August vs Yale
This article examines August vs Yale by concentrating on the main features that a smart lock product should offer. The data has been collected from August’s and Yale’s websites and help articles. We also checked their reviews at Trustpilot to find the aspects that the actual users are emphasising.
Customer Review
Trustpilot introduces August as an Average tool with a 2.8 TrustScore.
Trustpilot introduces Yale as a Poor tool with a 2.1 TrustScore.
Power Source
August Smart Lock needs four new AA (non-rechargeable) batteries. The average battery life is three to six months. August app displays a low-battery notification once the lock’s batteries reach their 25% capacity.
If you do not replace the batteries at this time, you will receive daily emails and push notifications.
You need to replace all four batteries at the same time.
Four AA batteries are included in the Yale Assure lock package. The average battery life is one year, but it might last less depending on the usage and the environmental conditions.
When the battery is low, you can see a red low battery icon on the lock keypad. The lock will also speak to let you know that the batteries are getting low when you lock or unlock it via the keypad. You can also see a low battery or very low battery message on the lock screen in the app. The app sends two notifications. The first is for when the lock’s getting low, and the second is for when it’s critically low and should be replaced right away.
If the battery dies, you can connect a 9-volt battery on the bottom of the keypad to temporarily restore the smart lock and lock or unlock the door using the passcode.
Remote Control
The remote access feature requires a Connect Wi-Fi Bridge for $79. The Connect Wi-Fi Bridge lets you control your smart lock from anywhere.
Although this smart lock does not need Wi-Fi to work, you should connect it to Wi-Fi or a smart home hub if you want to control your vacation rental remotely. By purchasing Yale Access Wi-Fi Kit separately, you can use your phone as your key.
Home Automations
August Smart Lock works with Google Home. Using August’s integration with Google Assistant and Apple Homekit, you can ask these tools to control your door using your voice.
August Smart Lock also works with all Alexa-enabled devices, including Echo Show, Echo Plus, Echo, Echo Dot – even Alexa-enabled Sonos devices.
Google Home and Alexa require an August Wi-Fi Bridge to connect to August servers and complete your August Smart Lock integration.
You can connect your Assure Lock® SL to your home automation system by purchasing a Yale network module. Modules are sold separately. This lock is compatible with Alexa, Google Home, Apple Homekit, and SmartThings.
Security
Left Ajar Notifications
By installing DoorSense™, your lock will know when the door is open and closed.
Door Ajar notifications alert you when your entrance has been left open for a certain amount of time. To set up Door Ajar notifications, you will need a 3rd Generation August Smart Lock with DoorSense™ installed with an August Bridge (Connect or Doorbell Cam).
Access Schedules
August offers two access levels: Owner and Guest.
N.B. Guests need to download the August App and use it with their account.
N.B. Guests cannot operate the lock remotely.
August Smart Locks provide three access types: Always, Temporary, and Recurring, defined by August as below:
- Always – Guests will have unlimited access, but the owner can change or delete their access at any time.
- Recurring – Guests will have scheduled access that repeats, i.e. guests will be invited every Tuesday for a short period of time.
- Temporary – Guests will have a limited invitation to your home that expires, i.e. guests will have access for one-time use, limited to the date and time you’ve selected.
Auto Relock
With this feature, the door will be locked automatically and you can specify the timeframe that the door will be locked behind you. Only the authorised owner of the associated lock can activate this feature if you are located within the Bluetooth range of the lock.
N.B. To use the Auto-Lock Timing feature to control when your door locks after it closes, you must have DoorSense™ installed.
Activity Log
The history of events originating from the lock appears in Activity Feed. You need to pair with Connect Wi-Fi Bridge to get remote updates. Some examples of events include when:
- A specific user unlocks/locks your door.
- A user creates an entry code for a new user.
Can August Smart Locks Be Hacked?
This lock could be vulnerable to hacking through the Wi-Fi network. Cnet refers to a report released in 2020 about the Vulnerability of August Android Apps to a hack during the setup. August’s response to Cnet was:
Ways to Unlock the Door
- Auto-Unlock: This feature can unlock your door automatically without having to reach for your phone as you approach your home. It relies on technologies in your phone, which are August App, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and GPS.
- Physical Key from the Original Deadbolt: You can still use the old physical key when you have an August Smart Lock installed over an existing deadbolt. You can check the deadbolts that are compatible with August Smart Lock here.
