This gadget turns your electronic lock into a smart lock

If you’ve got an old Yale smart lock and are thinking about upgrading to get some new features, you’re in luck. Yale has just introduced the Yale Access module, a small pin-based component that adds all the features that make the August smart locks great.

This component already existed in the United States as the Connected by August upgrade module, but August has decided to bring it to Europe by rebranding it under the Yale umbrella.

The new module gives Yale locks access to services like Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa, and lets you do things like remotely lock doors, as well as automatically unlocking doors when you arrive home. You can also hook into apps like AirBnB and HomeAway to give guests temporary access to your home.

Alongside the European launch, Yale is launching the Yale Connect app. This app is effectively a carbon copy of the existing August app with different branding and will exist alongside the existing August app. It allows you to change all the settings for your lock and give access to different people, as well as setting unique pin codes for different users. This way you can know who is entering your house at any given time.

Yale hasn’t announced pricing or availability for the Yale access module, but the August upgrade module costs $99 in the United States, so we can assume it won’t be more than that.

The Yale Connect app is available now from the Google Play store.