It's too expensive, to begin with.
The story doesn't even mention how good of a lock it is. I buy a lock primarily as a lock; HomeKit functionality is second.
There's been many videos posted on how easy it is to bypass these electronic locks. I'd like to know how someone like the "lockpickinglawyer" would handle these locks.
If it's too expensive for you, you are free not to buy one.
This doesn't change your deadbolt or cylinder. The lock is the same as it always was. Since nobody looking at your door would know you had the electronic lock, they wouldn't know to try and bypass.
I find the Level Lock to be way better. Integrates seamlessly with an existing deadbolt without the monstrosity that August seems to mandate for their designs. I had a first gen August. No idea why it needs that huge bulky thing.
I just installed a brand new August Wi-Fi Smart Lock (4th generation: no additional WiFi bridge required). I have had nothing but problems with this lock. I have a very strong WiFi network. ATT 1000mpbs Fiber, Linksys Gigabit Switch, and Apple Airport Extreme Base Stations with 300mbps (all tested by speedtest.net) My office network (where my August is installed) is about 10 feet from the WAP, but the August fails to find the network. I've reset the network and the August about 3x now. I'm very close to returning this piece of junk. Currently taking a break so I don't crush it with a sledge hammer.
I find the Level Lock to be way better. Integrates seamlessly with an existing deadbolt without the monstrosity that August seems to mandate for their designs. I had a first gen August. No idea why it needs that huge bulky thing.
It really is so much smaller now. I love Level Lock BUT it isn't as full-featured. DoorSense is very important to me as is the Wi-Fi connectivity which Level Lock lacks. Still a great lock though!
Given the ease with which most homes can be burglarized, if security is your concern, this doesn't provide much extra than an existing deadbolt.
What it does provide is automation and notification, which can be extremely useful for some people.
$250 per door is just a wee bit more than I'm willing to pay for that level of convenience, however.
It does give you those but I find that notifications are very much about security. If someone picks your door lock, you know about it. If the door opens, you are notified about it. This is a huge security thing for me and a main reason I go for the smart lock, not just for the convenience.
I just installed a brand new August Wi-Fi Smart Lock (4th generation: no additional WiFi bridge required). I have had nothing but problems with this lock. I have a very strong WiFi network. ATT 1000mpbs Fiber, Linksys Gigabit Switch, and Apple Airport Extreme Base Stations with 300mbps (all tested by speedtest.net) My office network (where my August is installed) is about 10 feet from the WAP, but the August fails to find the network. I've reset the network and the August about 3x now. I'm very close to returning this piece of junk. Currently taking a break so I don't crush it with a sledge hammer.
So, we just learned after our review went up that there were some Wi-Fi issues with early versions of the lock. They've since released a firmware update fixing these issues from what we can tell. This did not impact our unit as we must have picked up one with the firmware update already done. Try to see if you can update the firmware (if it connects) or reach out to August to get that taken care of. Believe me, I know the frustrations of battling connectivity issues but I promise, when those issues are taken care of, it should be rock solid. At least ours has been.
I tend to disagree, Level Lock is far superior with a caveat. I was so close to buying August Wifi Lock but I knew the ugliness of it would not to get the seal of approval from my spouse. Level Lock fits inside the door, on the inside or the outside of the door, you have not go a clue its a smart lock. That is so nice.
However, the only caveat with Level Lock, the automation will only work if you have Apple Home kit, like Auto Unlock but that said, it does use Bluetooth so if you don't need automation then you don't need Apple Home Kit. It works so well and being hidden in the door does create a certain wow factor.
August was bought out by Yale so a good business to be associated with and I think if you like the appearance or don't mind the appearance of the August lock inside of your house then it is definitely the next best thing to Level Lock.
Unfortunately, neither the new Wifi August lock or Level Lock is sold overseas, I had to circumvent the purchase process by buying it online, sent to a friend in the US who then posted my Level Lock to Australia. I then had to download the app by creating a US account. Very convoluted but I got it and I love it.
IoT adds some wonderful conveniences, But: Smart lights, cameras, microphones (Alexa, Google, etc), thermostats, locks, blinds, garage door opener, SmartTV's, etc., etc., etc. Are all phoning home to the Internet to different Clouds while being placed directly on your private LAN. If these devices are compromised it would allow bad actors on your private home LAN where they can launch attacks against your computers and mobile devices.
If you are doing a lot of home automation, it would be very smart to isolate them via VLANs for the IoT devices firewalling them from your private network where your computers and mobile devices reside. Also setup your own LAN & VLAN DNS servers and force these devices to use them. Some IoT devices hardcode DNS internally and there are ways to force that through your own DNS. Setup encrypted DNS forwarding to a trusted DNS provider (not Google).
