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After reading all of the bad reviews on this unit, I was tempted right away to buy the August Connect to see if the issue would be operator error or indeed a design flaw with the units. After reading many bad reviews, I assumed that the issue would be with the former since in my experience, many issues with equipment use can be attributed to poor handling by the end user. Being in the unique position of being a repair electronics technician, network/IT technician, and someone who does a lot of DIY work, I was very motivated to tackle on the August Connect. I will try to keep things short if possible. Below is an outline of dates and issues I had plus comments about each step along the way up to the point of whenI was able to successfully make the August Connect work. House Layout According to the instructions for the Connect, the device must be near the August Smartlock in order for both to be able to communicate effectively. This of course was going to present a problem since the main entrance is about 50ft away from the main router which would mean that I would have connection issues between the main router and the August Connect. August 4th, 2016: Received August Connect; installed the same day and was able to connect to the main router successfully; within an hour however, started getting "...went offline.You will be unable to operate your lock remotely" message. August 5th, 2016: Moved August Connect closer to the main router and received the "...went offline.You will be unable to operate your lock remotely" message again. August 6th, 2016: Placed an order for (3) 6ft SMA extention cables for the main router to boost the router signal August 17th, 2016: Received SMA extension cables, installed on the main router, and yet the signal is not strong enough to reach the August Connect. I was still getting the "...went offline.You will be unable to operate your lock remotely" message. At this point, I had already made the assumption based on all the steps taken that August had used an inferior wireless card inside the August Connect which was causing all of the connection issues. I could've assumed an inferior router on my end but I have a decent one; the ASUS RT-N66U Dual-Band Wireless-N900 Gigabit Router to be exact. So with the assumption of a cheap wireless card inside the August Connect, I decided to try connecting a second router right next to the August Connect. August 18th, 2016: After installing a second router right next to the August Connect, I no longer have connection issues when I try to operate the August Smartlock remotely. It has been over 24 hours and I have yet to get a dropped connection from the August Connect. Bottom-line, based on this one single experience, the August Connect works as it is intended but I can certainly understand the frustration with many in getting this thing working out of the box. If I was part of the August staff, I would certainly make it a point to ensure that customers know that in order for the August Connect to work effectively, it must be certainly be near a router. Of course, not everyone knows how to program a router which brings its own set of challenges. I just placed an order for a second August Connect since I have another August Smartlock. I will come back and explain how it went with the installation of that second one and whether I am having connection issues. Update August 24th, 2016- No dropped connections. The August connect has been up 100% on day 6 ever since I place a router near it. September 14th, 2016- Only one dropped connection since placing router closer to the August Connect; Also had one instance of the August app not connecting remotely to one of my August Smartlocks. It turned out that I needed to reset the lock by pulling out and putting back the batteries. March 5th, 2017- Since my last update in September, I have had no connection issues. My 2 August Connects have been working flawlessly. This is my last update. So would I recommend the August Connect? I like what they do for me and I can't complain. As I already said, they are working perfectly for me at this point. But getting them to work how they are intended to work certainly makes me think twice about recommending them. I suspect many won't have the patient nor the technical know how to get the August Connect to work to the point where you will stop getting the "Offline messages....". But if you like a challenge as I do, you won't be disappointed. Good luck!!!