August Smart Lock Airbnb Setup

It is 11:47 p.m. and your guest is texting that the door will not open. You are two states away. The deadbolt on the front door is an August retrofit you installed over an existing Schlage, and the keypad you bought separately is asking for a code that the August app says is active.

A clean August Smart Lock Airbnb setup makes that 11:47 p.m. call almost impossible, and a sloppy one guarantees it. This guide is the version I wish I had the first time I bolted one of these to a door, with the small choices that prevent the late-night problem and the bigger ones that decide whether August is even the right lock for your property.

Who August actually fits as a host

August is a retrofit lock. You keep your existing deadbolt and the original keys, and the August Wi-Fi Smart Lock (4th gen) motor mounts on the inside of the door. That single fact decides most of what follows. If you are a remote host who occasionally needs to hand a physical key to a contractor, a neighbor, or a long-term cleaner, you will love that.

If you have a property where you want to fully eliminate physical keys and run a pure keypad-only entry, August is not the cleanest choice, because the August Smart Keypad is a separate Bluetooth accessory rather than a built-in feature, and that adds a small failure point. For a one to three property remote operator, August works well when you pair it with the built-in Wi-Fi and a separate keypad. For a 10+ unit operator, you probably want a built-in keypad lock like the Schlage Encode — weigh the trade-offs in our best smart lock for Airbnb roundup.

What you need before you start

Do not start unscrewing anything until you have the full kit on the kitchen counter. Hosts who skip this end up halfway through an install with a door that will not lock and no way to leave for hardware-store batteries.

The August Wi-Fi Smart Lock itself. The current 4th-gen model has Wi-Fi built in and eliminates the separate August Connect bridge for most homes — but check what you actually bought, because older 3rd-gen units still need the Connect.
The August Smart Keypad. This is the part guests will use. Without it, you have a Bluetooth-only lock, which is a non-starter for a rental.
Strong, dual-band 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi at the door. Walk to the door with your phone and run a speed test before you commit. If you are below about 10 Mbps at the door, fix the Wi-Fi first — an eero 6+ or TP-Link Deco mesh node in the entry hallway will save you support tickets.
Fresh CR123 batteries for the lock body and AAAs for the keypad. Buy a spare set the same day.
The August Home app installed on the phone you actually use as the host account, not your spouse's phone, not a tablet you lose.
Your existing deadbolt, ideally a Schlage B60N, Kwikset 660, or Yale standard interior thumbturn. If your thumbturn is unusual, check the August adapter list before purchase, not after.

Install in the right order

The mistake I see most often is hosts mounting the lock body first, pairing it, and then realizing the keypad never connected because the keypad has to be paired through the lock, not the phone. Do this in order and the rest is easy.

Open the August Home app and create the home for this property. Name it the way you describe it in your listing — like Pine Cabin, not Mom House. Future you will thank present you when you have multiple properties.
Add the lock device first. The app will walk you through identifying the right adapter for your existing thumbturn. Use the metal one if your thumbturn is metal; the plastic adapters strip eventually.
Mount the lock body on the inside of the door. Hand-tighten only on the first pass. Run the calibration in the app and watch the bolt actually move all the way locked and all the way unlocked. If it stalls, your strike plate is misaligned, so fix the door before you fix the lock.
Connect the lock to your home Wi-Fi. This is where many hosts get stuck. The lock pairs to 2.4 GHz only. If your network broadcasts both bands under one name, your phone may be on 5 GHz during pairing. Temporarily disable 5 GHz on your router or move your phone closer.
Now pair the keypad. In the app, go to the lock settings and add the keypad as an accessory to that specific lock. The keypad does not connect to your Wi-Fi; it talks to the lock over Bluetooth.
Mount the keypad outside, within a few feet of the lock. Test by entering the demo code from the app while standing outside.
Turn on auto-lock. Set it to about 1 to 3 minutes. Anything shorter locks guests out when they step onto the porch.

Codes for guests, cleaners, and contractors

The whole point of doing a real keyless entry for Airbnb workflow is to never hand over a physical key. Build out three categories of access in the app, not just guest codes.