August has been brutally hacked and ridiculed at Defcon in the past. Hackers found a developer debugging mode built-in to the App on Android / iOS and was able to reverse engineer the Android App to access the August cloud. The same tricks worked on iOS once they figured it out using Android. They were then able to target an August lock and permanently add themselves as an admin account physically on the lock. Resetting the lock firmware did not clear the admin account from the device. Someone else could setup the lock and never know that a 3rd party had full control of the lock. Perhaps August has fixed these incredibly bad security practices but perhaps not. Besides IoT all the police body cameras are also remarkably insecure to the extreme (Bluetooth / WiFi exploits were incredibly easy and they could also infect the software that vaulted the video so they could erase it or alter it from the police servers). Local police IT security is frighteningly bad.
A Vegas casino was hacked when a salt water fish tank using an IoT monitoring system was connected directly to the internal LAN. Hackers breached the fish tank IoT over the Internet and used that to gain access to the internal network like their own private VPN where they quickly spread to other systems. Target was hacked when their store facilities HVAC/Lighting controls were also connected to the private LAN instead of being air-gapped on a completely different network. Hackers breached servers and found the one that controlled the payment card readers. They loaded a custom firmware on those readers and captured all the details from transactions and had access to every Target customers credit / debit cards. Most companies air-gap facilities environmental controls and payment processing systems as well as security systems. It's just not worth the risk to VLAN & firewall them because you can make a configuration mistake.
Another big con to this lock is that you need a smart phone with an app to access it. We have a digital lock at our house and one of the big advantages is we can set temporary codes for people (i.e. the furnace repairman, the neighbor. coming over to feed the fish while we're away, etc.) That alone should knock it down a star.
Another big con to this lock is that you need a smart phone with an app to access it. We have a digital lock at our house and one of the big advantages is we can set temporary codes for people (i.e. the furnace repairman, the neighbor. coming over to feed the fish while we're away, etc.) That alone should knock it down a star.
Or you can just add the optional keypad if you need that functionality. Allows temporary and/or individualized codes.
The first thing some idiot has to say about a smartlock is "BT and WiFi CAN BE HACKED!!" Ooh, the sky is falling. Defcon hacked it. Big fucking whoop. Anything can be hacked, broken, subverted, and yes – bypassed if someone is knowledgeable and dedicated enough to try.
But to do it, they have to know what they're up against. So they have to know what you're using for defensive measures before they can begin their offense, unless they're just going to break the back patio door or kick in the front door home invasion style. Few crooks are packing BT/WiFi hacking kit for typical residential burglaries.
As the intelligent posters noted, the August lock doesn't change the deadbolt in any way but to replace the thumb turn. And anybody who'd bothered to watch the video would have seen the August lock now isn't much bigger than most doorknobs. Try to keep up.
And mentioning the lockpick lawyer is a bush-league move that also reveals the poster is clueless as to how the lock works, even though the Andrew's video was very clear on several points. I wonder if this is the same idiot that mentioned the LL when commenting on the Level lock.
And the universal "too expensive" is another dumb remark. As someone mentioned if it's more than you want to pay– fair point. But it can add a lot of convenience especially do someone suffering from some motor skill impairment or other disability. That is worth what it's worth to that individual. It's not like new tech doesn't get cheaper with economy of scale. Do you know how much the first consumer microwave oven cost back in the late 60s early 70s? Didn't think so.
All that said, I do like the Level Lock but it's not quite as universal as the August lock. I wrote Level for application to my particular lock set and they said it was one of a few that wasn't compatible with it. I was disappointed, because it was a truly transparent stealth lock that retained use of a physical key if necessary. Sadly, neither works with my kit.
Updating a lock cylinder to a higher security type may still allow the use of either the August or Level but there is almost never a "one size fits all" that truly fits all.
I find the Level Lock to be way better. Integrates seamlessly with an existing deadbolt without the monstrosity that August seems to mandate for their designs. I had a first gen August. No idea why it needs that huge bulky thing.
Completely agree. I had the August Smart Lock first, but it was honkin' big and ugly. When Level Lock came out, and pairing Level Lock with Homekit, that was just so much nicer in looks. Aside from my own annoyance at the look of August Smart Lock on my door (though it di work flawlessly!), guests would comment and I would go through a whole rigamarole, and it just got annoying. Level Lock does the same thing, only you can't see it; the outside is all the original lock hardware.
Given its size, relative to a normal door knob, can it be used as one side of a locking door knob? I’m asking because I’ve been unable to find a HomeKit compatible locking door knob, and every home I've lived in, including my current home, has both a deadbolt and a locking door knob on the exterior hinged doors. The traditional solution seems to be to forego the locking door knob in order to gain keyless entry & HomeKit compatibility; but I’d rather not lose the locking spring latch of a lockable doorknob.
