August Doorbell Updated Motion Detection Feature

The August doorbell is one of the most popular first-generation smart doorbells available, mainly because it was the first one to feature on-demand streaming and 1280×960 HD video quality, a rarity back when it was released in early 2016.

Let us have a quick look at the August Doorbell and its key features.

What is The August Doorbell?

Here are some of the key features of the August Doorbell:

  • Modern and Futuristic Design – This is a matter of preference, but those who likes futuristic and serious designs on their smart home products will dig the look of the August Doorbell. Nevertheless, like it or not, the look might be the first thing you will notice from the August Doorbell.
  • 1280×960 HD Video Quality – You might notice that it is a 4:3 widescreen resolution, which is rather an odd choice in a world where the 16:9 aspect is a more popular choice, especially for video viewing. However, it is still arguably better than 720p resolution offered by most of its competitor.
  • Integration to August Smartlock – The August Smartlock is also one of the most popular smart door bolt products available, and the native integration is very nice.
  • On-Demand Streaming – August was one of the first smart doorbells that offer an on-demand streaming feature, and it is definitely a major selling point.
  • 140-Degree Viewing Angle – The very wide field of vision is also a very nice feature to have, and it is among the widest in the business.
  • Intuitive app – August offers one of the best smartphone apps for smart doorbells. It is very intuitive, easy to use, and you can tweak almost anything you need straight from the app.

Issues of the August Doorbell

Yet, there are several major downsides found on the August doorbell. For instance, one of the first things you might notice from the August Doorbell is the rather nice and modern design. However, the size of the doorbell of 2.9 inches wide and 2.9 inches tall will not fit many door frames, considering it is a hard-wired doorbell.

Another issue is that you can only use the August Doorbell with a traditional mechanical chime. You will not be able to use it with digital chime or intercoms, and August didn’t provide a digital adapter to tackle this issue.As mentioned, the 4:3 video resolution is a rather odd choice, and some of us might not be comfortable with it. However, one of the biggest downsides

As mentioned, the 4:3 video resolution is a rather odd choice, and some of us might not be comfortable with it. However, one of the biggest downsides back, when it was released, was the exclusion of the motion detection feature and cloud video storage.
The good news is, the motion detection feature and the cloud storage was finally added to the August app. So, here we will discuss the integration of the motion sensor itself, and take a look at how it fares with its competitors.

Motion Detection on August Doorbell

The update for motion detection is completely free, so it is definitely a good news for those who already owned an August Doorbell. The cloud storage service is not free, currently priced at $4.99 monthly, but there is a 30-day free trial if you are interested.

So, how good is the added motion detection? We are glad to inform you that it is pretty decent. The updated app allows you to adjust the sensitivity of the sensor to prevent false alarms. This is a rather useful feature especially if you have a lot of pets or other animals in your neighborhood. The ‘alarm’ is also rather smart, when the August Doorbell detects an intruder, the speaker will play a sound emulating traffic like a car horn or ice cream truck. This is a unique feature we only found so far on the August Doorbell, so it is definitely a nice feature to have. This feature was a bit problematic when it was released, but it was addressed since then and now it works perfectly.

The ‘alarm’ is also rather smart, when the August Doorbell detects an intruder, the speaker will play a sound emulating traffic like a car horn or ice cream truck. This is a unique feature we only found so far on the August Doorbell, so it is definitely a nice feature to have. This feature was a bit problematic when it was released, but it was addressed since then and now it works perfectly.

Bottom Line

With the addition of cloud storage system and motion detection feature, two of the biggest issues of the August Doorbell in the past, the smart doorbell product has significantly improved.The August Doorbell was already an excellent choice for smart doorbell before, and it is now even better.

Considering the August Doorbell is now relatively more affordable compared to newer, comparable smart doorbell products, you should definitely consider it if you are currently planning to buy a smart doorbell.

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