Review on Yale Assure Lock Touchscreen, Wi-Fi Smart Lock - Ultimate Accessibility with Yale 🔒 Access App, Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, HomeKit, Phillips Hue, Samsung SmartThings - Satin Nickel by Chris Hamim

For the August/Yale integration, the initial setup seems to have been designed by someone who said we should make it as confusing as possible. TLDR: Instructions for 3 different apps (Bilt, Yale Access, August), installation requires ignoring the image from the August app and scrolling down. The app freezes several times during setup on iPhone 12 Pro Max. In the end, the setup is complete and the lock works great. After installation, the application is suitable for everyday use. My backstory: I live in a smart home with mostly iOS devices and use HomeKit natively and Homebridge for everything else. We have a smart oven, robot vacuum, robot mop, smart locks, MyQ garage doors, lights/switches (Lutron, Hue, Smart Home Genius), TV, sprinkler system, curtains, etc. Most of them are relatively easy to start with the more complex ones requires some work with network stuff. Yale/August were different and not in a good way. Yale Hardware: We're replacing a Kwikset Premis that, after a few years in Florida, was eating away at the batteries (and eventually corroding internally) within a few days from moisture. Yale's hardware seems solid, obviously this isn't the first time they've designed a lock. They have well designed seals to keep moisture out and the mechanical movement is just smoother. Feels more like metal than plastic. Also, unlike the Kwikset (thankfully) I don't have to remove 3 screws and the whole decorative back panel to change the batteries. No instructions are provided other than asking you to download the Bilt app (or use the PDF on the website). That works well enough, and soon the lock is installed and functioning like a non-smart keyboard lock. From there it goes south. Yale is actually a smart design, they have a simple lock and small modules/cartridges that plug into the lock to activate other features (WiFi, Z-Wave or Zigbee). Think Nintendo Gameboy cartridges, but a little smaller. For August they include an August lock module and an August connector. However, the labels on the boxes are confusing (remember there is no documentation included and neither Bilt nor the website PDF you can find on the product page have instructions on how to do this). The Yale Papers talks about using the Yale Access app (a clone of the August app) and the August Stuff talks about using the August app. So those are the 3 apps asking you to use Bilt, Yale Access and August. Actually, skip Yale Access and head straight into August. May my sorrow make you understand. Once you proceed to August app to create a silly lock. smart, it will fail because of that. After you set up your account in August, you will see the "Set up connection" button. They will think I have. Click on it and it will tell you how to set up the connection and then tell you that you don't have an assisted lock. Try calling August, they won't answer the phone. It's a chat or email only with them. It turns out that despite the lack of a clear in-app indicator and instructions, you can actually scroll down. Seriously, there's no scrollbar (hidden until you swipe), and the buttons are arranged in a way that makes them seem to fill the screen without showing the option prompts below. After the user scrolls down, the last option is "Set lock associated with August". It doesn't really look like a button and seems to imply using the above, but you can actually click on it. This allows the user to connect the August module/cartridge to the lock. Except it freezes after a firmware update. But don't worry, after closing and restarting the app, everything is fine and I can connect to the lock via Bluetooth. The user can now go back to the device setup, press the "Set up connection" button and pair the connector in August Connect. It also got blocked during setup after trying to connect to wifi. In addition, the app reported that the WiFi and Bluetooth signals to block were weak or non-existent in the test (this is not the case, the app later shows an excellent/good signal for both after a forced logout). After that, August is intuitive, and in principle, everyone can understand how to change blocking settings. From now on it's easy. Except for one thing that annoys me. Yale allows an 8 digit code for the lock. In August you can use a maximum of 6. Well, life goes on. Features/Use: The lock responds to commands almost instantly, settings are easily accessible in the August app, and it's generally reliable. for a few days of my usage. The external keyboard is also quick and easy to read in the sun. Poor setup experience aside, I'm happy with the feature set and everyday use. The actual installation instructions for Yale/August: 1. Install the Yale lock using the PDF file from the website or the Bilt app. Set the master code on the lock.2. Install the August app.3. Create an account for August, then when adding a new device, scroll down to 'Set up blocking related to August'. Connect the August cartridge/module to the lock according to the instructions. Update the firmware, etc. according to the instructions during installation. Follow this process for Bluetooth access to the lock. This connects the cartridge that fits the lock to the lock itself.4. For a module that plugs into a wall, go to Setting up a new device and "Setting up a connection". Follow the instructions and don't be discouraged if it freezes/freezes during installation. Just try again or see if it worked even if there was an error. This should complete the installation.