- Smart Keypad: By adding August Smart Keypad to the August Smart Lock, you can create keycodes to unlock the door without a smartphone. Keypad entry codes must be between 4 and 6 digits. To use the keypad for August Smart Lock (Gen 3), you need to purchase August Smart Keypad separately.
Keycodes
Entry codes need to be between 4 and 6 digits and a user may have up to 220 entry codes on a lock.
Left Ajar Notifications
Yale Real Living Assure SL alerts you if your vacation rental’s door has been left ajar for a certain amount of time. To enable this notification, you also need a Yale Connect Wi-Fi Bridge.
Having DoorSense™ installed, you’ll know if your door is both closed and locked ensuring that your home is secure.
Access Schedules
Yale Assure Locks with Wi-Fi offer three access types, including Always, Recurring, and Temporary, defined by Yale as below:
- Always – Unlimited access for guests. However, the owner can change or delete their access to the vacation rental at any time.
- Recurring – A limited but scheduled access for vacation rental guests that repeats. For example, guests can enter the property every Monday morning from 9 AM to 1 PM.
- Temporary – A limited invitation that expires.
Auto Relock
Auto Relock enables your door to lock automatically behind you after a while (up to 30 minutes), which you can specify. This feature can only be enabled by authorised owners of the lock and when they’re within its Bluetooth range.
N.B. To use the Auto-Lock Timing feature to control when your door locks after it closes, you must have DoorSense™ installed.
Activity Log
The activity of the smart lock will be sent to you through smart alerts or notifications.
These notifications include:
- Manual lock events
- User-specific lock operations
- Whenever a door is left open
- Auto-lock notifications
- Door locking with One-Touch Keypad operation (requires Yale Smart Keypad)
Yale recommends that you pair your Smart Lock with Yale Connect Wi-Fi Bridge to receive these notifications.
Can Yale Be Hacked?
According to SmartHomeGlobe, in some cases, people found that their door locks were still accessible by pre-existing passcodes from the factory.
This lock could be vulnerable to hacking through the Wi-Fi network. Cnet mentions the Vulnerability of Yale Android Apps to a hack during the setup based on a report released in 2020.
Also, if someone hacks your smartphone, they can enter your property.
Ways to Unlock the Door
- Auto-Unlock: Two states in the Yale Access App determine how Auto-Unlock works: Home and Away. When you’re at home, your Yale Access App will enter Home Mode and Auto-Unlock will not activate. As soon as Yale Access App detects you have left your neighbourhood or are more than 200 metres away from your home, Auto-Unlock will go into Away Mode.
- Keypad: You can enter the entry code on the keypad to unlock the door of your vacation rental.
- Smartphone or Smart Home System: You can use your smartphone to unlock the door if the smart lock is upgraded to Wi-Fi with Yale Access.
- Key: You can also use the physical key by selecting Yale keyed options.
Keycodes
By installing a radio module, you can increase its default 25 user codes to 250 user codes.
Mobile App
Guests must have the app to enter your property if there is no keypad available. The August App is also needed to control your August products from your mobile device.
You can update your account information from the August App. If the devices reset, you need to set up the application again.
Thanks to the partnership between Yale and August, you can use either of the Yale Access App or the August mobile app to access all your devices from both brands.
You can access the locks from devices other than your mobile to log into your account and unlock the door.
Guests must have the app to enter your vacation rental. If the guests prefer not to download the app, you can pass them the entry code to enter. By using the Yale Access app, you can lock and unlock the door and share access.
For using Apple HomeKit, you need to use the Yale Secure app (available in the U.S. and Canada only).
Warranty
All August products have a one-year limited warranty from the date of purchase from one of its authorised resellers or distributors. Certified Pro customers can take advantage of a 2-year warranty.
The warranty only applies if you have purchased and used the product within the U.S. and Canada.
Yale’s limited warranty for the original owner is a one-year warranty for the electronics. Single families can take advantage of a lifetime limited warranty for re-facing and mechanical operation.
The mechanical parts warranty is reduced to three years and the re-facing warranty is reduced to one year when the lockset has been used for multi-family, commercial, institutional, and industrial installations.
Installation
August Smart Lock installation is pretty simple. You need a Phillips screwdriver to install it on your door. You can find the August Smart Lock installation guide here.
After installing the lock, you need to install DoorSense™, which lets your lock know when the door is open and closed. For DoorSense™ installation instructions, check this page.
Yale Real Living Assure SL door lock has simple installation steps. If the door has a deadbolt, you can replace it with your new Yale Real Living Assure SL without much workload.
