Yale Keypad Touch brings August smart locks to 2024 with a fingerprint upgrade
Four and a half years. That’s the age of the August WiFi Smart Lock; the most recent product from the San-Francisco lock maker. That's also how long smart homes dependent on August retrofit locks have had to wait for a fingerprint unlocking option.
Enter the Yale Keypad Touch. This new wireless accessory from August's sister company Yale, brings one-touch unlock to compatible retrofit smart locks. Non-retrofit locks such as those from Aqara have in-built keypads and so they have no need for this sort o companion gadget. But for August locks, this is a long-awaited upgrade. Homeowners using an August Smart Lock, Smart Lock Pro or the WiFi Smart Lock can breathe a sigh of relief.
Like the Yale Smart Keypad which originally brought keycode access and one-touch locking to August locks, the Yale Keypad Touch connects via Bluetooth and can be installed with screws or adhesives on any surface within 30 feet. Yale also boasts of 7 months of battery life, an IPx5 rating and the ability to store up to 250 trackable access codes with via the app. When used alongside a WiFi connected smart lock, the Keypad Touch also allows remote unlocking. It effectively replaces most passcode companion gadgets typically used in tandem with Yale and August smart locks and goes a step further to include biometric access.
At $109.99 on August's website, the wireless keypad + fingerprint accessory does not come cheap. Nevertheless it is currently offered on Yale's Amazon page at a discount, although still considerably more expensive than the $60 Smart Keypad used with most August locks. There is also a keycode-only version of the Yale Keypad for $69.99 – but that comes without the fingerprint scanner.
For homeowners who want a new smart lock, Yale is also bundling the Keypad Touch with the new Yale Approach Lock for $229.99. This lock, like August's, is a retrofit product, which lets you keep your existing external door handle but comes with the usual caveats: bulkiness and lack of a built-in keypad. Yet, Yale has managed to limit the thickness of the lock to 1.6 inches while maintaining a less visually distracting profile.
August's WiFi Smart Lock also sports a premium design and ease of installation. Despite being over four years old, it still holds its own today among recent home security options. And coupling with the Yale Keypad Touch makes this smart lock even smarter.
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