UPDATE January 1, 2020: I've raised my rating to 2 stars because some of the confusion is due to Amazon's policy of listing multiple versions of the same basic product on one screen and then combining the reviews and questions answered - making it impossible to tell what features or reviews are associated with the item you purchase. This might be OK for socks of various colors but it makes no sense for a lock with different "smart" systems. I purchased the Yale lock Connected by August. A couple of days ago, the features in the August app all started working, both over Bluetooth and over the web. [A quick test of web function is to turn on Airplane Mode, which turns off Bluetooth and Cell coverage, but you can leave your WiFi on.] The app-based features are useful: remote lock, remote unlock, and remotely monitoring if the door is open or closed [if you installed DoorSense]. If you turn on Notifications, you will see onscreen [or on your Apple Watch] when the lock is operated - manually or by software. The AutoUnlock with your phone in your pocket works fairly often, but if there is any interruption in the signal or you shut down the phone. You usually can't figure out what went wrong, but if Notifications is enabled you will at least get a warning that it won't unlock the door so you can put down all your grocery bags. It's faster and easier at that point to manually key in your opening sequence rather than fish out the phone. I did find a partial workaround that allows me to shop nearby and still have AutoUnlock work: I manually moved the "lock radius" setting a few blocks the other direction from where we shop, while still including our home. Once I walk east 1.5 blocks, the Notification tells me that AutoUnlock has been engaged and I can shop, eat, go to the library, etcetera and the door will [usually] AutoUnlock when I return home. I was able to get Apple's "Home" app to work locally using Bluetooth. In typical Apple fashion, it is easy to install, add the lock, and use - and offers multiple ways to control the lock. However, it does NOT show whether or not the door is opened so the Yale deadbolt could be remotely engaged on a wide-open door! Siri also controls the open/close feature. To add remote control over the web, you need a hub. Since I already had a recent iPad, I set it up as a hub and it worked fine. Despite assurances from multiple August support reps and the claims on the Amazon site, Connect with August will NOT WORK WITH A WINK HUB. The app appears to connect to Wink but the functions don't work! Turns out that the Wink hub is only compatible with the Z-wave/ZigBee controller version. ALEXA DOES NOT WORK DIRECTLY WITH CONNECT BY AUGUST, contrary to their claims on Amazon and the advice of multiple August reps. Amazon does sell an Echo Plus that incorporates a hub, but that too is incompatible with Connect by August! THE ECHO PLUS IS A ZIGBEE HUB, ONLY COMPATIBLE WITH THE Z-WAVE/ZIGBEE CONTROLLER VERSION. So, my current suggestion would be to buy the Connect by August version ONLY for use with the August App. To add voice control or other advanced features, you'll need to buy/have the correct hub and it's nearly impossible to determine what will work until you set it up and try it. I'd rate this lock considerably higher if Yale offered clear guidance on how to get it to work with non-August apps before you purchase it. Until then, if your expectations are pretty low, you might be happy with Yale with Connect by August. ORIGINAL REVIEW: I’ve been eagerly waiting a Bluetooth enabled smart deadbolt that would let me walk up to the back door with my hands full of groceries, tools, grandkids or whatever and have the door auto-unlock. My car does this flawlessly. Turns out with the August implementation, you have to go several blocks away from home for this to work, so if I go to the 5 restaurants, 2 grocery stores, 2 drugstores or the local library that are our most common destinations – or just take a walk around the block – the auto-unlocking feature is turned off. There is a manual over-ride option in the August app but it takes 7 taps in 4 different screens to implement; going to the Home screen and taping the red or green circle, takes 3 taps. Hands-free auto-unlocking is one of several promises Yale makes but only partially delivers. That’s a pity because the lock itself is one of the best I’ve ever installed: rugged, clear written instructions, nice drilling templates, all screw options included. The lock installation & setup video within the August app is also quite good. I had no issues with installing the lock itself and it worked smoothly immediately. Programming the Master Code and my Personal Code also went well so I was really pleased with this adventure and felt more comfortable with the premium price for this combo. The nightmare [shared by numerous purchasers according to Amazon reviews] was with installing and using the features of the August Connect that is required for remote control or monitoring After reinstalling the August radio and Connect Wi-Fi bridge three times to make sure I didn’t miss anything in the instructions, I called Support and they were very friendly and talked me step-by-step through multiple installation and troubleshooting tips. Nothing worked so they concluded the bridge was defective and promised to send a replacement “within 7 business days”. They sent an email later that day requesting proof of purchase which I sent. The replacement never shipped. The more time spent with this lock, the more my confidence in August plummeted. I decided to call Support again and spoke with a different rep who had me to do the same troubleshooting done previously and came up with a different explanation: my Wi-Fi signal wasn’t reaching the bridge. He referred me to Apple support to accomplish that and said to email August support and he’d call me back or another rep would. Apple support was fantastic, explained every step of the process with the router, and I soon had cabled the two routers together, logged onto the slow channel with my phone and sent Support an email asking for a call back. When no one had called me back after 45 minutes, I called support again and got a third person. She too was very friendly and walked me through the script redoing the same troubleshooting and installation steps for a third time. Although she could see that the bridge was connected to my new 2.4 GHz channel the install still failed and the August app confirmed that my Wi-Fi and Bluetooth signals were both too weak. That made no sense because both signals were strong on my phone when I stood in front of the lock. This rep put me on hold and came back shortly to tell me there is a glitch in their app and my signals were actually OK! She told me to ignore the error messages, close the app, and just try the Bluetooth features. Locking/unlocking and seeing whether or not the door was closed using the Door Sense feature worked with Bluetooth! Alexa control has never worked with multiple Echo devices. Using Alexa on my phone, I can lock/unlock the deadbolt if I’m standing in front of the door, but August doesn’t work with the Echo, Tap or Dot devices in my home. The August Smart Home app that’s required is rated less than 3 stars with about half the users finding it unusable, as I did. Despite over an hour with Support from Amazon and multiple August support calls, Alexa control remains impossible even though it works flawlessly with multiple other smart devices in my home. August says, “there’s no problem on our side”. Although it’s not consistent, I have sometimes been able to lock/unlock the door when standing in front of it with: • Alexa on my phone • Siri voice control on my phone • The August app on my Apple Watch The Yale advertising says: “Works with Alexa, Google Assistant, Apple Home Kit (Siri), Simplisafe, Airbnb, Home Away and more” and the August app has a Wink hub link under “Works With” but alth
