Pawning off your household chores to a stranger is about to get even easier.
August, the company behind the Smart Lock, on Wednesday introduced Access, a new platform designed to give you more peace of mind when letting service providers enter your home when you’re not there. The company also unveiled a new lineup of products to go along with the new platform, including an Apple HomeKit-enabled Smart Lock, Smart Keypad, and Doorbell Cam.
“We imagine you coming home to a sparkling clean house, with the pesky leak under the sink fixed, groceries delivered and in the fridge, and the dog walked — giving you a life that is more simple and secure,” August wrote in a blog post.
Available now in beta, the August Access platform lets you find service providers like dog walkers and home repair techs via the August app for iOS and Android, and then control and monitor the job from afar. Early partners include Sears, Postmates, Pro.com, Handy, Fetch, Shyp, BloomNation, Envoy, Rinse, HelloAlfred, Wag!, Pillow, and Doorman.
These service providers will be able to enter your home via the August Smart Lock, and you’ll be informed every step of the way with real-time notifications. With the new August Doorbell Cam, you can even see who’s at the door, and speak to them before you provide access. This means you’ll never have to miss work to let the handyman in again.
“Our Sears technicians visit more than 14 million homes each year to install, maintain, and repair homes and appliances,” Ryan Ciovacco, president of consumer electronics and connected solutions at Sears, said in a statement. “By teaming up with August, we provide our Members with the ability to securely open their doors to our trusted technicians — without having to be home or worry about appointment windows.”
August is also releasing three new products to work with the new Access platform, including an upgraded, $229 Smart Lock that integrates with Apple’s Siri to let you lock, unlock, or check the status of your door with your voice. A $79 Smart Keypad, meanwhile, works alongside the lock, offering easier access without a smartphone or traditional key. With the Keypad, friends, family members, or service providers can use a unique code to enter your home either just once or on the regular.
Finally, the $199 Doorbell Cam lets you see and speak with visitors at the door from anywhere. It can even detect motion and capture images of people at the door when they don’t ring the bell.
The Access platform is available today for all August Smart Lock customers. The new Smart Lock, Keypad, and Doorbell Cam are available for pre-order now. The existing August Smart Lock is also now available for $199.