Two rebuilds shipped over the last couple of weeks, and they're really one story: who can get into your property, and what actually happened when they did.
The first is Access passes, which replaces Staff Access. The second is the Activity feed, rebuilt from the lock up. They meet in the middle, since every pass now has its own activity, but each is worth walking through on its own.
Staff Access is now Access passes
Staff Access was one of the first things we built, before Staykey knew most of what it now knows about locks. It kept working, but every improvement made it harder to reason about. So we started over.
A pass is for someone who needs into your property but doesn't need a Staykey login: the pool service, pest control, the snow removal crew, a handyman, your own staff. You make one under Access in three steps.
Who. A name, plus a phone number or email to send the link to.
Where. Pick the properties, or switch on All properties so the ones you add later join automatically. Then choose the devices at each one. Every property now has Default pass devices, so a new pass starts with the doors you'd normally hand out, and never with the owner's closet unless you add it.
When and send. Ongoing until you pause it, or between two dates and times.
Each pass also picks how its code works:
- Smart. Staykey picks a code that isn't already in use at those properties (or you choose one) and programs it onto the locks.
- Static. A code you already have, like a lockbox. We check it against every other pass and every code already on the lock, and tell you exactly which one it clashes with.
- None. No code at all. They use the buttons on their pass.
One link, no app
The person gets a single link. It opens to their code, your instructions, and a page for each property the pass covers, with directions and the doors and garage you picked there, each with a live lock or open button. There's no app to install and no account to make.
Before the pass starts, the code stays hidden, with a note saying it'll appear when the pass begins. Pause the pass and the link shows a paused screen instead. If a link ends up somewhere it shouldn't, Rotate link turns it off and gives you a fresh one.
Send it by email, or copy the link and send it wherever you already talk to them. The pass shows when you last sent it and when they last opened it, which answers "did they get it?" before you have to ask.
Changes that reach the lock
This is the part we rebuilt the whole thing for. Add a door, move an end date, pause a pass, delete it: the code goes on or comes off the locks to match, and the pass shows each lock's state while it happens, as Ready, Programming, or Lock problem.
A lock problem comes with the reason in plain words (the lock is offline, it's out of code slots, it never confirmed the new code) and a Retry button beside it.
When a pass ends, Renew suggests new dates, so the contractor who comes back every spring doesn't need a whole new pass.
Giving your cleaner access? We recommend inviting them to Staykey Cleans rather than making a pass. Their code shows up for each cleaning automatically, and you can follow every turnover from your dashboard.
An activity feed that doesn't guess
The old activity feed wrote down whatever it was told, and a lock tells you a lot. When Staykey unlocked a door, the lock reported that unlock right back, and the feed would sometimes log it twice: once as Staykey, and once as a "manual unlock" credited to whoever happened to be staying. A code that took three tries showed up three times.
So we rebuilt it from the lock up. The short version: one entry per thing that happened, and every entry says who, how, and how sure we are.
Commands wait for the lock. When you, a guest, a cleaner, or a pass holder taps Unlock, the entry says In progress until the lock itself reports back. Only then is it done. If the lock never confirms, the entry says Failed and gives the reason in words ("Home Assistant is offline", say), instead of a green check for a door that's still locked.
Retries fold into one entry. When a code doesn't take, Staykey tries again. You'll see a single entry with its attempts listed inside, not a column of near-duplicates.
Every row says who and how. Guest, pass holder, cleaner, host, or Staykey itself. By keypad, by hand at the door, by auto-lock, or from the guest portal, the pass portal, the cleaner portal, or your dashboard.
When we can't prove it, we say so. A door turned by hand while a guest is checked in was probably the guest, but the lock can't tell us that. Those rows carry a Likely tag rather than a confident name. A code Staykey doesn't manage, like an owner code or one set at the lock by hand, is labelled as exactly that instead of being pinned on someone.
Finding what you're after
The filters now match the questions people actually ask: Needs attention, Access codes, and Guest stays, plus Failed and In progress, a device picker, and a date range. Tap any row for the full story, including a Retry now button when a code didn't make it onto a lock.
Each stay shows only its own activity. So does each pass, which is where the two halves of this post meet: open Theo's pass and you can see his code land on the front door that morning, and the garage open at 4:31.
What's worth interrupting you for
The feed records everything. Notifications are saved for the things you'd want to hear about:
- your guest letting themselves in with their code for the first time
- a code Staykey doesn't manage opening a door
- a keypad locking itself out after too many wrong codes
- a lock that's still jammed 15 minutes later (one that clears on the next try isn't worth bothering you about)
- an access code that couldn't be set, with one heads-up per stay or pass rather than one per lock
Each one links straight to its entry.
What you need to do
For passes, nothing. Everyone in Staff Access has moved over as a pass, with their properties, doors, and code. Their old links keep working until you send or rotate a new one. You'll find them under Access in the sidebar.
For activity, update the Staykey integration in Home Assistant. Most events work fine on older versions, but version 1.8 or later (from HACS) gives you the best experience. Until you update, a few lock events may show up a little oddly.
Related reading
- Help: Installing the Staykey Home Assistant plugin: the integration the activity feed listens to.
- Post: Why we don't do cloud-only smart locks: why Staykey hears from the lock itself.
- Post: The cleaner portal is open to everyone: where cleaners go instead of a pass.