August Home announced August View, a wire-free, high-resolution video doorbell with two-way audio, motion detection, and free short-term video clip cloud storage. The August View is the company’s second doorbell product, joining the August Doorbell Cam Pro.
The August View video sensor streams and captures 1440p resolution video, 33 percent higher than 1080p full HD video, unique among battery-powered doorbells. Higher resolution means more pixels which potentially results in images with more detail and clarity. For example, Ring‘s best video doorbells and the August Doorbell Cam Pro all produce 1080p resolution. The Nest Hello video doorbell delivers 1,600 x 1,200 video, but its installation requires wiring.
Real-time motion detection sends an instant alert so users can talk with visitors. August Home told Digital Trends the doorbell’s sensitivity setting adjusts the distance of motion detection to avoid being triggered by activity on busy sidewalks, for example. You can also turn motion detection off.
The video doorbell’s camera is zoomable and has minimal fisheye distortion effect for even better clarity, according to August. The August View can pair with August Smart Locks so users can let visitors in and re-lock the door via the mobile app whether the user is in the next room or in another country.
Users can stream live video via the August View camera or recall and replay five-second video clips on their smartphones via the August app. The five-second preview video clips are stored for free in the cloud for one day for user access. Available August subscriptions keep video clips in the cloud for up to 15 or 30 days, depending on the plan.
More than 1.5 million customers use August door security products, so pairing the August Smart Locks with an August View video doorbell could be a no-brainer, especially for August app users because all devices share the same app.
Smart home device platform compatibility matters, especially with the Amazon Echo and Google Home platforms. In response to a query about compatibility, August Home emailed Digital Trends the following:
August remains committed to offering platform agnostic products. We are working with Google and Amazon and plan to have integrations with the Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa live once the View is available for purchase on March 28, 2019. We continue to work with Apple to explore integration opportunities with our doorbell cameras.
So it looks like you will be able to use Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant voice commands to control the August View, but not Siri. It’s not yet clear whether Amazon and Google integration will include smart display video streaming and the same level of access control with August Smart Locks as with the August app. The August Doorbell Cam Pro supports both Amazon Echo including video streaming to smart displays and Google Home devices for commands, alerts, and 2-way talk. Digital Trends asked for and will update this article when we receive more specifics about August View compatibility with Amazon and Google platforms.
August Home told Digital Trends users can expect three to six months of battery life per charge, based on typical use. The doorbell will send user alerts as the battery begins to run low. You’ll have to remove the battery for charging, which August says is easy. Spare batteries will be available for fast swapping.
The August View measures 1.8-inches wide by 5.2-inches tall by 1.3-inches deep. For comparison, the Ring Video Doorbell 2 is 2.5-inches by 5.05-inches by 1.08-inches (WHD) and the Ring Video Doorbell Pro is 1.85-inches by 4.5-inches by 0.8-inches (HWD. The Nest Hello measures 1.7-inches by 4.6-inches by 1.0-inches (HWD). The August Doorbell Cam Pro is a 2.9-inch square.
The August View’s narrow profile width, 0.7-inches slimmer than the Ring Video Doorbell 2 and roughly comparable to the Ring Video Doorbell Pro and Nest Hello, can make installation easier on the door frame in tight entrance areas.
The August View comes with everything you need in the box, including the video doorbell, a separate wireless chime, rechargeable battery, MicroUSB cable, and the free August app. In addition to the standard black faceplate, four metal and three color faceplates will also be available as options.
The August View lists for $230 including the wireless chime. In comparison, the Ring Video Doorbell 2 and Ring Video Doorbell Pro list for $199 and $249 respectively and the Nest Hello lists for $229, though none of these come with a wireless chime. The August Doorbell Cam Pro lists for $200.
The August View will be available March 28 on August.com and at major retailers.
