August has announced the Smart Lock Mortise Kit, a new solution that allows its popular August Smart Lock to be installed in a wider variety of homes and apartments. The new kit is the first of its kind in North America, allowing mortise-style locks — which combine a locking bolt and door handle — into a smart lock using the same August Smart Lock designed for single-cylinder deadbolts.
The new kit is in response to what August CEO Jason Johnson says was “significant interest from consumers, home builders and locksmiths” looking to use the August Smart Lock with popular mortise locks commonly found in high-rise buildings and newer homes. In addition to consumers looking to convert their existing locks to smart locks, the new mortise kit allows building managers the ability to more easily install smart locks in multi-unit buildings to control access to the building or individual units within.
The August Smart Lock Mortise Kit includes a mounting plate and adapter that allows users to connect the August Smart Lock to a mortise lock. As with single-cylinder deadbolt installations, the August Smart Lock installs only on the inside of the door so that existing exterior door hardware remains the same, and users can continue to use a traditional key as well as smart lock features.