REVIEWS / SMART LOCKS / AUGUST WIFI SMART LOCK (4TH GEN) UPDATED SEP 4, 2026 · 32 SOURCES

THE PRODUCT

August WiFi Smart Lock (4th Gen)

August WiFi Smart Lock (4th Gen)

Users and video commenters converge: solid auto-unlock and keyless life, but Wi-Fi-only Gen 4 drains batteries monthly — many prefer Gen 3 + bridge.

SMART LOCKS LOW CONFIDENCE

THE VERDICT

4.9

REALITY SCORE · OUT OF 10 · CONFIDENCE LOW

COMPOSED FROM

USERS 4.9 · 29 voices · 100%
CRITICS no published scores yet

SENTIMENT · 32 REVIEWS

+ 30% positive · 30% neutral − 40% negative

OUR VERDICT

WE DON'T RECOMMEND THIS
Score 4.9/10 — no affiliate link by editorial policy
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// Honest verdicts are the whole point. We only monetise products we'd actually recommend.

●25 YOUTUBE ●4 PRODUCTHUNT
USER● n=32
VIDEO● n=3
BRAND● AVAILABLE
INTERNET● n=0

AT A GLANCE · QUOTABLE

  • Rating: 4.9 / 10 (low confidence)
  • User voices: 32 across 2 platforms
  • Sentiment: 30% positive · 40% negative
  • Updated: Sep 3, 2026

GYIBB rates the August WiFi Smart Lock (4th Gen) 4.9/10 based on 32 user voices from 2 platforms. Confidence: low. Source: https://gyibb.com/smart-locks/august-wifi-smart-lock-4th-gen

⚠ LIMITED DATA Limited data: 7 comments, 25 videos. Consider as preliminary assessment.

BUY IF

Reliable auto-unlock reported (especially Gen 3 with bridge placed near lock)

  • + Physical key backup eases smart-lock anxiety; some users stopped carrying keys
  • + Keypad adds flexible entry for guests, family, and phoneless runs
  • + Home Assistant + NFC key integration described as fast and stable

SKIP IF

Battery drain: ~2x CR123 per month on Gen 4 per USER and VIDEO comments

  • − Gen 3 + Connect bridge reportedly outperforms Gen 4 on battery — users are downgrading
  • − Second-hand ownership transfer failure renders units 'an expensive paperweight'
  • − Connectivity breaks after router changes; guide says no remote operation over 5G

Where the layers disagree ⚡

6 CONTRADICTIONS DETECTED

USER + VIDEO converge (high confidence): 4th-gen battery drain is the single most repeated complaint — roughly monthly CR123 replacement (<1 month first set, ~5 weeks second, 2x CR123/4 weeks) across both layers.

VIDEO VS USER

USER layer internal split: Gen 3 + Connect bridge owners report battery life in years ('changed AA batteries once since 2018') vs. Gen 4 owners buying batteries monthly — a generational regression the USER comments attribute to Wi-Fi-only replacing low-power Z-Wave.

USER VS BRAND

VIDEO (6 Months Later) frames digging out a phone as everyday friction, while some USER comments report never carrying keys at all — the gap is explained by auto-unlock calibration, keypad ownership, or Home Assistant/NFC setup.

VIDEO VS USER

USER support experiences contradict each other: one user received a free Wi-Fi bridge for battery issues, while another calls August customer service 'terrible' over the second-hand ownership lockout.

USER VS BRAND

BRAND layer is empty: no official battery-life or connectivity claims exist in this dataset to verify against the documented Wi-Fi/5G/router-change breakage and drain reported by USER and VIDEO commenters.

BRAND VS VIDEO

DATA CONTAMINATION in USER layer: two ProductHunt comments praise an unrelated 'August' storytelling app and one discusses a Ring doorbell — excluded from sentiment.

USER VS BRAND

WHERE THEY AGREE +

+ Reliable auto-unlock reported (especially Gen 3 with bridge placed near lock)
+ Physical key backup eases smart-lock anxiety; some users stopped carrying keys
+ Keypad adds flexible entry for guests, family, and phoneless runs
+ Home Assistant + NFC key integration described as fast and stable
+ Temporary access codes useful for maintenance staff and rentals

WHERE THEY DON'T −

− Battery drain: ~2x CR123 per month on Gen 4 per USER and VIDEO comments
− Gen 3 + Connect bridge reportedly outperforms Gen 4 on battery — users are downgrading
− Second-hand ownership transfer failure renders units 'an expensive paperweight'
− Connectivity breaks after router changes; guide says no remote operation over 5G
− Isolated total lock failures (manual + app) reported after battery issues

Where the 32 sources came from

VIEW EVERY CITATION →
YOUTUBE
25
PRODUCTHUNT
4

The four realities of the August WiFi Smart Lock (4th Gen)

Most review sites collapse everything into one number. We keep the layers separate so you can see where reality bends.

