August's Smart Lock Pro has been one of our top picks for a long time among the best smart locks because of its ease of use, compatibility with other smart home products, and broad feature set. However, there were two problems with this lock: it is very large and requires a separate device, August Connect, to remotely control the lock or link it to other smart home devices.

Well, August has addressed both of these problems with the August Wi-Fi Smart Lock, which was announced at CES 2020. Not only is it much smaller than before, but it can now connect directly to Wi-Fi networks. [According to the company, the Wi-Fi Smart Lock will be available this spring and will be priced about the same as the existing Smart Lock Pro.

Like its predecessor, August's Wi-Fi Smart Lock has a solid aluminum body with subtle grooves along the outside for a good grip. However, the August Wi-Fi Smart Lock is 20% slimmer and 45% smaller in volume than the Smart Lock Pro. It also uses Wi-Fi in addition to Bluetooth.

However, the company says there is little trade-off in battery life, thanks to an improved chip and a switch from AA batteries to smaller, higher-capacity 3-volt CR123 batteries. [August says the batteries should last six months to a year, and a new feature in the August app allows it to work with Amazon's Dash replenishment service.

Augusto's new smart lock is not the first product to use Wi-Fi instead of Zigbee, Z-Wave, or Bluetooth, but it is becoming more common as companies offer better power management.

Be sure to check out our CES 2020 hub for the latest news and hands-on impressions from Las Vegas.