Investor · Idaho Falls, ID · Member since 2019 · 85 posts · 62 votes
Hi Everyone!
I am closing on a property next month that I plan to rent as an Airbnb. Looking for any tips from other Airbnb hosts about what technology is essential vs just nice to have. What has made your life easier? What wasn't worth the expense?
With Black Friday/Cyber Monday approaching I don't want to miss out on deals.
What are your thoughts/recommendations for...
1) Key-less entry
2) Ring door bell (too intrusive?)
3) Other home security tech?
4) Fancy coffee maker
5) Smart TVs
6) Smart thermostat
I really want to create a seamless experience for my guests. Any tips/best practices you can share would be super helpful.
Lender · Asheville NC · Member since 2016 · 470 posts · 317 votes
6y
I agree with @Jon Crosby. I bought a smart tv, and it's been more complicated that I would like. In the future, I will just add a roku box, along with cable channels. But yes, a big, nice flat screen is totally affordable now. Definitely keyless entry.
Investor · The worst town to live in, KS · Member since 2016 · 4k+ posts · 4k+ votes
6y
Smart TV or Roku, people can figure them out. Square credit card reader, I don't leave home without it. Zmodo security cameras for when houses are unoccupied. We've had 3 intruders. 2 went to jail.
Olympia, WA · Member since 2016 · 8k+ posts · 7k+ votes
6y
Hey @Rachel Hughes! Here is what I think and use: (Thanks to Jon Crosby for the format)
1) Key-less entry - Must have for me. I use the Schlage Smart Connect lock. Been 100% reliable and good on batteries
2) Ring door bell (too intrusive?) - If I could have one, I probably would. I have no wiring for a door bell
3) Other home security tech? - I have no other home security stuff going on.
4) Fancy coffee maker - I provide a standard drip, 2 Keurigs (one in the master) and I just added a Krups espresso maker.
5) Smart TVs - Must have IMHO. I use the TCL Roku TV's very easy to use. Just about everyone has some streaming accounts.
6) Smart thermostat - Must have. I use the Emerson Sensi. It is one of the only wireless thermostats that don't need a C wire for power. This is important because many systems didn't add the C wire as it wasn't necessary.
In addition, you will need some kind of smart home hub to run things. WiFi is very battery intensive, so I highly recommend that you use Z Wave or ZigBee. I currently have the Wink 2 hub up and going, but they are struggling and about to go out of business so I am switching to the Samsung SmartThings hub. I haven't set it up yet, but will next time I go over.
For example, the Schlage is Z Wave and it goes about a year on the 3 AA batteries. You can add all sorts of automation stuff like plugs, lights etc. Plus you can run some home security off of it. I am thinking of adding a solar powered web cam outside to watch the house and to provide a way for people to go to our website (when it is done) to look at the lake.
We just closed on our 1st Cabin in the Smokies 2 weeks ago and these are things that we have done:
1. Keyless Entry - We went with the Schlage WiFi enabled Encode which we purchased from Home Depot for about $245. It can store up to 100 codes it says which we have been able to set both from our laptops and the app on our phone. It's been awesome to assign our service providers their own temp code and then see on the app when they come and when they go. We have a front door key in a lockbox on the porch just in case there's an issue.
2) Ring door bell (too intrusive?) - We do not have a wire for a doorbell so not an issue right now
3) Other home security tech? - No other security devices as of yet. Thinking strongly about putting a solar powered Ring flood light with camera
4) Fancy coffee maker - We put a older Keurig that we found for $10 at the local Goodwill that we cleaned and sanitized and it works perfectly. We also put an inexpensive drip coffee maker with filters.
5) Smart TVs - 3 LG Smart TVs...One 65" in the Living room and 2 43", one in each bedroom, all connected to Comcast X-finity cable and WiFi
6) Smart thermostat - Cabin came with a NEST Learning Thermostat. We've become a big fan as we can set the temp from the app on our phone.
We've got a lot left to learn, but even though we are still learning how to set up a business facebook page for the cabin and we were not familiar with how to set up a VRBO account we press forward. We put the cabin up on VRBO Sunday night and had both major holidays booked by Monday afternoon for a total of 11 days to the tune of just under 3K...We probably priced a little too low, but we're still trying to find our price point and are happy we are on our way.
Lender · Tampa, FL · Member since 2018 · 149 posts · 102 votes
6y
Keyless entry if you need a deadbolt style get the York yrd216 zwave and pair it with a Vera hub. Or get the remote lock CG 7i if you need a lever lock that can handle tough conditions like a beach or something. Download the remote lock and integrate it into Vrbo and Airbnb to automatically send codes when guest book so they are only valid during thier stay.
Thermostats get the ecobee way more settings easier to use and you can adjust the the temp range so it will only turn on every 1.5 temp vs .5 to save power and life of unit.
Camera system if just retrofitting a ring flood light can should work well.
TVs get the TCL roku tv. Cheap and easy to use. I have 8 of them.
Coffee maker I wouldn’t get anything complicated keep that simple and everything else.
Make a YouTube video on how to operate everything and send it to them with your check in instructions that way you avoid any extras questions.
Smart TV or Roku, people can figure them out. Square credit card reader, I don't leave home without it. Zmodo security cameras for when houses are unoccupied. We've had 3 intruders. 2 went to jail.
With you, I'm kinda curious what happened to the third intruder?! All sorts of scenarios are running through my head!
