As part of an ongoing GearBrain series, this article looks at how to factory reset an August smart door lock before you move and wish to leave it behind.

Some smart home devices are easy to take with you, but others you might choose to leave behind, especially if buying a more complete smart home is something that attracted the buyer to your property. This means handing the devices over to the new owner, which needs to be done carefully to keep both parties happy, and safe.

Read More:

• The best smart door locks to protect your home
• How much does it cost to turn the average house into a smart home?
• What to do with your smart home devices when you move out

Obviously, sensitive devices like door locks and security camerasneed to be reset correctly and handed over in a way that prevents the seller from retaining access and lets the buyer set up the device as if it were new.

Some devices can be reset without any involvement from the previous owner – a long press of a reset button, for example – but many others need the current owner to log out before they can be reset and handed over.

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How to factory reset an August smart lock when moving house

If you have a keypad connected to your August door lock, then you must disconnect that first before resetting the lock itself. You must be within Bluetooth range of the keypad to do this, then follow these instructions:

1. Open the August smartphone app
2. Tap on the gear icon then tap Keypad Settings
3. Scroll down and tap on Disconnect Keypad
4. Tap on Disconnect. This sends a unique code to your phone
5. Enter the code into the August app and press the August logo to complete the disconnection process

Once you have disconnected the keypad, it's time to reset the lock itself:

1. Open the August smartphone app and go to the lock circle screen
2. Tap on the settings menu (represented with a gear icon)
3. Tap on the lock you want to reset
4. Scroll down to 'factory reset'
5. Tap on 'Reset Lock'

August says this should be done while within Bluetooth range of the lock (usually no more than 30 feet). If you are further away, you will receive a 'Trouble Connecting to Lock' notification. If you have already moved home, August says to tap the 'Reset Anyway' button when that message is received.

Performing a reset "erases all guest and owner data from your lock, restoring it back to its original, out-of-the-box settings," August says, adding: "It also removes the lock from any owner or guest keychains that it is affiliated with."

August smart locks can be reset remotelyAugust

How to reset the August smart lock of your new home

If you are the buyer of a property that has an August smart door lock, but which hasn't been reset by the previous owner, this section is for you.

Firstly, you should try and speak directly to the seller and have them reset the lock when moving out of the property. This is because it is not possible for an August lock to be factory reset without the previous owner's permission.

If you try to reset the lock, the previous owner will be notified. They can then give August permission to factory reset the lock on their behalf. However, the company says it may take up to 30 days for this to happen, depending on how long it takes the seller to respond and asks that buyers contact the seller directly to speed up this process. The seller can then follow the above instructions to reset the lock, even when out of Bluetooth range.

Once the lock has been reset, the buyer will receive a notification to say they can continue setting up the lock for their own use.

If you are the seller and receive a notification to say the buyer is trying to reset the lock, you can tap 'Yes' to grant them permission. August will then reset the lock, allowing the buyer to finish setting it up. Doing this means you are giving up ownership of the lock and accept that, once the lock is reset, you and all other existing users will lose access to it.

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