Lock Orchestrator
The RBoy RLA alternative for today's SmartThings and Hubitat.
Rental Lock Automater put a calendar-driven code on your door for every guest. When SmartThings retired Groovy, it stopped. Lock Orchestrator does the same job on the platforms that exist now, with the same hub and the same locks.
What Edge drivers replace, and what they don't.
After the Groovy shutdown, SmartThings split the old job in two. Edge drivers took over half of it. Nothing built in took the other half.
Edge drivers do replace
- Talking to the lock over Z-Wave or Zigbee, locally on the hub
- Setting and deleting a code in a slot when told to
- Reporting lock state, battery and which slots hold codes
Edge drivers don't replace
- Reading your Airbnb, VRBO or Booking.com calendar
- Deciding which PIN each guest gets, and when it goes on and comes off
- Handling cancellations, date changes and back-to-back stays
- Checking the code actually landed, retrying, and telling you when it didn't
Keep your Edge driver. Lock Orchestrator sits above it: the driver is how the hub talks to the lock; Lock Orchestrator is what decides which code, on which lock, at what time.
Switching takes one sitting.
Nothing to install on the hub, and nothing that touches codes you set yourself.
- Confirm the lock still works from the hub. In the SmartThings or Hubitat app, add a throwaway code and try it at the door. If that works, Lock Orchestrator will too.
- Note the slots you use for yourself. Owner, cleaner, maintenance. They'll be left alone, but it's useful to recognise them in the dashboard.
- Connect your hub. SmartThings with your normal sign-in, or Hubitat's built-in Maker API using the cloud URL. Locks are discovered automatically.
- Create a property per rental. Paste the same calendar export link you gave RLA (or a fresh one from the booking platform) and pick that rental's locks.
- Check the times. Codes go on 60 minutes before check-in and come off 15 minutes after checkout. Date-only calendars use 3:00 PM check-in and 10:00 AM checkout in the property's time zone; edit any reservation to change its times.
- Run a test. Activate the next booking early. When it reads active, the lock has confirmed the code. Try it at the door, then deactivate.
Where each RLA-style setting lives now.
RLA had many options; these are the ones rental hosts leaned on most.
| If you relied on… | In Lock Orchestrator |
|---|---|
| Calendar / iCal URL per rental | A property with its iCal link. Checked every 15 minutes. Any platform that exports iCal works. |
| Guest code from phone number | Automatic. The last 4 digits of the guest's phone when the feed includes it (Airbnb does); otherwise a stable 4-digit code per booking. |
| Code on before check-in, off after checkout | On 60 minutes before check-in, off 15 minutes after checkout. Reservation times can be edited individually. |
| Multiple doors per rental | Assign several locks to one property. The same PIN goes on every door, each verified separately. |
| Reserved slots for owner / staff codes | No setup needed. Occupied slots are detected and skipped, never overwritten. |
| Notifications | Email when codes are programmed, removed, or fail, with escalating reminders while a failure persists. |
| Thermostat or lights at check-in | Hubitat automations: thermostats, switches and dimmers on check-in and checkout. |
| Several hubs or houses | One account, unlimited properties, SmartThings and Hubitat hubs side by side. |
Three ways to replace it.
| Set codes by hand (hub app or Routines) | Build your own on Hubitat (Rule Machine, community apps) | Lock Orchestrator | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reads booking calendars | No | Only with custom work | Yes, any iCal feed |
| Per-guest PIN | You type it | If you build it | Automatic |
| Cancellations and date changes | You notice and fix | If you build it | Handled on the next sync |
| Verifies the code landed | You check | If you build it | Every write |
| Works on SmartThings | Yes | No | Yes |
| Maintenance | Every booking | Yours, whenever the platform changes | Handled by Lock Orchestrator |
| Cost | Your time | Your time | $2 per lock per month |
Questions, answered.
Is Lock Orchestrator a replacement for RBoy Rental Lock Automater (RLA)?
It does the same core job, calendar-driven guest codes, on platforms that are supported today. RLA ran as a SmartThings Groovy SmartApp, and Samsung shut Groovy down. Lock Orchestrator uses the current SmartThings API and also supports Hubitat Elevation.
Do I need to remove my Edge drivers?
No. Keep them. The Edge driver is how SmartThings talks to your lock. Lock Orchestrator sits above it and decides which code goes on which lock when.
Will my existing codes be erased when I switch?
No. Lock Orchestrator only deletes codes it wrote itself. Owner, cleaner and maintenance codes already on the lock stay where they are, and slots holding them are skipped.
Does it work with the locks I used with RLA?
If the lock is paired to SmartThings or Hubitat and the hub can set codes on it, yes. That covers the Z-Wave and Zigbee keypad locks most RLA users ran.
What do I need before starting the trial?
A SmartThings or Hubitat hub that can already set a code on your lock from its own app, the lock paired to that hub, and the iCal export link from your booking platform. With those ready, setup takes about five minutes.
Keep reading
Get calendar-driven codes back this week.
Every lock and every feature, with no limits and no card. Connect a hub, pick your locks, paste a calendar link, and activate your next booking early to see its code verified on the door. About five minutes per property.