August Smart Lock 2026: The Retrofit Lock That Keeps Your Keys and Your Deadbolt
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Contents
Quick Answer
August solves a different problem from every other smart lock, and that is the whole reason to buy one. It attaches to the inside of the deadbolt you already have, so the exterior hardware does not change and your existing keys keep working. Nothing about the door looks different from the street, which matters more to renters and to anyone who likes their door furniture than any feature list does. Buy the August Wi-Fi Smart Lock: the radio is inside the lock, so there is no bridge to plug in, and Auto-Lock and Auto-Unlock are the features you will actually use daily. Add the Keypad Touch bundle if guests, cleaners or family need to get in without your phone.
What Makes August Different From Every Other Smart Lock
Almost every smart lock replaces your deadbolt. August replaces only the thumbturn on the inside. August describes the design as attaching right to the existing lock on the inside of the door, so you continue to use your existing keys. The cylinder, the keyway and the entire outside face of the door stay exactly as they were.
That single decision cascades into everything else. Installation is minimal assembly rather than boring and chiseling. The exterior look of the house is unchanged. Anyone who already has a key — a neighbor, a family member, a keyholder — keeps working access without being added to an app. And if the electronics ever fail, the door is still a normal deadbolt with a normal key, which is a meaningfully different failure mode from a lock whose keyway was removed.
The Retrofit Trade-Off
What you gain
- Existing keys keep working
- Exterior hardware and looks unchanged
- Minimal assembly rather than drilling
- A conventional key as the permanent fallback
- Wi-Fi built in with no extra hardware on the current model
What you give up
- Nothing on the outside tells a visitor the door is smart
- No keypad unless you add one separately
- The old cylinder’s security is still the door’s security
- A visible interior module where a plain thumbturn used to be
- Interior space, which matters on doors with narrow trim
Why This Is the Renter’s Smart Lock
August calls the design renter friendly with minimal assembly, and for once that is not marketing language — it follows directly from the retrofit approach. Nothing is drilled, the landlord’s cylinder is untouched, the exterior is unaltered, and at the end of a tenancy the original thumbturn goes back on in minutes.
It also sidesteps the argument that stops most renters buying a smart lock: the landlord’s own key still works, so there is no access dispute to have. That is genuinely rare in this category. If you are furnishing a rental more broadly, our no-drill renter security guide covers the rest of the setup on the same principle.
The Yale Question Nobody Explains on the Box
Shop August’s own store today and Yale products sit alongside the August ones: a Yale Approach lock with Wi-Fi, a Yale Keypad, Yale door hardware. That is confusing if you arrived looking for an August accessory and found a Yale-branded one, and it is worth knowing before you buy rather than after.
Practically, it means two things. Read what a given accessory actually pairs with rather than assuming brand names guarantee compatibility, and expect the naming on newer accessories to lean Yale even where the lock is August. If you are cross-shopping the two ranges properly, our Yale smart lock guide covers Yale’s own lineup, and the subscription-free smart lock roundup sets both against the wider market.
August Wi-Fi Smart Lock — the one to buy
Key specs: Retrofits to the inside of an existing deadbolt so the exterior hardware and your keys stay as they are; Wi-Fi built in with no extra bridge; Auto-Lock and Auto-Unlock; works with Alexa, Google Assistant and Siri through the August app
This is the model that removes the historic objection to August. Earlier generations needed a separate bridge plugged into an outlet to reach Wi-Fi; August states the current lock requires no additional hardware to connect, so remote access and voice control work without the fuss. Day to day, the features that earn their keep are Auto-Lock, which secures the door once it closes or after a set delay, and Auto-Unlock as you approach. It pairs with Alexa, Google Assistant and Siri, so it fits whichever ecosystem the rest of the house already uses. The honest catch is the one shared by the whole design: there is no keypad unless you add one.
✅ Pros
- Wi-Fi built in — no bridge to plug in
- Keeps your existing keys and exterior hardware
- Auto-Lock and Auto-Unlock
- Works with Alexa, Google Assistant and Siri
- Renter friendly with minimal assembly
❌ Cons
- No code entry at the door without adding a keypad
- Interior module is bulkier than a plain thumbturn
- Only as secure as the deadbolt cylinder it retrofits onto
August Wi-Fi Smart Lock with Keypad Touch — if guests need a code
Key specs: The same retrofit lock bundled with a Keypad Touch, adding fingerprint access and guest key codes at the door rather than only through a phone
Buy this bundle if anybody other than you regularly needs to get in. The lock is the same; the difference is a Keypad Touch mounted outside, which August describes as adding fingerprint access and the ability to grant secure key codes to guests. That covers the cases a phone-only lock handles badly — a cleaner on a Tuesday, a dog walker, children without phones, a relative staying for a week. It is also the answer to the flat-phone problem, which is the most common real-world complaint about app-first locks.
