August Home is best known for its line of smart locks, but the company also has a presence in the video doorbell space, including the August Doorbell Cam Pro that we reviewed in early 2018. August is now taking another crack at the market with the all-new August View.
Unlike its previous efforts, the August View will be battery powered and completely wireless. This will make the product more appealing to DIYers and those millions of homeowners who homes don’t have an existing doorbell and the low-voltage wiring that goes with it. The new product will also come with faceplates in nine colors.
August is ditching the chunky square form factor it has used in the past in favor of taller and narrower industrial design that’s more in line with the competition from Ring, Nest, and others. Users will be able to access a live video stream with two-way audio, so they can see and speak with a visitor at the door, and they’ll have access to five-second video clips that will be stored in the cloud for 24 hours without needing to sign up for a subscription plan.
The August View promises higher resolution than most video doorbells—1440p—from a lens that’s designed to minimize fisheye distortion. The high-resolution video will allow users to zoom in on faces and to focus on fine details.
Needless to say, the August View will be compatible with all August and Connected by August smart door locks. August says it will also be compatible with smart speakers and smart displays, such as the Amazon Echo Show, Google Home, and Apple HomePod.
The new video doorbell is expected to be available for $229.99 at August.com and at select national retailers beginning on March 28, 2019.
Author: Jason D'Aprile, Contributor
Jason D'Aprile is a freelance writer with over 30 years of experience covering consumer technology for a variety of sites and magazines. His focus has been on both entertainment technology and media and a wide variety of smart home and mobile devices, especially high-tech thermostats, cell phones, wearables, and other assorted products. He resides in a relatively secluded home in West Virginia.