Got a gift card for the holidays, but don’t know what to spend it on? We’d suggest adding a smart lock to your connected home. Best Buy’s deal on the August Smart Lock Pro is a good one and not much more expensive than what we saw over the holidays. At just $179,
Impatient and want it now? You may be able to pick it up today. While some of our local stores were out of stock, most had enough of the silver version on hand to be able to guarantee pickup within an hour (if you’re looking for the black version, however, you might need to order it — availability is much more sparse there).
Best Buy’s deal also includes the August Connect Wi-Fi Bridge, an accessory that allows your Smart Lock to connect to other smart home devices via your Wi-Fi network. While you can get a cheaper version of the Smart Lock without it, we strongly recommend the Pro version as a smart lock is not as useful without some connectivity.
With that connectivity, you can use services like IFTTT to connect your lock to other smart home devices in your home, for example, turning on the lights in your home when the lock is disengaged, and so forth. The standard version limits you to using the August app to lock and unlock your doors, which we find a bit disappointing (and which is why we recommend the Pro instead).
The Pro version also includes both Zigbee support and, more importantly for Apple fans, HomeKit support. The standard Smart Lock has neither. It also has a smaller footprint overall (it replaces the deadbolt lock dial on your door), making it easier to mount in some cases, depending on where that lock is located.
With this impressive price cut, the August Smart Lock Pro is a better deal than ever for people looking to upgrade their home security and adopt additional smart home technology. Don’t wait too long, however, we’ve seen this price jump by as much as $20 to $30 over the past few days with little if any warning.