01
USER
n=32 · 2 platforms

What actual buyers say

The dominant theme across user comments is battery drain on the 4th-gen Wi-Fi model. One user removed their 4th gen after roughly monthly battery purchases and reinstalled a 3rd-gen Pro; another reports the first battery set dying in under a month and the second in 5 weeks. A technically detailed comment explains why: the 3rd gen's Connect bridge uses Z-Wave (sub-GHz, low power), while the 4th gen relies on power-hungry Wi-Fi as its only radio — a quantified Best Buy-video comment adds '2 CR123 batteries every 4 weeks' and says they pulled three Gen 4 units in favor of old Gen 3 + Connect. By contrast, Gen 3 owners report multi-year battery life ('changed the AA batteries once since August 2018') and auto-unlock that 'works every single time', especially with the bridge placed close to the lock. Positive experiences cluster around: retaining the physical key as a safety net (one initially hesitant adopter now never carries keys), keypad flexibility for guests/family/runners, temporary codes for maintenance workers and rental turnover, and a Home Assistant + NFC-key integration described as fast and stable. Negatives beyond battery include: a lock that stopped responding both manually and via app following battery problems; a 3rd-gen Connect hub left flashing red after router and 5G changes, with the August guide indicating the lock doesn't work remotely over 5G; and a warning that second-hand units become 'an expensive paperweight' if the prior owner doesn't relinquish ownership, with poor support handling. One unresolved question: a landlord asking whether the lock works remotely cross-state in a building with no Wi-Fi. Data note: two ProductHunt comments praise an unrelated 'August' storytelling app (excluded), and one comment discusses a Ring doorbell (off-topic).
02
VIDEO
n=25 · YouTube

What reviewers showed on camera

Three reviews with substantial engagement. '6 Months Later' (300k subs, 223k views) is praised by commenters as 'one of the first' reviews to honestly address the friction of digging out a phone to unlock, and covered battery life 'off the bat' — its comment section confirms the same experience; one viewer says August support sent a free Wi-Fi bridge that 'helped extend battery life a bit', and another swapped back to a 3rd-gen Pro over monthly battery purchases. Best Buy Canada's product video (44.2k subs, 25k views) drew viewer pushback ('Why are you concerned with the wifi when the unit also works on bluetooth?') and contains the harshest data point — two CR123 batteries every 4 weeks — plus the second-hand ownership-trap warning. Safewise's 'Sneaky Smart Lock' review (22.9k subs, 13.7k views) attracted comments flatly recommending 'Buy version 3 well worth it' and measuring battery sets at <1 month and 5 weeks. Net pattern: reviewers showcase features, but their comment sections act as a long-term reliability panel that undercuts the 4th gen on battery economics and steers buyers toward Gen 3. Caveat: all excerpts are comment-dominated, so the reviewers' own verdicts are only partially visible.

August Wifi Smart Lock Review - 6 Months Later

6 Months Later · 222,873 views

"[comment] I live in South Korea and, here, keys are pretty much a think of the past. It has been 5 years now without carrying a key, and this is wonderful. I don't know why the electronic locks used here are not more popular everywhere. The…"

August Wi-Fi Smart Lock (4th Generation) Review

Best Buy Canada Product Videos · 25,445 views

"[comment] Why are you concerned with the wifi when the unit also works on bluetooth?! [comment] I dont get why you need or use a keypad if it has an auto lock / unlock feature ? Why not just program that and walk away? Or as you approach yo…"

August Wi-Fi 4th Gen Smart Lock Review | The Sneaky Smart Lock

Safewise.com · 13,737 views

"[comment] Buy version 3 well worth it [comment] Great lock, but battery life is absolutely terrible. First set of batteries lasted less than a month. Second set lasted a bit longer, but only 5 weeks. For the price, it needs to be better.…"

03
INTERNET
n=0 · review sites

What the press said

No aggregate ratings were found for this product during the last harvest.
04
BRAND
official source

What the brand says

no brand page found

The official brand page was not successfully scraped during the last harvest.
Visit Official Site →

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DATA SOURCES & AUDIT

25
YOUTUBE
4
PRODUCTHUNT
3
YOUTUBE VIDEOS

32 data points across 2 platforms, synthesized via GYIBB's Truth Engine and fact-checked against source data before publication.

CONFIDENCE: LOW · ANALYSED: SEPTEMBER 4, 2026 AT 12:02 AM · PROMPT V1.0 · READ METHODOLOGY →

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August WiFi Smart Lock (4th Gen)

GYIBB SCORE: 4.9/10

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