I’m also still looking for a HomeKit compatible lock for a sliding glass door, as well. Know of any?
I have the same desire: A doorknob smart lock with no keypad on the outside. Just the inside "smart" mechanism, the keyhole for when necessary, and the smart mechanism should just freeze doorknob like doorknob locks do. I have not found one without an outside keypad attached (and I don't want that). Would really like what I'm describing.
I wish for a door KNOB smart lock with no keypad on the outside. Just the inside "smart" mechanism, the keyhole for when necessary, and the smart mechanism should just freeze doorknob like doorknob locks do. I have not found one without an outside keypad attached (and I don't want that). Would really like what I'm describing. If anyone knows of such an item, let me know here.
It's too expensive, to begin with.
The story doesn't even mention how good of a lock it is. I buy a lock primarily as a lock; HomeKit functionality is second.
There's been many videos posted on how easy it is to bypass these electronic locks. I'd like to know how someone like the "lockpickinglawyer" would handle these locks.
If it's too expensive for you, you are free not to buy one.
This doesn't change your deadbolt or cylinder. The lock is the same as it always was. Since nobody looking at your door would know you had the electronic lock, they wouldn't know to try and bypass.
I know I’m free not to buy one, thanks genius.
You won’t last long here if you call other forum members names.
Your lock picking topic is rather irrelevant. Any locksmith will tell you - if someone wants in, they’ll get in. Most residential doors are simply trying to dissuade casual thieves. You could literally kick open or bust down my door if you tried hard enough (door and frame are both wood). That’s what the alarm system is for.
Anyway, as noted, this is an automated deadbolt actuator, not a lock. You bring your own lock.
IoT adds some wonderful conveniences, But: Smart lights, cameras, microphones (Alexa, Google, etc), thermostats, locks, blinds, garage door opener, SmartTV's, etc., etc., etc. Are all phoning home to the Internet to different Clouds while being placed directly on your private LAN. If these devices are compromised it would allow bad actors on your private home LAN where they can launch attacks against your computers and mobile devices.
If you are doing a lot of home automation, it would be very smart to isolate them via VLANs for the IoT devices firewalling them from your private network where your computers and mobile devices reside. Also setup your own LAN & VLAN DNS servers and force these devices to use them. Some IoT devices hardcode DNS internally and there are ways to force that through your own DNS. Setup encrypted DNS forwarding to a trusted DNS provider (not Google).
August has been brutally hacked and ridiculed at Defcon in the past. Hackers found a developer debugging mode built-in to the App on Android / iOS and was able to reverse engineer the Android App to access the August cloud. The same tricks worked on iOS once they figured it out using Android. They were then able to target an August lock and permanently add themselves as an admin account physically on the lock. Resetting the lock firmware did not clear the admin account from the device. Someone else could setup the lock and never know that a 3rd party had full control of the lock. Perhaps August has fixed these incredibly bad security practices but perhaps not. Besides IoT all the police body cameras are also remarkably insecure to the extreme (Bluetooth / WiFi exploits were incredibly easy and they could also infect the software that vaulted the video so they could erase it or alter it from the police servers). Local police IT security is frighteningly bad.
A Vegas casino was hacked when a salt water fish tank using an IoT monitoring system was connected directly to the internal LAN. Hackers breached the fish tank IoT over the Internet and used that to gain access to the internal network like their own private VPN where they quickly spread to other systems. Target was hacked when their store facilities HVAC/Lighting controls were also connected to the private LAN instead of being air-gapped on a completely different network. Hackers breached servers and found the one that controlled the payment card readers. They loaded a custom firmware on those readers and captured all the details from transactions and had access to every Target customers credit / debit cards. Most companies air-gap facilities environmental controls and payment processing systems as well as security systems. It's just not worth the risk to VLAN & firewall them because you can make a configuration mistake.
Cool story but most of us are not as inviting a target as a casino is. Nobody, nobody where I live is going to invest in hacking my IoT devices in order to open my door, or get into my iMac. Risk vs reward equation.
If somebody really wants in, all they have to do is kick the door down and walk in. But either way, that’s what home alarm monitoring is for.
Another big con to this lock is that you need a smart phone with an app to access it. We have a digital lock at our house and one of the big advantages is we can set temporary codes for people (i.e. the furnace repairman, the neighbor. coming over to feed the fish while we're away, etc.) That alone should knock it down a star.
You can add a wireless keypad to the August, enabling all those features. Just installed one myself this week. (The one we bought at Best Buy came with it actually)
Comments
I know I’m free not to buy one, thanks genius.
What it does provide is automation and notification, which can be extremely useful for some people.
$250 per door is just a wee bit more than I'm willing to pay for that level of convenience, however.
