BEWARE: This is NOT meant to add, or detract, from the review…it is meant PURELY as an “informative” statement. Yale Lock Manufacturing, a subsidiary of Yale & Towne, was sold to Assa Abloy in 2000. Additionally, August Home was purchased by Assa Abloy in 2017. This matters for a very particular reason. If you have a problem with one half of the product (say, the August Home module), and August support refuses to help you, you can’t contact Yale’s support department to inform them of the situation…because the two different support phone numbers go to the EXACT SAME support department. Unfortunately, while their support is handled by a single department, warranty-related matters, such as replacing a defective component (in my case, the August Module), are handled by ... MoreBEWARE: This is NOT meant to add, or detract, from the review…it is meant PURELY as an “informative” statement. Yale Lock Manufacturing, a subsidiary of Yale & Towne, was sold to Assa Abloy in 2000. Additionally, August Home was purchased by Assa Abloy in 2017. This matters for a very particular reason. If you have a problem with one half of the product (say, the August Home module), and August support refuses to help you, you can’t contact Yale’s support department to inform them of the situation…because the two different support phone numbers go to the EXACT SAME support department. Unfortunately, while their support is handled by a single department, warranty-related matters, such as replacing a defective component (in my case, the August Module), are handled by separate departments, complicating matters.UNBOXING, AND INITIAL IMPRESSIONS:Everything comes packaged inside a box which contains two other boxes, one containing the lock, and the other containing the August Home items. Everything is well packaged, and well organized. In short, Yale/August has done an excellent job in their packaging.INSTALLATION:Installation is divided into two parts – installing the Yale lock, followed by installing & connecting the August module via the August app (for those with Google Home & Alexa accounts, you link your August account AFTER everything else is completed). Installation of the Yale lock is pretty straightforward…as long as your door already has a 2-1/8” hole. If your door is a newer one, chances are, you’ll already have a 2-1/8” hole for your current deadbolt. However, if you have an older door (as I have), then you might have a 1.5” hole, which means you’ll need to cut a larger hole (most home improvement stores have kits to do this, such as the Milwaukee Hole Dozer), or have it professionally done. Once you have the correct size hole (and have removed the previous deadbolt, if applicable), installation of the Yale lock, itself, is extremely simple, and something you should be able to complete in less than 10 (possibly less than 5) minutes. The ‘installation’ process for the August module is a simple plug-and-play matter…unfortunately, that’s when the problems began.SETUP:As with installation, set-up also consists of two parts – setting up the Yale lock, followed by setting up the “Connect by August”. The first part is extremely simple, as long as you follow the instructions that come with the lock. Setting your ‘master’ code can take less than 10 seconds, while setting ‘user’ codes takes 5-10 seconds. Accessing other areas of the locks menu system can take a little longer, such as enabling Network Access, but it’s recommended to set these things before proceeding with the ‘Connect by August’ part of the setup.Unfortunately, this is where I ran in a serious problem…SO serious, in fact, that it caused a COMPLETE failure on the August side of things. As I type this sentence, my deadbolt is no smarter than your typical deadbolt with a bush-button access. During the connection process, which is done entirely through the August app on your phone, among the first steps is a firmware check, and, if the August Module, or Yale lock, has an older firmware, it performs a firmware update…or, should I say, you HOPE it completes said update. In my case, there was an update for the lock, and it must failed, which, in-turn, corrupted the August Module, making it COMPLETELY useless. I won’t go into an extended diatribe, providing a point-by-point of all that happened…to keep it short, after several phone calls, a replacement was finally shipped, which I am waiting on.Ok…replacement August module received, plugged in, app reset, and lock reset (yes, you have to reset BOTH the app, and the lock), followed by programming (again) the master code. Once the lock had the master code reprogrammed, I went about connecting (more like “pairing”, via the app) the August Module to the lock. This time around, everything worked. The app walks you though every step. Once everything’s connected, you can send “invites” to your family members, either assigning a randomly-selected code, or manually setting codes (either way, the recipient of the “invite” can set his/her own code. At this point, you’re good to go…unless you want to enable any advanced features (auto-lock, auto-unlock, notifications, etc), all of which are fairly simple, and quick, to set up. However, before enabling them, you will need to add another device, the August Connect (included), into the configuration. As with the August Module, the app walks you through everything.ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:Although I have yet to link them, you can link your August account to your Google Home, Alexa, or Apple Siri account (if you have more than one, take note that you can ONLY connect the August account to one of them). Once connected, I assume you can give verbal commands to lock/unlock the Yale lock, as well as other lock-related commands. However, I can no state what commands, exactly, will work, for, again, I have not yet linked my accounts. I am adding additional functionality through the August app, one function at a time (as suggested/recommended by August support), so as to first make certain everything works. So far, I have set up notifications, and enabled auto-unlock…and, so far, everything is fantastic.THE GOOD:Once properly set up, and configured, everything works extremely well. The (updated version of the) app is well-designed, and simple to operate. The lock, itself, is extremely easy to install, and can be done in under 10 minutes. As long as the August Module isn’t defective (as my first one was), getting the module connected via the app, as well as all of the initial settings, can also be completed in less than 10 minutes.THE BAD:Support – While combining Yale Lock, and August Home, support into a single department, it simplifies, as well as complicates mattersReset button – The reset button is only accessible by removing the entire back half of the lock mechanism (held in place, to the door plate, by three bolts), which you can only do by removing the two outermost batteries first. A smarter/better design would have been to have the reset button located under the battery cover, accessible without having to remove the entire unit from the inside of the door. Additionally, resetting the unit requires removing the batteries twice, once to remove the unit from the door & to reset the unit, and again to reinstall the unit to the door.THE UGLY:Nothing that I’ve been able to determine, so far.FINAL THOUGHTS:I rarely give a 5-star rating, typically giving 4-star ratings, saving 5-star reviews for “the best”. Despite the problems I encountered, this could happen with anything, as there will always be ‘lemons’. The Yale Lock with Connect by August is, truly, an outstanding product, and one I can highly recommend. There are several other companies producing smart deadbolts, but Yale is not only a well-known company, but a well-respected one to boot. They’ve been making door locks for over 100 years, and is known to be not only one of the best, but also one of the most secure. If you’re in the market for a smart deadbolt, you can’t go wrong with this one. Even though the 226 (this model) is older than their 256 model, I would recommend getting this one. While the 256 is newer, and has a better-designed reset button, it lacks a physical key. If the battery dies, you could find yourself locked out. With the Yale Real Living Assure Lock Touchscreen (model 226), you’ll never have to worry about that.Disclaimer: This product was provided free, or at reduced cost, for the purpose of reviewing the product. Nevertheless, the above review, be it positive, negative, or somewhere in-between, is a 100% honest review, and the price paid played absolutely no part in my review.

I’ve been doing smart home stuff for over a decade now, and smart deadbolts are something that I never really thought I would do. The early days of IoT smart home devices were littered with poor security, easily hacked, and only semi reliable. Those days have changed, even if the devices in question can still be a bit spotty at times. Enter Yale and August, and interesting partnership that yields a mostly winning combination.First of all the Yale lock is a YRD226, which is an excellent lock with a touch screen keypad that is great. I can tell you from experience, that after a couple of years, button keypad locks will show the locking code most used and fade, while this touchscreen feels like it will last for a long long time. The backlight is easy to see in all ... MoreI’ve been doing smart home stuff for over a decade now, and smart deadbolts are something that I never really thought I would do. The early days of IoT smart home devices were littered with poor security, easily hacked, and only semi reliable. Those days have changed, even if the devices in question can still be a bit spotty at times. Enter Yale and August, and interesting partnership that yields a mostly winning combination.First of all the Yale lock is a YRD226, which is an excellent lock with a touch screen keypad that is great. I can tell you from experience, that after a couple of years, button keypad locks will show the locking code most used and fade, while this touchscreen feels like it will last for a long long time. The backlight is easy to see in all but direct sun, and has audible feedback to let you know when it’s active, and responding to a touch. The Assurance Lock system from Yale is a bit interesting, and takes a bit to get used to. You can program different lock codes, change languages, and all sorts of options. The manual even goes into a workflow chart that would scare all but the most PMP certified individuals. Luckily almost all these settings are accessible through the smart module. The YRD226 is powered by 4 AA batteries which are included. I really appreciate this over my old lock’s 9V. I’m going to use the original 4 batteries till death, and then replace them with lithium energizer AA’s and probably forget about it for a few years.Interestingly Yale’s Assurance system has a modular slot where different modules, potentially different technologies can be supported. Here the included module is a device that connects to the August bridge WiFi adapter which enables the August smart phone app, Alexa, and Google Assistant integrations. I believe this all works by using a bluetooth connection from the lock itself to the WiFi bridge. The bridge then connects to your WiFi and is able to control the lock. For security reasons, there are certain features and configurations that Yale/August only allow via a direct bluetooth connection. Basic locking/unlocking and custom code generation however can all occur via the app remotely, which is where most of your day to day use cases will be. The partnership