Having Issues with Your STR Smart Locks? Here’s How to Troubleshoot

Unfortunately, there are times when you have all your smart devices set up for your short-term rental property, but you hit a technical snag. The smart lock won’t connect, the PIN codes won’t generate, and the list goes on.

When it comes to guest stays, this becomes extremely stressful. You want to make sure your guest has access when and where they need it.

In this guide, we detail how to troubleshoot common issues with your smart locks so that you can better automate access and make your stays as convenient and comfortable as possible for your guests.

Disconnected Smart Locks

We occasionally get messages from property managers about seeing issues with smart lock connectivity. 

What’s going on?

Here are a few potential reasons this is happening, based on the most common scenarios that we see.

1. The batteries died on the lock and they need to be changed. 
2. The lock does not have a solid connection to the WiFi or the connection is very spotty. This results in inconsistent code generation in Jervis Systems.
3. The lock needs a soft reset and this can be done by taking the batteries out, waiting 30 seconds, and reseating the batteries.  
4. The lock needs a factory reset and then will need to be reset again. 
5. The lock has another device or vendor-related problem and needs to be replaced. (In this case, the vendor will likely replace the smart lock if it is still under warranty.) 

As a team with experience in rental management, we have run into all of the above scenarios at one point or another. We recommend first checking #1, #2, and #3 on this list.

The second point is the most common, and one that we cannot monitor based on the information that we receive from the vendor APIs. If you’re testing the lock locally, try to add the codes with Bluetooth disabled on your phone. This is important to test if the WiFi connectivity works.

Another way to improve WiFi connectivity for your property’s smart locks (and smart devices in general) is to consider purchasing a WiFi range extender. These are relatively inexpensive and available to order through Amazon. Check out the Wi-FI Extenders we recommend from TP-Link and Netgear on our supported devices page.

PIN Codes Are “Missing” from a Newly Imported Device

At times, property managers need to replace a smart lock for a property that has existing reservations. When this happens, it may cause the PIN codes to not generate for guests.

In this case, the PIN codes have been assigned to the previous smart lock, instead of the newly imported smart device. To troubleshoot, you need to make sure that your new smart lock is properly set up.

Here are the steps we recommend:

1. First, un-assign both the old and new smart locks from the property.

2. Delete the property in Jervis Systems.

3. Press the Refresh Properties button so this property gets reimported into Jervis Systems. 

4. Assign your new smart lock to the property. 

5. Hit the “Refresh” button on the Reservations page. This will pull in all reservations again for the property. Once your reservations are added, the codes will be added back to your new locks.   

Let us know if you have any other questions or issues when it comes to smart locks. We will continue to add ways to troubleshoot smart lock issues within this guide, so be sure to bookmark this page.

Want to know the best way to set up your PIN codes for guests? Check out our list of best practices here.

Also, did you know you can submit a support request to us from inside your account? This is the easiest and fastest way to get support from our team.

We continue to update our Support guides. You can check out our FAQ page to find these guides, alongside answers to other frequently asked questions.