It does give you those but I find that notifications are very much about security. If someone picks your door lock, you know about it. If the door opens, you are notified about it. This is a huge security thing for me and a main reason I go for the smart lock, not just for the convenience.
However, the only caveat with Level Lock, the automation will only work if you have Apple Home kit, like Auto Unlock but that said, it does use Bluetooth so if you don't need automation then you don't need Apple Home Kit. It works so well and being hidden in the door does create a certain wow factor.
August was bought out by Yale so a good business to be associated with and I think if you like the appearance or don't mind the appearance of the August lock inside of your house then it is definitely the next best thing to Level Lock.
Unfortunately, neither the new Wifi August lock or Level Lock is sold overseas, I had to circumvent the purchase process by buying it online, sent to a friend in the US who then posted my Level Lock to Australia. I then had to download the app by creating a US account. Very convoluted but I got it and I love it.
If you are doing a lot of home automation, it would be very smart to isolate them via VLANs for the IoT devices firewalling them from your private network where your computers and mobile devices reside. Also setup your own LAN & VLAN DNS servers and force these devices to use them. Some IoT devices hardcode DNS internally and there are ways to force that through your own DNS. Setup encrypted DNS forwarding to a trusted DNS provider (not Google).
August has been brutally hacked and ridiculed at Defcon in the past. Hackers found a developer debugging mode built-in to the App on Android / iOS and was able to reverse engineer the Android App to access the August cloud. The same tricks worked on iOS once they figured it out using Android. They were then able to target an August lock and permanently add themselves as an admin account physically on the lock. Resetting the lock firmware did not clear the admin account from the device. Someone else could setup the lock and never know that a 3rd party had full control of the lock. Perhaps August has fixed these incredibly bad security practices but perhaps not. Besides IoT all the police body cameras are also remarkably insecure to the extreme (Bluetooth / WiFi exploits were incredibly easy and they could also infect the software that vaulted the video so they could erase it or alter it from the police servers). Local police IT security is frighteningly bad.
A Vegas casino was hacked when a salt water fish tank using an IoT monitoring system was connected directly to the internal LAN. Hackers breached the fish tank IoT over the Internet and used that to gain access to the internal network like their own private VPN where they quickly spread to other systems. Target was hacked when their store facilities HVAC/Lighting controls were also connected to the private LAN instead of being air-gapped on a completely different network. Hackers breached servers and found the one that controlled the payment card readers. They loaded a custom firmware on those readers and captured all the details from transactions and had access to every Target customers credit / debit cards. Most companies air-gap facilities environmental controls and payment processing systems as well as security systems. It's just not worth the risk to VLAN & firewall them because you can make a configuration mistake.
Or you can just add the optional keypad if you need that functionality. Allows temporary and/or individualized codes.
But to do it, they have to know what they're up against. So they have to know what you're using for defensive measures before they can begin their offense, unless they're just going to break the back patio door or kick in the front door home invasion style. Few crooks are packing BT/WiFi hacking kit for typical residential burglaries.
As the intelligent posters noted, the August lock doesn't change the deadbolt in any way but to replace the thumb turn. And anybody who'd bothered to watch the video would have seen the August lock now isn't much bigger than most doorknobs. Try to keep up.
And mentioning the lockpick lawyer is a bush-league move that also reveals the poster is clueless as to how the lock works, even though the Andrew's video was very clear on several points. I wonder if this is the same idiot that mentioned the LL when commenting on the Level lock.
And the universal "too expensive" is another dumb remark. As someone mentioned if it's more than you want to pay– fair point. But it can add a lot of convenience especially do someone suffering from some motor skill impairment or other disability. That is worth what it's worth to that individual. It's not like new tech doesn't get cheaper with economy of scale. Do you know how much the first consumer microwave oven cost back in the late 60s early 70s? Didn't think so.
All that said, I do like the Level Lock but it's not quite as universal as the August lock. I wrote Level for application to my particular lock set and they said it was one of a few that wasn't compatible with it. I was disappointed, because it was a truly transparent stealth lock that retained use of a physical key if necessary. Sadly, neither works with my kit.
Updating a lock cylinder to a higher security type may still allow the use of either the August or Level but there is almost never a "one size fits all" that truly fits all.
Your lock picking topic is rather irrelevant. Any locksmith will tell you - if someone wants in, they’ll get in. Most residential doors are simply trying to dissuade casual thieves. You could literally kick open or bust down my door if you tried hard enough (door and frame are both wood). That’s what the alarm system is for.
Anyway, as noted, this is an automated deadbolt actuator, not a lock. You bring your own lock.
If somebody really wants in, all they have to do is kick the door down and walk in. But either way, that’s what home alarm monitoring is for.