We announced the Yves- Béhar-designed August Smart Lock two years ago, and by last year it was on the market. The remote unlocking design has been applauded not only by us—it won a Core77 Design Award—but by consumers; in the year since it's been on the market, they've sold millions, activating five million units alone in just the past month.
Today August Home announces they're expanding the product line by not only upgrading the Smart Lock and adding HomeKit functionality, but also by adding the August Smart Keypad and August Doorbell Cam. The idea is that the keypad allows the user to provide temporary or permanent access codes to those without smartphones handy, while the Doorbell Cam obviously provides visuals (and reinforces to, say, a deliveryperson whom you're buzzing in, that they're being observed).
The company has also launched August Access, a software platform linking August users with "partnerships with top home service providers," like Sears, Handy and Fetch. This is a shrewd move; while homeowners might have no trouble buzzing in a UPS guy that they see weekly, allowing less frequent visitors to enter their homes in their absence might give them pause, and having pre-vetted service techs from reputable companies is meant to provide peace of mind.
Here's how the system is meant to operate:
These being Béhar and co.'s handiwork, thoughtful design touches abound. The Doorbell Cam only lights the doorbell icon, and the Keypad only lights the keys, when someone approaches and triggers the motion sensors within. The Smart Lock design has been updated with a grippier pattern etched into its periphery, and a little chrome speed-bump has been added so that one can physically see which position the lock is in. And all of the devices can be user-installed "in 10 minutes or less."
The Smart Lock will set you back $229; the Doorbell Cam, $199; and the Keypad, $79.
What I wish they'd design next is some kind of all-encompassing New York City edition. Me and many of my Gothamite friends have up to three locks on our doors, each with a different opening mechanism. I envy August owners not only because they own the system, but because they live in an area where one lock is enough.
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They've sold millions??