Smart Home Insider Smart Locks, Aliro, & Shared Family Living with Yale's Garrett Lovejoy
Feb 9, 2026
Garrett Lovejoy, SVP and GM of Connected Security at Fortune Brands, leads Yale’s smart‑lock and access strategy. He talks about CES takeaways and industry collaboration. He explores Matter, Thread, UWB, and Aliro for more reliable unlocking. He covers design vs retrofit choices, smart apartment access challenges, and how AI may simplify personalized automations.
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Shipping Requires Fast Support And Updates
- Manufacturers must build rapid firmware, diagnostics, and support flows because real homes exceed lab complexity.
- Garrett stresses responsiveness and firmware updates as critical when devices ship with unexpected issues.
Residential Work Gives Faster Feedback
- Garrett moved from commercial access control to residential to get faster feedback loops and customer reviews.
- He values direct consumer feedback (including one-star reviews) to iterate products quickly.
August's DNA Persists Within Yale
- Garrett explained August's DNA remains across teams and code even as the brand finds its lane in Fortune Brands.
- He noted August shaped the retrofit market but Yale now explores where August fits next.