridge (sold separately) to, ha, unlock that perk. But at its current price of $94 on Amazon — the lowest it’s ever been — you’ll still save $55 compared to the price on August’s own website, so now is the time to buy.
Photo: Amazon
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