Guest codes: generate a fresh 4 to 6 digit code for each booking. Set it to start at your check-in time and expire at checkout time plus an hour buffer. Never reuse the same code across guests; rotating codes is the entire security story.
Cleaner code: a recurring scheduled code that only works during your normal turnover window, for example 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. If your cleaner ever leaves, you change one code, not 30.
Contractor / owner code: a single code you keep memorized for yourself, plus a per-incident code for any HVAC, pest, or pool tech who might show up.

The August Home app does not natively integrate with Airbnb the way some Airbnb keypad locks do. That means either you generate codes manually for each booking, or you bring in a property management tool like Hospitable, Hostfully, or OwnerRez that has an August connector and can push codes automatically when a reservation lands. If you run more than one or two units, the calculus tilts hard toward a PMS — see our smart lock for short-term rental guide for the integration matrix.

Guest-facing wording that works

Send your access message about three hours before check-in, not at booking. Earlier is too easy to lose in the thread. Use language a tired traveler can follow at night with one hand on luggage. Keep it short.

Welcome! Your door code is 4731. At the front door, press the August keypad once to wake it, type 4731, and the lock will turn on its own. The door will auto-lock after a couple of minutes; you do not need to do anything to lock it. If the keypad does not respond, press your palm flat against it for two seconds to wake it up and try again. Any trouble, text me here.

Notice what is not in there: no app downloads, no QR codes, no hold for three seconds. Anything more complicated than a code becomes a support ticket. The general install-and-onboarding sequence across brands lives in our smart lock setup for Airbnb walkthrough.

Fallback plan for the bad night

Every host needs a documented backup. For an August setup, the layered fallback looks like this.

You can unlock remotely from the app over Wi-Fi. This is your first move when a code fails; ninety percent of “my code does not work” turns out to be a keypad battery, not the lock.
A real key is hidden in a coded lockbox — a Master Lock 5400D or igloohome KeyBox 3 — somewhere off the porch, not the same kind of lockbox a thief would find, and not on the property line. Give the lockbox code only when remote unlock fails.
A trusted neighbor or co-host within 10 minutes who can physically come let a guest in with the spare August key.

Privacy and safety notes

The August activity log shows every entry, by code, with a timestamp. Disclose this in your house rules with a single line: entry is logged. That is not surveillance, that is a deadbolt with a memory, and it is what protects you and the guest. Skip indoor cameras. A Ring or Google Nest Doorbell at the front door is fine and standard; an indoor camera or microphone is not, and Airbnb explicitly bans interior cameras as of 2024. Our privacy-safe monitoring guide covers the disclosure language and outdoor-only setups.

FAQ

Is August a good Airbnb keypad lock compared to Schlage Encode or Yale?

August is the right pick when you want to keep your existing deadbolt and physical keys, and you are running one to three properties. The Schlage Encode and Yale Assure Lock 2 are usually a better choice if you want a single integrated unit with the keypad built in and tighter Airbnb code automation. None of the rotating-code locks are wrong; the question is whether you value the retrofit shape over a clean built-in keypad.

Does August work without Wi-Fi?

Yes, technically. The keypad will keep working over Bluetooth even when Wi-Fi drops, so guests can still get in with their code. What you lose is remote control. You cannot unlock from your phone, you cannot push new codes, and the activity log will not update until the lock is back online. For a short-term rental setup, treat unreliable Wi-Fi as the actual failure mode and fix that first.

How long do the batteries last?

Plan on three to six months on the lock body and longer on the keypad. Cold winters cut both numbers roughly in half — switch to Energizer Ultimate Lithium AAAs for the keypad in northern properties. Set yourself a calendar reminder to swap batteries on a fixed cadence rather than waiting for the low-battery alert, and have your cleaner check the lock activity LED every turnover.

Can guests use the August app instead of the keypad?

You can invite a guest into the app, but do not. Asking a guest to install an app on the way in adds friction and creates support work. The keypad code is the universal entry method; it works for the 70-year-old guest with a flip phone the same way it works for the 22-year-old with the latest iPhone.

Where to go next

If you have not picked your lock yet, start with the broader best smart locks for Airbnb hosts cluster before committing. Once your August is mounted, run through the smart lock setup for Airbnb walkthrough one more time before your next booking goes live.