If you host on Airbnb or VRBO, a smart lock is the single highest-leverage upgrade you can make to your property. It removes the lockbox, eliminates the 10 p.m. "what's the code?" text, and — once you automate it — takes the entire access step off your plate.
This guide covers:
- What to look for in a smart lock for vacation rentals
- The main lock categories (Z-Wave, Matter/Thread, Wi-Fi, Zigbee) and when to pick each
- A short-list of locks that work well with modern hosting tools
- How to automate rotating access codes so every guest gets a unique, time-bound code without you lifting a finger
What makes a smart lock "right" for short-term rental
The consumer smart lock market is enormous, but vacation rentals have a specific set of requirements most home-use locks don't optimize for:
Many codes, many rotations. You need to create and retire codes every few days, sometimes dozens at a time for a multi-unit portfolio. Locks built for families — where you set a few codes and forget — don't handle this gracefully.
API or local control. If you can't get at the lock programmatically, you can't automate it. That means the lock needs to speak to something: a vendor cloud API, a local hub like Home Assistant, or a standard protocol like Matter.
Offline reliability. Wi-Fi drops. Guests arrive at 2 a.m. with a kid on one hip. The lock has to keep working without cloud connectivity, which in practice means it needs a local protocol (Z-Wave, Zigbee, Matter) or at least offline code caching.
Power that lasts. The lock runs on batteries. A short-term rental's lock is used far more than a home's — cleaners, guests, maintenance, turnovers. Look for locks rated for 10,000+ operations on a set of batteries.
The deadbolt question. Smart deadbolts (replace the whole lock) give you more control but cost more. Retrofit locks (like Level Bolt) fit behind your existing hardware but are pickier about the door prep. If you own the property, buy a smart deadbolt. If you're a property manager with strict landlord rules, retrofit.
Z-Wave vs. Wi-Fi vs. Matter: which to buy
Your choice here depends on one question: are you running a hub, or not? If you're using Staykey (or any tool that wants to automate per-stay codes), the answer should almost always be "yes, run a hub and use Z-Wave" — the next section explains why.
Z-Wave locks (recommended for Staykey)
Z-Wave runs on a mesh network via a local hub. Lower power, stronger range, and much more reliable than Wi-Fi for a lock that's being used by cleaners, guests, and maintenance crews every few days.
- Good for: one property or twenty — Staykey treats this as the standard
- Trade-offs: one-time hub setup (Home Assistant Green + a Z-Wave USB stick; budget about 30–60 minutes for your first property)
Recommendation: Yale Assure 2 with the Z-Wave module as the primary pick; Schlage BE469ZP and Kwikset 914 Z-Wave are reliable alternates. Pair any of them with Home Assistant's Z-Wave JS integration and you'll have local, offline-capable control that survives internet outages — and, critically, automatic per-stay passcode management that Staykey can actually guarantee.
Wi-Fi locks (e.g., Schlage Encode, Yale Assure 2 Wi-Fi)
These connect straight to your router. No hub required — that's their big selling point.
- Good for: hosts who specifically don't want a hub, or who are fine managing codes by hand
- Trade-offs: battery drains faster, relies on the vendor's cloud, passcode automation outside Staykey's Z-Wave path isn't guaranteed
Home Assistant can still lock and unlock Wi-Fi and Matter locks, so Staykey's lock/unlock feature works here too. Where Wi-Fi falls short is rotating per-stay passcodes reliably — vendor cloud APIs are inconsistent, so we treat passcode management on these as best-effort.
Matter / Thread locks (experimental)
Matter-over-Thread locks like the Aqara U300 and Ultraloq Matter models work with Home Assistant today, but passcode-management behavior varies by lock and firmware. Hosts are welcome to try them and send us feedback; we're still gathering data on reliability for per-stay code rotation.
Zigbee locks
Zigbee is functionally similar to Z-Wave — hub-based, low-power, reliable. The dominant smart-lock brands lean Z-Wave, so unless you already have a Zigbee network, skip it.
The short-list (2026)
Here's what we actually recommend to hosts today:
| Use case | Lock | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Running Staykey (our default) | Yale Assure 2 with Z-Wave module | Our top pick — reliable Z-Wave pairing, clean passcode management, solid battery life |
| Alternate Z-Wave pick | Schlage BE469ZP | Proven Z-Wave deadbolt, strong track record with HA |
| Low budget, still reliable | Kwikset 914 Z-Wave | Cheap, widely supported, works with HA |
| No-hub Wi-Fi keypad | Schlage Encode Plus | Rock-solid Wi-Fi radio, decent API — use if you specifically don't want a hub |
| Matter/Thread (experimental) | Aqara U300 | Works with HA; treat passcode rotation as best-effort for now |
| Retrofit (keep existing deadbolt) | Level Bolt | Invisible, works with Apple Home / HomeKit Hub |
See our hardware planner for the full shopping list, including power meters and hub options.
