Switching hosting tools is stressful specifically because an active booking can't be stressed — the guest needs to get in the door regardless of what's happening behind the scenes. This guide walks through a no-downtime migration to Staykey from the four platforms we see most often: RemoteLock, August Access for Business, Operto, and PointCentral.
The short version: you can migrate a single-property portfolio in an evening, and a 10-property portfolio over a long weekend, without any guest ever noticing. The long version is everything below.
This guide covers:
- Why hosts switch (the three most common triggers)
- What hardware transfers vs. what you'll re-program
- The pre-migration checklist
- The day-of migration timeline
- Platform-specific gotchas (RemoteLock, August, Operto, PointCentral)
- What to expect in your first week on Staykey
The three triggers
Most hosts don't migrate because of a feature — they migrate because of a specific pain. The patterns we see:
- Cost per door ballooned. RemoteLock and PointCentral often start around $10/door/month but scale up with features (access codes, credentials, integrations). Hosts wake up after a few years paying more in software than they would have to run a local Home Assistant.
- A reliability incident. A cloud outage (theirs, not yours) left a guest unable to get in. The host googles "smart lock outage" at 1 a.m., finds Staykey running on Home Assistant, and migrates the following week.
- Vendor lock-in when adding a new device. Tried to add a thermostat, a garage opener, or a second lock brand, and discovered the platform only supports a narrow whitelist. With Home Assistant underneath Staykey, 1,000+ integrations are available out of the box.
If you recognize any of those, the rest of this guide is for you.
What hardware transfers
Most smart locks in the wild fall into three buckets. Here's what happens to each during a migration:
| Your lock | Moves to Staykey? | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Z-Wave lock (Schlage Encode Z-Wave, Kwikset 914, Yale YRD240 Z-Wave) | Yes, keeps the same hardware | Pair with a Home Assistant hub once; lock stays on the door |
| Zigbee lock | Yes | Same as Z-Wave, just a different radio |
| Wi-Fi lock with a cloud API (Schlage Encode Wi-Fi, Yale Assure 2 Wi-Fi, August Wi-Fi) | Yes, via the vendor's API or a Home Assistant integration | Check supported smart locks for current compatibility |
| Proprietary / closed lock (some RemoteLock-branded hardware, certain PointCentral models) | Usually no | These were sold specifically to lock you in — budget a replacement |
Quick check: if your current platform is the only thing that can talk to your lock, you have a closed lock and should plan a hardware replacement. If your lock works with Home Assistant or a major app store, you keep it.
The pre-migration checklist
Do these before you start ripping configuration out of the old platform:
- Inventory every device. Lock model, hub location, Wi-Fi network name, thermostat brand. A single spreadsheet saves you hours.
- Screenshot your current automation rules. Any custom logic ("code valid from check-in -1h to checkout +24h" etc.) needs to be recreated.
- Confirm upcoming bookings. The next 30 days of bookings are what you have to protect. Everyone beyond that can be set up at leisure.
- Set up the new Staykey account in parallel. Sign up for the free trial, connect your Airbnb and VRBO calendars, create the organization — but don't disconnect the old platform yet.
- Plan for a Home Assistant hub if you don't have one. The hardware planner gives you an Amazon order with exactly the right parts.
The day-of migration timeline
This is the "one property, one evening" flow. For a bigger portfolio, repeat per property, ideally during a day with no active check-ins.
0:00 — Verify no guest is currently in the property
Don't migrate with a guest mid-stay. Wait until after checkout, or wait until a gap between bookings.
0:00 to 0:15 — Take a "before" snapshot
Screenshot the currently active codes, the next week of bookings, and any custom automations in your old platform. You want a reference in case you need to roll back.
0:15 to 0:45 — Pair the lock with Home Assistant
If your lock is Z-Wave or Zigbee, factory-reset it (one-button operation, the lock's manual has the exact sequence) and pair it with your new Home Assistant hub. Wi-Fi locks: install the appropriate Home Assistant integration (see connecting your Home Assistant hub).