✅ Pros
- Fingerprint access at the door
- Guest codes without handing over a key or the app
- Same retrofit lock and same existing keys
- Works when a phone is flat or forgotten
- Sold as a bundle rather than assembled from parts
❌ Cons
- Two devices to keep batteries in rather than one
- The keypad is visible outside, which undoes some of the discreet retrofit appeal
- Costs meaningfully more than the lock alone
August Smart Lock Pro with Connect Hub — the bridge generation
Key specs: An earlier generation that reaches Wi-Fi through a separate Connect bridge plugged into an outlet, rather than having the radio inside the lock; still widely sold and works with Alexa and Google Assistant
This is the older architecture and it is still widely sold, which is exactly why it needs explaining rather than ignoring. Here the lock talks over Bluetooth and a separate Connect bridge plugged into a nearby outlet provides the Wi-Fi link for remote access. If the bundle is discounted and you have a convenient outlet within range of the door, it does the same job. If you would rather not maintain a second device, the current Wi-Fi model exists precisely because this arrangement annoyed people.
✅ Pros
- Frequently discounted against the current model
- Same retrofit principle and same existing keys
- Connect bridge included rather than bought separately
- Works with Alexa and Google Assistant
- Proven generation with a long review history
❌ Cons
- Needs a bridge plugged into an outlet near the door
- Two devices to power and troubleshoot instead of one
- Superseded by the built-in Wi-Fi model
The Three Side by Side
Four Honest Limitations
It inherits your deadbolt’s security. August changes who can operate the bolt, not how well the bolt resists force. If the existing lock is an unrated builder-grade deadbolt in a soft frame, it still is after the retrofit. Our guide to what lock grades actually mean explains what to look for if the underlying hardware is the weak point.
Nothing on the outside says smart lock. That is a feature for discretion and a drawback for deterrence. A visible keypad tells an opportunist the door is monitored; a retrofit August tells them nothing at all.
Auto-Unlock depends on your phone. Approach detection is only as reliable as location services and Bluetooth on the handset in your pocket, which is why some households love the feature and others switch it off within a week. Treat it as a bonus rather than the reason to buy.
Batteries are still batteries. A retrofit module drives a bolt several times a day and reports over Wi-Fi, and that consumes cells at a rate that surprises people in winter. Before replacing anything on the assumption the lock is failing, our guide to testing a smart lock battery is worth ten minutes, and the doorbell versus smart lock comparison is worth reading if this is your first upgrade at the front door.
Final Recommendation
Buy the August Wi-Fi Smart Lock. It is the version of this product without the historic asterisk: the radio is in the lock, so there is no bridge to find an outlet for, and you keep the exterior hardware and the keys you already have. For a renter, or for anyone who does not want the front of the door to change, nothing else in the category does this.
Two things change the answer. If anyone other than you needs regular access — guests, a cleaner, children without phones — buy the Keypad Touch bundle instead and treat the extra cost as buying your way out of every flat-phone and lost-key conversation. If you find the Smart Lock Pro with Connect heavily discounted and you have an outlet within range of the door, it does the same job with one more box to power. What should send you to a different product entirely is wanting the deterrent effect of a visible keypad, or a deadbolt that is itself weak — August improves who can open your lock, not how hard it is to break.
SafeBode does not yet run an in-house product testing program. This guide is built from manufacturer specifications, official support documentation, current retail listings and verified buyer feedback rather than hands-on testing, and we say so plainly rather than implying testing we have not done.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does an August lock replace my deadbolt?
No, and that is the point of it. It attaches to the inside of the deadbolt you already have, so the exterior hardware, the cylinder and your existing keys are unchanged.
Will my existing keys still work?
Yes. Because the outside of the lock is untouched, anyone with a key keeps working access. That is unusual in this category and it is the main reason renters choose August.
Do I need a bridge for remote access?
Not on the current Wi-Fi model, which August states needs no additional hardware to connect. The older Pro generation does use a separate Connect bridge plugged into a nearby outlet.
Can I unlock with a code instead of my phone?
Only if you add a keypad. The lock alone works by phone, voice assistant and physical key, so households that need code access should buy the keypad bundle rather than the lock on its own.
Is August good for renters?
It is the strongest option in the category for renters, because installation is minimal assembly, nothing is drilled, the landlord’s key still works and the original thumbturn goes back at the end of the tenancy.
Does it work with Alexa, Google Assistant and Siri?
Yes, August lists all three. That makes it one of the few smart locks that does not force you to pick a side, which matters in households already committed to a voice ecosystem.
What happens if the batteries die?
The door is still a conventional deadbolt with a conventional key, so you are not locked out in the way you could be with a lock that removed the keyway. Keeping a key accessible is still the sensible precaution.
Why does August’s store sell Yale products?
The two ranges are sold side by side, so accessories and newer hardware may carry Yale branding even where the lock is August. Check what a specific accessory states it pairs with rather than assuming the brand name settles it.
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