Lock Orchestrator
Rental Lock Automater not working? Here's why.
If guest codes stopped appearing on your lock, your lock probably isn't broken and neither is your hub. The automation that fed them codes is what went away.
What happened
RBoy Apps' Rental Lock Automater (RLA) was a SmartThings Groovy SmartApp. It ran inside SmartThings' cloud, read your booking calendar, and told the lock which codes to add and remove.
SmartThings replaced Groovy with Edge drivers and a new API, and Groovy SmartApps stopped running. The Edge driver for your lock can still set codes, but nothing tells it which code, when. So new guests stopped getting codes, and old codes may no longer be removed after checkout.
Check your lock now. If RLA stopped mid-season, codes from past guests may still be on the door. In the SmartThings or Hubitat app, look at the lock's codes and remove any you don't recognise.
What still works
- Your lock, and any codes already on it.
- Your hub, with the current Edge driver for the lock.
- Adding and removing codes by hand from the hub's app.
- Your booking platform's calendar export link.
Your options
1. Set codes by hand
Free, and fine for one listing with few turnovers. The cost is remembering every booking, cancellation and date change, including the ones at 11 p.m.
2. Build it yourself on Hubitat
If you moved to Hubitat, rules and community apps can get close. You own the maintenance, and calendar parsing, cancellations and verification are the hard parts.
3. Use a hosted replacement
Lock Orchestrator reads the same calendar link, writes a code per guest through your existing SmartThings or Hubitat hub, verifies each write at the lock, and removes the code after checkout. $2 per lock per month after a 7-day trial with no card.
Questions, answered.
Why did Rental Lock Automater stop working?
RLA was a SmartThings Groovy SmartApp. Samsung moved SmartThings off Groovy to Edge drivers and the current API, and Groovy SmartApps no longer run. Your lock and hub are fine; the automation that fed them codes is what stopped.
Can I get RLA running again?
Not on SmartThings: the platform it needs is gone. You can run a replacement that uses the current SmartThings API, or move the lock to Hubitat.
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.
Get guest codes running again today.
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.