Why we built Staykey on Home Assistant.
We chose the world's most trusted open-source smart-home platform to give vacation rental hosts what they deserve — reliability, privacy, and control without paying forever.
Local
Devices run in your property, not someone else's cloud.
One-time cost
Own the hub. No per-device platform fees.
Open
Works with 1,000+ devices, any protocol, any brand.
Private
Your guest data stays on your hub.
The foundation
What is Home Assistant, and why does it matter for my rental?
Think of Home Assistant as Android for smart homes - an open platform that works with everything. Instead of being locked into one brand or ecosystem, you pick the best devices and control them all from one place.
The key difference:Home Assistant runs locally on a small hub in your property. Your smart home doesn't depend on someone else's cloud staying online.
Free, open-source software
Built by a community of thousands - no single company controlling it.
Runs on a hub in your property
About the size of a deck of cards, plugs into your router.
Works with 1,000+ smart devices
Any manufacturer, any protocol - locks, thermostats, lights, garage doors.
No monthly fees for the platform
Buy the hardware once, own it forever.
Why it matters for hosts
Six reasons Staykey runs on Home Assistant
Not philosophy points - trade-offs we've hit while managing real rentals.
Reliability at 2am
Access codes are stored on the lock itself. Once set, they work even if the internet goes down - exactly when a guest is standing outside with luggage.
Real scenario
Your WiFi router restarts during a guest arrival. With cloud-only locks they're locked out. With HA + Z-Wave, the code is already on the lock - it still works.
Local execution
Home Assistant runs in your property and talks to devices directly. No cloud round-trips for day-to-day control, no third-party outage taking your smart home offline.
You own the hardware
Buy the hub and devices once. No per-device subscription fees, no features held hostage behind a surprise paywall, no recurring platform costs.
Cost reality
Many cloud platforms charge $3-10/month per device. With HA, the platform itself is $0/month.
No vendor lock-in
Swap a Yale for a Schlage. Add Z-Wave, Zigbee, WiFi, or Matter devices. Move off Staykey entirely. Your smart home keeps working - you never get trapped.
Privacy by default
Guest booking data, access patterns, and device state live on your hub. No third-party mining it, no ad-tech watching. You decide what, if anything, leaves the property.
Backed by a real community
Home Assistant has been shipping for over a decade, is used in millions of homes, and has a deep bench of integrations and docs. Not a fragile startup you have to hope stays funded.
I’d wired everything through Home Assistant - smart locks, thermostats, garage doors. The tech was there. But guest access was still stubbornly unreliable. I needed a platform I could trust to work at 2am when guests arrive, not one that goes down because some cloud service has an outage. Home Assistant gave me that foundation.
Ammon Lee
Co-founder, Staykey · Read the founding story
Device compatibility
Works with devices you actually want to buy
Pick the best hardware for your door, your HVAC, and your budget. You're not locked into one brand.
Compared to alternatives
What about other platforms?
A fair comparison of smart-home options for vacation rentals.
Cloud-only platforms
SmartThings, Ring, etc.
- Easy setup
- Relies on the vendor's cloud
- Privacy concerns
- Guest lockout if cloud fails
Proprietary ecosystems
HomeKit, proprietary hubs
- Good user experience
- Limited device compatibility
- Higher proprietary hardware costs
- Vendor lock-in
DIY Home Assistant
Pure HA, no Staykey
- Ultimate flexibility
- Works with everything
- No rental-specific automation
- Steep learning curve
Staykey + Home Assistant
Best of both worlds
Staykey's choice- All HA benefits - open platform
- Rental automation built-in
- Simple setup - we handle complexity
- Local control + cloud convenience
Dig deeper
Ready to plan your setup?
Plan your hardware bundle
Confirm your hub, add devices, and get an order-ready summary with Amazon links.
Open the plannerSetupFollow the 5-minute setup guide
Plug in the hub, pair devices, and connect Airbnb or VRBO in one sitting.
Open setup guideGuideThe complete guide to smart locks
Z-Wave vs WiFi vs Matter, which lock to buy, and how to wire it all together.
Read the guideReady to experience the difference?
Start with a 30-day free trial. See how Home Assistant's reliability and flexibility transforms your hosting.
Free for 30 days. Cancel anytime, no surprise charges.