We frequently receive inquiries about which smart devices are ideal for short-term rentals and what constitutes the essential setup to get started. With a plethora of gadgets available, figuring out where to begin can feel overwhelming. While smart locks have become a go-to for many property owners, there are additional devices that significantly enhance the management and care of your short-term rental or Airbnb from a distance.
There are numerous ways to integrate smart devices into your vacation rental, but we’ve narrowed it down to the essentials that promise the best return on investment and ease of management. Begin your smart automation journey with these four devices:
Door Lock(s)
Installing a smart door lock allows easy and secure access, enabling you to automatically generate unique entry codes for each guest with Rental Home Automator. It eliminates the issues of misplaced keys or unauthorized entry, offering convenience and peace of mind.
For this, we recommend you use the Yale 2 Assure Lock. Read more details in our review.
Water Valve
To safeguard your property from potential water damage caused by a leak or a broken pipe, a smart water valve is crucial. It enables you to turn the water supply on for guests, cleaning, and maintenance, and ensures it’s off when the property is vacant.
Our recommendation is the Zooz Titan Water Valve, and you can read about why managing water is important at your short-term rental.
Thermostat
With a smart thermostat, you can set temperature limits, monitor the indoor temperature remotely (particularly crucial in colder areas), and ensure the property is comfortable for guests when they arrive and automatically adjusting back to energy-saving settings after they depart.
We highly recommend the ecobee 3 lite smart thermostat because after testing multiple thermostats we think it’s the best smart thermostat for STR’s.
Smart Hub
While optional, a smart hub is highly recommended. It centralizes control of your devices, reduces reliance on Wi-Fi, and allows for future expansion of your smart device network. A smart hub will enhance the overall flexibility and efficiency of your setup.
The best hub right now is the Aeotec Smart Home Hub Gen 3. This will future-proof your smart home setup as smart home protocols continue to evolve.
You can always continue to add and expand the smart devices you have at your short-term rental property as you see fit, but these are your four must-have smart devices for short-term rentals. Start with these, get things installed and working at your property, and then consider adding more devices. We have plenty of ideas and suggestions, and can always help you come up with a solution if you’re trying to do something unique.
Rental Home Automator is the only solution which can automatically control all of these devices (and more) based on your rental calendar.
