How to Fix Failed August Smart Home Integrations
One of the best features of an August Smart Lock is its ability to integrate with smart home ecosystems like Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, and Apple HomeKit. This allows you to lock your door, check its status, and include it in routines using just your voice. However, it can be incredibly frustrating when this integration fails, leaving your smart lock disconnected from the rest of your smart home.
Most integration problems are not caused by the lock itself, but by the communication link between the lock and your smart home hub. This guide will help you troubleshoot and resolve the most common causes of integration failure.
Common Symptoms of a Failed Integration
You'll know there's a problem with the connection if you experience any of the following:
- Alexa or Google Assistant responds with "The device is unresponsive" or "Sorry, it looks like August isn't available right now."
- Your August Lock does not appear at all in the Alexa, Google Home, or Apple Home apps.
- Voice commands to lock or check the door status fail to work, even though you can still control the lock via the August app.
- The August Connect Wi-Fi Bridge shows a connectivity error or flashes an error light.
- When trying to link your August account in a smart home app, you receive an "authentication failed" or "linking failed" error.
Step-by-Step Troubleshooting for Integration Issues
The key to smart home integration is the August Connect Wi-Fi Bridge (or a built-in Wi-Fi connection on newer locks). This device acts as a translator, bridging the lock's Bluetooth signal to your home's Wi-Fi network so your smart speakers can communicate with it.
1. Check Your August Connect Wi-Fi Bridge
Problems with the Connect bridge are the #1 cause of integration failures.
- Check its Status: Open the August app and check the signal strength for your Connect. It needs a strong signal to both your Wi-Fi router and your August Smart Lock.
- Optimal Placement: The Connect must be plugged into a power outlet within Bluetooth range of the lock (typically 10-15 feet) AND have a good Wi-Fi signal from your router. If it's too far from either one, the connection will be unreliable.
- Reboot the Connect: Unplug the Connect from the wall, wait for a minute, and plug it back in. Wait a few minutes for it to fully reconnect to your Wi-Fi and the lock, then test the integration again.
2. Verify Your Wi-Fi Network
Changes to your home network can break the connection.
- Network Name or Password Change: If you have recently changed your Wi-Fi network's name (SSID) or password, you must re-configure the August Connect. You can do this in the August app under the Connect's settings.
- Check Your Router: Ensure your Wi-Fi router is powered on and connected to the internet. A simple reboot of your router can often solve temporary glitches.
- 2.4 GHz Network: The August Connect bridge only works on the 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi band. If you have a dual-band router, ensure the 2.4 GHz band is enabled and that the Connect is linked to it.
3. Re-link the Smart Home Skill or Service
Sometimes the authentication token between August and your smart home provider expires or becomes corrupted. Refreshing this link is often the solution.
For Amazon Alexa:
- Open the Alexa app.
- Go to 'More' -> 'Skills & Games' -> 'Your Skills'.
- Find the 'August Home' skill and select it.
- Tap 'Disable Skill' and confirm.
- Tap 'Enable To Use' and sign back in with your August account credentials to re-link the service.
For Google Assistant:
- Open the Google Home app.
- Tap 'Settings' -> 'Works with Google'.
- Find 'August' in your list of linked services.
- Select it and tap 'Unlink account'.
- Go back and add a new service, search for August, and sign in to your account to re-link it.
4. Check the August App
Finally, ensure everything is set up correctly within the August app itself.
- Remote Access: Confirm that you can lock and unlock your door from the August app when you are away from home (i.e., disconnected from your home Wi-Fi). If remote access doesn't work, your Connect bridge is not properly configured, and this must be fixed before any smart home integration will work.
By systematically checking the connection from the lock to the bridge, and from the bridge to your smart home, you can quickly diagnose and fix the source of the integration failure.