August Home

August Home
Name	August Home, Inc.
Type	Private
Industry	Smart home, Access control, Security
Founded	2012
Founders	Jason Johnson, Yves Behar, John Falco
Headquarters	San Francisco, California, United States
Key people	Jason Johnson (CEO)
Products	Smart locks, Video doorbells, Accessories, Mobile apps
Owners	Assa Abloy (majority stakeholder)
Website	august.com

August Home

August Home is a consumer technology company specializing in smart lock hardware and connected home access systems. The company develops Internet of Things products that integrate with mobile platforms, voice assistants, and home automation ecosystems. Its offerings focus on retrofit smart locks, doorbell cameras, and cloud services designed for residential and multifamily properties.

History

Founded in 2012 by entrepreneurs and designers including Jason Johnson, Yves Behar, and John Falco, the company emerged amid rapid expansion in the Internet of things and smart home markets. Early milestones included seed funding from venture capital firms active in Silicon Valley and partnerships with hardware incubators associated with Y Combinator and Andreessen Horowitz-backed startups. Product launches occurred during major trade shows such as CES and drew coverage from technology outlets including The Verge, Wired (magazine), and TechCrunch. In the mid-2010s, strategic investments and acquisitions in the access control sector led to a change in ownership structure culminating in a majority stake purchase by the multinational lockmaker Assa Abloy.

Products

The company's product line centers on retrofit smart deadbolts that work with existing lock hardware, companion smart doorbells, and accessory modules. Flagship devices include a turn-style retrofit lock designed to attach to an interior deadbolt thumbturn, as well as a video doorbell offering two-way audio and motion detection. The firm also supplies Wi‑Fi bridges, keypad attachments, and smart sensors to extend functionality for platforms from Apple, Google, and Amazon (company). Mobile applications for iOS and Android (operating system) enable remote access, digital key sharing, and activity logs, while firmware updates are distributed over-the-air.

Technology and Security

Core technologies encompass Bluetooth Low Energy, Z-Wave, and proprietary cloud APIs for authentication and device management, with some products using Wi‑Fi via an Internet bridge. Integration partners include voice platforms such as Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, and Apple HomeKit support through specific hardware certification programs. Security architecture combines local token-based unlocking with cloud-mediated access control, encrypted communication channels, and rolling access codes. The company has engaged independent testing labs and followed industry standards from organizations like Zigbee Alliance and Bluetooth SIG; however, products in the sector have faced scrutiny from researchers affiliated with universities such as University of Michigan and Carnegie Mellon University for potential vulnerabilities in IoT devices.

Business and Partnerships

Commercial strategies included consumer retail distribution through specialty retailers and e-commerce channels, as well as partnerships with property management platforms and device ecosystems. Collaborations involved integrations with smart home platforms like SmartThings, collaboration with door hardware manufacturers including Kwikset, and interoperability efforts with hospitality and short‑term rental services such as Airbnb for guest access workflows. Corporate relationships expanded following investment by European access control conglomerates, enabling supply chain scale-up and cross-licensing with corporate divisions of Yale (brand) and other established lock manufacturers.

Reception and Criticism

Product reviews from technology publications including CNET, Engadget, and PCMag generally praised usability, retrofitting convenience, and mobile app features, while noting tradeoffs in battery life and range. Consumer feedback aggregated on retail platforms and forums such as Reddit highlighted ease of installation but raised concerns about long-term firmware support and interoperability across evolving smart home standards. Security researchers and industry analysts debated cloud dependence versus local-only control; incidents in the wider IoT sector reported by outlets like Krebs on Security contributed to scrutiny of remote access features and data telemetry practices.

Corporate Governance and Ownership

The company operated as a venture-backed private entity with an executive team led by founders and later CEOs, overseen by a board including venture partners and industry executives. Following strategic transactions, control shifted toward multinational lockmaker Assa Abloy, which assumed majority ownership while retaining a degree of independent product development. Corporate governance practices reflect norms among Silicon Valley hardware startups transitioning into divisions within legacy industrial conglomerates, involving cross-licensing, intellectual property consolidation, and coordination with global manufacturing units in regions such as Shenzhen.

Category:Smart home companies Category:Companies based in San Francisco