If you are turning your home into a smart home, one step to take along the way is the installation of a smart lock. This is an amazing convenience that allows or denies access to your home while at the same time controlling all your physical keys. If you have contractors that need to do work, a babysitter, house cleaners, or even visiting relatives, this control can bring peace of mind. And the installation is something any homeowner can do with a few basic tools.
Benefits of a Smart Lock
Smart locks are becoming more common and have many benefits. Keyless entry is the first. Or, not having to search through a backpack or purse for the key. My keys live in my backpack because the car starts with a push of the button when the key is detected. Smart Locks can be programmed to act a similar way. When an authorized phone is detected, it unlocks.
As mentioned earlier, it is also beneficial if other people need access to your home, and you are not available to let them in. The contractor working in your house can have his own access code. No need to worry about giving out a key and collecting it at the end of the job. And you don’t need to worry that a copy was made. This also works with extended family, neighbors, sitters, etc.
All those people can have their own separate access codes that you control from your phone or computer. The codes can often be programmed to work only during certain hours and the lock will tell you which code was used. You know who is gaining access and when.
It’s also great if you have kids. If they need to get in the house, and they have their phone or the access code, they can get in. Kids lose keys, but what kid loses their phone after they have one?
Additionally, if you are anything like me, and you wonder if you remembered to lock your door, it’s covered. All you need to do is access the app and it will tell you “locked” or “unlocked” and sometimes whether the door is opened or closed. A quick touch of the screen, and you can lock the door if you forgot.
Features In A Smart Lock
It’s not just the manufacturer you’re looking at when selecting a smart lock. Everyone is familiar with Kwikset and Schlage. They make the bulk of the locks used in residential construction. Smart locks are part of their business. But the “smart” part of a smart lock is technology. There is an opportunity to look at other manufacturers as well. Ideally, pick something feature rich and easy to install and use.
Features should include:
- Connectivity, Wi-Fi and hopefully Bluetooth
- Integration with Alexa, Google Assistant, Apple Home, etc.
- An app to control the lock
- The ability to use a standard key in case the lock loses power or connectivity
- Guest access
- Ease of installation and setup
- Geofencing/location awareness
- Touchpad
There are more features, but these are the biggest. The one I was most unfamiliar with was geofencing. I’m somewhat of a dinosaur. But it is nice to have a door just unlock itself as I approach it.
I had many choices and I looked at a few before settling on an August Smart Lock. I was only installing one lock right now and this one integrated with the existing lock so there was no need to have anything rekeyed.
This lock has Wi-Fi and Bluetooth as well as the other features I listed above, except for the keypad. It doesn’t have a keypad because it is modifying the interior side of the lock. Specifically, it is replacing the thumbturn, leaving the exterior intact and using the original key. That doesn’t mean a keypad is unavailable. August does make a keypad accessory that can be mounted outside near the lock.
Installing a Smart Lock
Installing this lock is about as simple as it gets. Some tape and a screwdriver are the only tools needed. I followed these steps for the third generation August Smart Lock.
Place a strip of tape over the exterior side of the lock to hold it against the door. This prevents the lock from falling out when the interior portion is removed.
1. Remove screws from the interior of the lock. Save them. They are used to install the universal mounting plate.
2. Pull the interior part of the lock straight back to remove it.
3. Install the universal mounting plate using the screws saved in step 2. The plate has multiple guide positions for the screws to pass through. This lines up the plate with the existing lock based on the manufacturer. The plate has a front and back. It should face the door so there is a slight gap between the door and the edge of the plate.
4. Place appropriate adapter on the tailpiece of the lock. The installation sheet had a guide to match the adapter with the existing lock manufacturer. When in place, place the existing lock in the unlocked position.
5. Pick up the August Smart Lock and place it in the unlocked position.
6. Open the wings on the back of the new lock unit.
7. Place the Smart Lock unit over the mounting plate.
8. Snap the wings closed. I used a flat head screwdriver to push them completely into place.
9. Test the thumbturn of the lock. Make sure it engages the deadbolt.
10. Open the battery cover. Remove the tab to engage the batteries. The 3rd Generation Smart Lock uses two AA batteries.
11. Replace the battery cover.
That is all there is to installing a smart lock.
Programming a Smart Lock
It is a simple task to program the smart lock. As with so many electronics today, simply download the app and it will guide you step by step through the programming. It’s very straightforward and the app is very helpful.
My Experience
The lock works and I wanted to change the locks in my home. I originally wanted to install this lock on a door that leads outside but decided to install it on the door that leads to my garage. The doors that lead directly outside have windows right next to them. A lock with a thumbturn is a security risk. Someone with bad intentions simply needs to break a window to open that kind of lock. The door that leads to the Project Cave/my garage doesn’t have that problem.
To watch a brief video to see how easy it is to physically install this lock, click here. It will take you to The Project Cave’s YouTube channel. The video is about five minutes and gives you some insight for the installation.
If you would like to purchase an August Smart Lock, here are a few options. Clicking on them will take you to Amazon, which has a wide variety of locks to choose from.
As an Amazon associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
