Designer invents August smart door lock for use with iPhone [Full text]
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August Smart Lock for iPhone
August smart lock is used with iPhone. When the homeowner approaches the door, August recognizes the phone via Bluetooth and unlocks it automatically. August automatically locks the door when the owner enters the room. August’s app also offers a range of controls, such as sharing digital keys with family or friends. In addition, the app can also keep track of who entered the room and when they entered the room.
When August was released in May, Bihar and Johnson had full confidence in their smart locks. The reason was obvious - it was better and cheaper than traditional locks and smart locks on the market.
Kevo door locks developed jointly by Kwikset and Unikey, a well-known American lock factory, are more expensive and cost about US$250. Last year, Lockitron, which successfully raised funds through the crowdfunding model, is cheaper than August, but it must be connected to the iPhone via Wi-Fi. This means that Lockitron door locks cannot be opened if there is a power outage or the indoor Wi-Fi peripheral loses connection. .
In contrast, August's Bluetooth connection to the iPhone is more reliable and uses less power. In addition, August can be installed without modifying the door, and it only requires two AA batteries to work long term. After the battery is exhausted, the door can be opened with a spare key.
Bihar has repeatedly emphasized its ease of use when launching August: "You don't have to connect to DSL or Wi-Fi. You don't have to use anything. It can be done by yourself. Our goal is to make it easy for everyone to use this. a system, not just technology enthusiasts."
This alone is not enough, they are still trying to ensure that August's security - the root of a door lock. Jason Johnson said that they even hired a professional unlocking company to crack the August smart lock, hoping that it could be fully tested before going public.
After the product was released, Bihar and Johnson had been busy preparing funds. Not long ago, they received a $8 million investment from Maverson, and venture capital agencies such as Cowboy Ventures and Industry Ventures were involved in the investment, which resulted in a total of $10 million in investment.
This will accelerate August's progress. Their main problem is that there are too few people - at the moment they only have 10 full-time employees and 10 contractors. This financing will be used to recruit more employees who will consider increasing the number of employees in the engineering and sales teams in order to accelerate the pace of product development and expand sales channels.
Since the May release of the product, Bihar and Johnson are still working hard to develop offline sales channels. However, they are reluctant to disclose established sales partners. Johnson said that they will announce a list of specific sales partners after everything is finalized.
When it comes to the thermostat manufacturer Nest, Johnson said that this hardware vendor belonging to the same smart home device gave them a good start. Before entering the large-scale shopping malls, the Nest thermostats were sold on general electronic product counters and stalls, and they gradually transferred to large counters after they had grown in size. Johnson said that August will use a similar sales approach after its listing.