0:45 to 1:00 — Connect Staykey
In Staykey, add the property, import the booking calendar from Airbnb, and confirm the lock is visible under Devices. Staykey now knows about your bookings and your hardware.
1:00 to 1:15 — Program the next booking's code
Create a guest link for the next upcoming booking. Staykey will program the code onto the lock and generate the guest portal. Test the code yourself on the door before moving on.
1:15 to 1:30 — Disconnect the old platform
Only now, once the new code is physically working on the door, remove the lock from your old platform and cancel the subscription (or wait for the current billing cycle to end). This is the critical "no downtime" step — never disconnect old before new is verified.
1:30 — Done
The next guest arrives to a working code and has no idea anything happened behind the scenes. Repeat for your next property.
Platform-specific gotchas
Leaving RemoteLock
- Access codes live on RemoteLock's cloud. Once you detach the lock, those codes stop rotating. Set new Staykey-managed codes before you detach.
- RemoteLock-branded hardware (LS-60, RG-series) is not compatible with Home Assistant. You'll need to replace the lock. A Schlage Encode Plus drops into the same deadbolt cutout in 15 minutes.
- Custom access schedules (e.g., for cleaners) need to be recreated in Staykey. It's straightforward — see setting up your cleaning company.
Leaving August Access for Business
- August's Wi-Fi bridge is the main integration point. Keep it — Home Assistant speaks to August's API and can read/write codes through it.
- Per-stay codes in August are cloud-generated. In Staykey, they're generated the same way, but now you control the rotation rules.
- Guest-named codes in August don't translate directly. Staykey identifies codes by booking, not by guest name label.
Leaving Operto
- Operto's guest portal is separate from their lock management. If you use both, plan the migration in two parts: lock first, then guest portal.
- Operto uses proprietary webhooks. Those won't fire into Staykey, so any custom workflow will need to be rebuilt with Staykey's own automations.
- Device API tokens in Operto are per-property. You may have dozens of them — inventory them before starting.
Leaving PointCentral
- PointCentral often bundles with Vacasa / Evolve / other PMs. Check your contract — some PMs consider the hardware theirs.
- PointCentral is Z-Wave under the hood. The locks themselves are usually transferable to Home Assistant, but you'll need to factory-reset them first.
- Codes set by PointCentral are stored in the lock. Factory resetting clears them. Set your Staykey code before resetting PointCentral's connection to avoid a gap.
What you'll notice on day one
After a successful migration, the immediate changes most hosts call out:
- The code shows up on the lock instantly. No 30-second cloud delay.
- The guest portal is a single link, not a series of messages. See why we rebuilt the guest portal around one link.
- Device state is visible in real time in the host dashboard. You can see battery levels, lock status, and the last N unlock events without switching apps.
- Your monthly software bill dropped. Most hosts going from RemoteLock or PointCentral to Staykey cut their monthly software cost by 40–70%, plus they own the hub outright.
- Your lock keeps working when Wi-Fi drops. Because the codes are stored on the lock and executed locally via the hub, an internet hiccup doesn't lock guests out.
What you won't lose
A concern hosts name before switching:
- Booking history — imported from Airbnb / VRBO directly, nothing is lost
- Cleaner access — recurring schedules transfer; see managing back-to-back turnovers
- Audit log — Staykey keeps its own log of access events from day one
- Guest communication history — stays with Airbnb / VRBO, untouched
- Refund / claim paper trail — Staykey's log is acceptable evidence for AirCover claims
Keep reading
- The complete guide to smart locks for Airbnb hosts — hardware deep dive
- Airbnb smart lock requirements — what actually passes host standards
- Why we built Staykey on Home Assistant — the architecture behind the reliability claims
- Hardware planner — generate a parts list for a Home Assistant-based setup
- Supported smart locks — current compatibility matrix