with Yale here allows more a more traditional lock brand that might not look as trending as August’s first party products, but nonetheless provides a solid deadbolt.Smart wise, I had nothing but success with Alexa and the app locking, unlocking, and checking the status of the lock. The operation is always fast, and reliable via the WiFi bridge. Siri/Homekit integration is where this broke down for me. The lock is far enough away from my AppleTV that bluetooth control from it isn’t possible, therefore Siri integration only works if I’m physically close to the lock itself, which is a bit of a bummer. Even then it seems flakey, which is probably more of a factor of my installation location on a metal door. For my use cases, Homekit integration, while nice, is almost useless.One of the big selling features of August, is that you can integrate with their other devices. In this case, an August doorbell would be ideally paired with a lock like this allowing you to react to a visitor and seamlessly open the door for them. Unfortunately I don’t have their doorbell (yet), but never fear, the utility of this lock goes beyond just remotely opening it. My favorite feature is the ability to provision, share, and manage codes for guests. We’ve had a keypad deadbolt in the past, and it’s too much trouble to manage separate codes given the built in programming. The August app/system allows me to easily create, and share a code via text with family when they visit. They then have their own unique code they can reference right from their phone, which is amazing.If anyone is intimidated by installation of this lock, I would recommend spending a bit of time just tearing apart your existing deadbolt. Once you get past the first screws, the whole lock makes total sense mechanically, and you realize your door has basically a hole in it with a conduite to the doorframe that the deadbolt itself rests in. The Yale lock adds a bit of heft compared to a normal deadbolt, but it took me maybe 10 minutes total to install. I was only slowed down by the subframe which was an extra step compared to my old lock. The picture based installation manual could have used some descriptive text at places, but overall it's a one time process that took about 10 seconds of real thought. I had to play with the strike plate just a bit, but honestly it just took a few minutes of adjusting. There is a dance you must do to get the module activated, but luckily the app walks you through it.Overall the YRD226 is a great lock, and the August module/software seems to be a real winner, bringing great connectivity to the lock. Homekit was a bit of a letdown, but the positives far outweigh that negative to me (Siri control of my home is still a pipedream due to Apple’s v1 approach causing most devices to just plane not work, or suck - hopefully their opening of the platform up will help long term). I love the battery choice, the modular add in, and the smooth installation process. Overall as long as you aren’t relying on Homekit (and if you are and your installation location is relatively close to your iPad or Apple TV controller then things might be much better) then you’ll love this lock. The WiFi based integrations and App were super solid, and Alexa worked great once I setup the required voice code and enabled voice lock.

So far I really like this smart lock and it's features! The battery life of approximately 1 year is great. I control this smart lock with the August app and also have it linked with the Samsung Smartthings hub for home automation. The doorsense feature that let's you know the door is open or closed is brilliant and very useful. Just be advised that you must drill a hole in the doorframe to mount the doorsense sensor so you can't see it. There is the option of mounting the doorsense sensor externally as well. The auto unlock feature is handy, just be advised that it seems to use the phones location allot (likely draining the smart phone battery more quickly) If you go near the door and don't open the door promptly when in range (you have auto lock enabled) it will ... MoreSo far I really like this smart lock and it's features! The battery life of approximately 1 year is great. I control this smart lock with the August app and also have it linked with the Samsung Smartthings hub for home automation. The doorsense feature that let's you know the door is open or closed is brilliant and very useful. Just be advised that you must drill a hole in the doorframe to mount the doorsense sensor so you can't see it. There is the option of mounting the doorsense sensor externally as well. The auto unlock feature is handy, just be advised that it seems to use the phones location allot (likely draining the smart phone battery more quickly) If you go near the door and don't open the door promptly when in range (you have auto lock enabled) it will simply lock again without warning. I would have gave this lock 5 stars but I've had 2 issues. Number 1, the Bluetooth range from the connect module to the smart lock is very poor. I have the connect module plugged in less then 10 feet away from the smart lock as recommended, but the Bluetooth signal strength is poor to bad which is a concern to me. Even switching power outlets does not seem to help and I do not have a power outlet right next to the door. However, it still works and I guess that's what matters. Number 2, The one touch locking is very sensitive, if you accidentally brush against it while the door is open it will lock and if you are closing the door the deadbolt will slam hard into the doorframe. Not cool! If they could only use doorsense with one touch locking to ensure the door was closed before locking this problem would be solved. Overall, I highly recommend this smart lock, you won't be disappointed with your purchase!