You need a screwdriver to install it if the door has a deadbolt. If the door does not have an existing deadbolt, you need to drill holes in it.
Before starting the installation, download the BILT app on your smartphone, take its step-by-step installation instructions, and register your lock.
Make sure the door is aligned, as this affects the smart lock performance.
You can find the Yale door lock installation guide here. Alternatively, you can book an installation for $99.99.
Airbnb Integration
Airbnb recommends using smart locks at your vacation rental entrance. If the smart lock integrates with Airbnb, it can automatically create a code and send it to your guests through the Airbnb messaging system once the booking is confirmed.
With August Smart Lock (Gen 3), the Airbnb integration allows sending out an Airbnb message to the guest. Only the primary host can pair their August Account with their Airbnb account.
You need to connect Your August App and Airbnb Account and pair your locks to Airbnb listing(s).
Access via the August App
Airbnb sends a message to guests with instructions to download the August App. After downloading the August App, creating an account, and connecting it to their Airbnb account, guests can view the upcoming reservation in the app.
Access via the Keypad (If Applicable)
If you have purchased a keypad, you can use the August App to send an entry code to the guest after the booking is confirmed. Cancelled or changed reservations will alter the entry codes consequently.
You can set up automated access to your Airbnb property for guests using a Yale Assure Lock. To do this:
- Connect your Yale Access App with your Airbnb Account.
- Pair your locks with Airbnb listings.
- Select access type: Yale Access App or Keypad Access.
Access via the Yale Access App
After downloading the Yale Access App, creating an account, and connecting it to their Airbnb account, guests can view their upcoming reservations in the app. They can use the app to unlock/lock the door during their rental period. Their access to your vacation rental expires when the reservation ends.
Access via the Keypad
The Yale Access App sends an Airbnb message with a personal entry code to the guest once their reservation is confirmed. If the reservation is cancelled or changed, the code will be deactivated or changed too.
Support
- Support: 844.284.8781, 24/7 365 days a year
- August Assistant Chat Service
- Customer Service Email
- FAQs in the Support section of the website
- Customer Service Chat for the USA and Canada only
- Yale Electronic Technical Support Monday-Friday, 8:00 AM – 7:00 PM EST and on Saturdays, 10:00 AM – 3:00 PM EST for the USA and Canada only.
- ASSA ABLOY Technical Support. Support is available 24/7 Monday-Sunday. ASSA ABLOY Technical Support is your lock expert, and the controller manufacturer is the Z-Wave or ZigBee expert.
- Customer Sales and Service, 8 AM- 4:30 PM EST Monday-Friday
Pricing
August offers different generations of smart lock products, which you can check here.
The August Smart Lock (Gen 3) costs $149.99, the cheapest among their smart locks.
To have a keypad, you need to add August Smart Keypad to the August Smart Lock, costing $59.90.
The remote access feature requires a Connect Wi-Fi Bridge for $79 that you need to add. Should you need to connect the August Smart Lock (Gen 3) to Google Home and Alexa, you should purchase an August Wi-Fi Bridge (Connect Wi-Fi Bridge).
Or, you can buy a bundle from August. August Smart Lock + Connect with Keypad is $259.99, approximately $28 cheaper than purchasing these separately.
Yale has several smart lock products for property management. You can check out the options here.
The cheapest lock is Yale Assure Lock SL which costs $169.
But if you need to control the lock remotely, you should upgrade your Yale Assure Lock, with Wi-Fi, by adding the Yale Access Upgrade Kit for $129.
Also, to connect the Yale Real Living Assure SL to your smart home, you need to purchase the modulus separately. Yale Assure Locks and Levers are compatible with the following Yale Smart Modules:
Yale Access Upgrade Kit – AYR202-CBA-KIT for $129
ZW2 (Z-Wave Plus) – AYR202-ZWV-USA for $49
HA2 (Zigbee 3.0) – AYR202-ZB-HA for $49
August vs Yale: Which Smart Lock Solution to Choose?
Both Yale and August smart locks let you control your door activities remotely, see the history of who’s opened the door, and give guests various scheduled accesses.
The August Pro’s auto-unlocking and door-sensing features are among those that make this smart lock so well-loved. From the unrestricted number of private passcodes to an easy setup, the August Pro was designed for users that just want to make the front door less of a hurdle to overcome.
On the other hand, Yale is the best choice if you’re willing to build up your set of Nest products and want full house integration. With the doorbell camera, the smoke detector, and the security camera already installed, you need a smart lock like Yale that matches the set.
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