The Greatest Smart Lock Ever Made Is Here

In May of 2013, renowned product designer Yves Béhar and tech honcho Jason Johnson wowed the world when they unveiled the August Smart Lock. (You remember: a sexy, palm-sized, Bluetooth-enabled retrofitting deadbolt that turns your smartphone into a set of house keys.)

Like most reliable products, it took a while to perfect, but our collective patience has paid off, because it's officially up for grabs online and in Apple stores today. Thoughtless key carriers, you're welcome.

If the fact that notoriously-selective Apple has deemed it worthy enough to sell alongside its stable of merchandise isn't reason enough to get on board with August, here are two more:

1) Unlike most other smart locks out there, August retrofits over your existing deadbolt, so installing is quick (less than 10 minutes).
2) It does not require you to change any exterior door hardware. Pro-tip: make sure it's compatible first.

Once set up, unlocking the door after a long day with your hands full is as simple as walking up to it with your smartphone in your pocket. It recognizes any device you've authorized to function as a key.

Rather than hand off a spare key to your visiting guests, housekeeper, or family member—which could get lost, copied, or stolen—it's easy to send virtual keys to people, granting them access for as long, or as little, as you'd like.

As for security, there's an added level of protection to keep you feeling safe. Not only does it operate independent of your WiFi, but it's powered by four AA batteries, so you won't be stuck out in the cold should your power fail. It's also equipped with a slew of features for those with trust issues: it logs a record of who's entered and exited and exactly when they did, which can be accessed remotely from your phone or computer.


Joe McGauley is a senior editor at Supercompressor. He's more than ready to ditch his overstuffed, thigh-pinching keyring.