How to automate access codes (the actual point)
Once you have the lock installed, the real unlock — pun intended — is automating the codes. Here's the workflow Staykey and similar tools put in place:
- Booking comes in from Airbnb, VRBO, or direct.
- A unique 6-digit code is generated for that guest.
- The code is pushed to the lock a few hours before check-in (so guests can arrive early if they land early) and activated at check-in time.
- The code is revoked after checkout — usually 30 minutes after the scheduled check-out time, giving guests a grace window.
- Cleaners and maintenance get their own codes, scoped to the cleaning window.
This is the difference between "I have a smart lock" and "I have a property that runs itself." Without automation, you're just using your phone to type a code instead of handing out keys.
What you want in an automation tool
- Handles the lock vendor's API (or a local hub) for you
- Syncs with your booking platform so you don't have to copy dates
- Shows you the code inside the same tool your guest sees (not in a spreadsheet)
- Lets you override manually when real life happens (guest arrives early, cleaner reschedules)
Staykey does all of this, but the important thing is that some tool does it. Don't rotate codes by hand.
A 30-minute install checklist
If you just bought a smart lock, here's the fastest path to a working, automated setup:
- Install the lock. Most take 15 minutes and one screwdriver.
- Change the default admin code on the lock itself. Do not skip this.
- If you're on Z-Wave (recommended for Staykey), plug a Z-Wave USB stick into your hub. We recommend the Zooz 800 Series Z-Wave Long Range stick (ZST39 LR) with a Home Assistant Green — HA Green has no Z-Wave radio built in, so this is required for any Z-Wave device.
- Pair the lock with Home Assistant (via Z-Wave JS, Matter, or the appropriate integration). This is the primary pairing step — you don't need to also pair it with the vendor's native app.
- Sign up for the automation tool of your choice (if you're using Staykey, enable the lock on the Staykey integration and then enable it for the guest dashboard).
- Create a test booking. Confirm the code appears on the lock within a few minutes.
- Send yourself the guest link. Use it to unlock the door. Celebrate.
Common pitfalls
Aluminum doors and weak signal. Metal doors can block Wi-Fi and Zigbee. If you're in a condo with a metal door frame, plan for a hub.
Batteries everyone forgets. Set a recurring monthly calendar reminder to check battery level. Most locks will scream at you when they're dying, but "most" isn't "all."
Lock firmware updates. Run them. Smart lock firmware is one of the few places where "let it auto-update" is clearly the right call.
Locking out yourself. Keep a physical key in a secure spot — inside a combination lockbox mounted discreetly, for example. Batteries die. Firmware breaks. Be ready.
The bigger picture
A smart lock is a means to an end. The end is a guest who arrives, unlocks the door, stays for a few nights, and leaves — without needing anything from you. You want to be able to not answer the phone and have the stay still go perfectly.
Get the lock. Get it automated. Then stop thinking about it. That's the whole game.
Keep reading
- Guide: Matter for Airbnb hosts: what it is, what it does, and what finally works — the newer protocol explained, including why Home Assistant's recent passcode support makes Matter locks viable for rentals.
- Guide: Airbnb smart lock requirements — what actually passes host standards.
- Guide: Airbnb self check-in: the complete setup guide — the end-to-end hardware + messaging flow.
- Guide: Switching from RemoteLock, August, or PointCentral to Staykey — the no-downtime migration playbook when you already have locks and don't want to start over.
- Guide: Automating turnovers: from checkout to check-in — the operational playbook once your locks are sorted.
- Post: Why we don't do cloud-only smart locks — the design rationale behind the hardware recommendations in this guide.
- Help: Supported smart locks — the full list of locks we've actually tested.
- Help: Why didn't my door lock code work? — the triage checklist for the most common "code not working" incidents.
- Help: Installing the Staykey HACS plugin — the plugin that unlocks keypad-level activity tracking.
- Help: Connecting your Home Assistant hub — get your locks talking to Staykey in under 15 minutes.
- Product: Smart Control — how the pieces in this guide come together inside Staykey.
Ready to automate your locks?
Start a 30-day free trial and connect your first lock — or plan the hardware first with our hardware planner. Questions about a specific lock or setup? Get in touch.