August Home, a US manufacturer of smart and safe home access products and services, has unveiled its first complete home access system enabling different service providers including delivery couriers to access customers’ homes during their absence.
To promote the first-of-its-kind ‘August Access’ platform, the company partnered with 13 home delivery and home service providers including Postmates, Shyp, Fetch, Doorman, Sears and Pillow. Apart from home delivery and shipping, other services include home repair, cleaning, elderly care and dog walking, among others.
Customers can use August Access through the August app for iOS and Android signing up for new services, and then control and monitor what is delivered to their homes. A new line of hardware products will give them 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. “This provides a new level of convenience as customers no longer need to be home to receive deliveries,” the company stressed.
Via August Smart Lock – HomeKit enabled, trusted partners can securely enter the home. It integrates with Siri giving customers voice control to lock, unlock, or check the status of their door at any time. 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 prior to providing access from anywhere, which completes 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.
August Home said that all its products and services have been designed to enable people to control 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 revolutionises 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,” the San Francisco-based company explained.
“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,” Jason Johnson, co-founder and CEO of August, said. “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 free service platform now available for August Smart Lock customers. The August Smart Lock – HomeKit enabled, Smart Keypad, and the Doorbell Cam can be pre-ordered on August.com, BestBuy.com, and Amazon.com. Select products will be also be available at Apple. The August Smart Lock – HomeKit enabled is available for $229, the Smart Keypad for $79, and the Doorbell Cam for $199. The existing August Smart Lock is now available for $199.
