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Review on πŸ”’ August Wi-Fi Smart Lock (4th Gen) – Simple Installation on Your Current Deadbolt, Sleek Silver Design by Brian Rogel

Revainrating 4 out of 5

Like the smaller size! Be careful with 5GHz WiFi networks that share the SSID with 2.4GHz

I had the 3rd gen of this smart lock and bought the 4th gen as soon as it was in became available in August. In my opinion, the smaller size is much more comfortable and feels less "clunky" and out of place. I also like the simpler built-in Wi-Fi support and not having to run a separate Connect Bridge nearby. I also have the August smart keyboard from my 3rd gen setup and it still works with my new lock. Overall I love my August 4th generation lock and it looks great. However, I had a hard time adding this new 4th gen to my home Wi-Fi network. Like some other IoT devices, the August lock only works on 2.4GHz and doesn't like it when you're running 5GHz with the same SSID as 2.4GHz. In my experience, this problem only occurs during connection. Once you have successfully connected these IoT devices to your 2.4GHz network, they can coexist and work normally on 5GHz by sharing the SSID. I use a Netgear Orbi AX mesh system, which comes standard and really likes having two WiFi networks with the same SSID. This prevented the 4th of August lockdown from connecting to my home WiFi no matter what I tried (including changing security settings, trying out the guest network, temporarily hiding the 5GHz network, reducing the 5GHz power to 25%). Oddly, I remember having similar issues when I first connected the 3rd gen Connect, but then my workarounds worked and it connected. I was finally able to telnet my 4th gen to my Orbi AX and turn off the 5GHz radio. After it connected successfully I re-enabled 5Ghz and now everything is working. However, I am concerned that other August customers with similar 5GHz WiFi settings may have problems and are technically unable to resolve initial WiFi connection issues if their 5GHz network uses the same SSID used as 2.4GHz.

Pros
  • Great for a small house
Cons
  • Long delivery time