Investor · The worst town to live in, KS · Member since 2016 · 4k+ posts · 4k+ votes
6y
@Jay Fradd The 3rd intruder was the 1st intruder. My wife went to check a house and had trouble unlocking and opening the door. She saw a guy in the door window holding the door shut. She ran away and contacted me, we called the police. The intruders were gone before the police arrived. Police cleared the house and let us in.
There were a bunch of stolen bicycles and hand tools in the house, a cup of hot coffee on the table, dirty dishes in the sink, all the trash in the trash can, no signs of alcohol consumption, bag of marijuana on the table. The intruders actually kept it cleaner than most of my tenants.
That's when we decided to put the security cameras in houses that are not occupied.
Real Estate Agent · Sevierville, TN · Member since 2015 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes
6y
Smart TV - TCL Roku TVs, inexpensive, good quality and dead simple to use
Security - I have Ring floodlight cameras, I take hard-wire it to wherever an existing exterior light is (and then hardwire that switch so it can't be turned off)
Smart lock - I use RemoteLock 5i, I like all their features though the interface is a bit of a pain.
Smart thermostat - I have a Lyric and an Ecobee, neither are perfect but the Lyric is better IMO. The Ecobee interface has confused some guests, and the way it's programmed can cause problems because it requires "schedules" to be programmed and they can override the guest's preferences. The Lyric is more straightforward.
I do NOT want to fool with hubs like SmartThings or Wink etc. - all it takes is one guest messing with it to mess up all your tech. My stuff all connects directly to my wifi network, no hub necessary.
Olympia, WA · Member since 2016 · 8k+ posts · 7k+ votes
6y
Hey @Julie McCoy! As for the Z wave hubs, guests shouldn’t be able to mess with them other than unplugging it.
You just setup the password and you are good to go. I have yet to have any guest mess with the Wink.
I believe that if the hub goes down you can setup each device to default to WiFi if necessary. That will be dependent on the manufacturer and model. It will eat batteries for non AC powered devices, but at least you have time to fix the hub issue.
Real Estate Agent · Sevierville, TN · Member since 2015 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes
6y
@Michael Baum I admittedly have never worked with a hub - I hate the idea of these extra devices, just one more expense and item in the chain to go wrong, AND if something goes wrong there's no tech-heads I know by my properties who can fix it - I'd have to do it myself! This is not practical for me so I've always found work-arounds.
So perhaps there are benefits to hubs that I just haven't experienced, but that's where I'm coming from. LOL Also my only battery-operated device is my smart lock, which alerts me when batteries are low, I (well, my housekeepers) change them about every six months. No big deal to me.
Specialist · Jasper, GA · Member since 2017 · 19 posts · 7 votes
6y
@Paul Cox That is awesome news to hear! How exciting to see progress and learn from others on what to do at the same time. I'm in the process of doing my first AirBNB as well, so your information was very helpful. Thank you!
Olympia, WA · Member since 2016 · 8k+ posts · 7k+ votes
6y
@Julie McCoy roger that. I head over to our house pretty often. So far the Wink has never failed or done anything weird. I lose the internet from Frontier on a regular basis.
What smart lock are you using. I know you have mentioned it before but I just can't remember.
Investor · Idaho Falls, ID · Member since 2019 · 85 posts · 62 votes
6y
@Paul Cox Congrats on your new place! Thanks for the detail. I noticed Schlage has many different models...what sold you on the Encode? I noticed a few other models are less expensive.
Real Estate Agent · Sevierville, TN · Member since 2015 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes
6y
@Michael Baum I use RemoteLock - looks like they've phased out the model I have, the equivalent is the OpenEdge RG deadbolt. There are things I really like about it and things that are a pain in the you-know-what, but overall it does what I want it to do (that is, interfaces with AirBNB/VRBO to automatically generate/send out unique time-sensitive codes for my guests, I can view access history and make changes via my phone pretty much in real time, and still works even if wifi is down). The app and web interface could use some work, but I haven't found anything better at this point.
Investor · Idaho Falls, ID · Member since 2019 · 85 posts · 62 votes
6y
@Michael Baum Thanks for the detail. Do your guests seem to like that you have multiple coffee options? My market is pretty competitive so I'm thinking this is one way I could stand out. I guess it depends on your demographic...as a 25 year old I love the idea of having a drip and espresso maker in addition to the Keurig.
@Michael Baum Thanks for the detail. Do your guests seem to like that you have multiple coffee options? My market is pretty competitive so I'm thinking this is one way I could stand out. I guess it depends on your demographic...as a 25 year old I love the idea of having a drip and espresso maker in addition to the Keurig.
I'm a bit of a coffee fiend as well. Adding a coffee grinder and a french press would be pretty inexpensive, but is really nice to have. I've stayed in one AirBnB with that set up (they had a drip machine too), and it definitely set the bar a bit higher.
Still on the fence about this one... I have never used one before. Do the benefits outweigh the cost?
The property is a duplex. My husband and I are planning to live in one side for the first month or two but ultimately plan to Airbnb both units (we purchased as an investment property, not primary). Hopefully our learnings from furnishing the first unit will help us with the second unit. Planning to share our experience once we get it up and running.
Thanks again for all of your insights. I am so glad I discovered the BP community.
Property Manager · Mammoth Lakes, CA · Member since 2014 · 263 posts · 230 votes
6y
@Rachel Hughes
We have 10 units with lock boxes and three with smart locks, and I actually prefer the lock boxes. I get calls about how to lock the door with the smart locks all the time, even though its incredibly simple and self explanatory. Everyone knows how a key works, haha.
My favorite tech that we invested in is actually a messaging software. There are a lot of them out there, but I chose the one I did because of an after hours feature. I was getting woken up to check messages at all hours and now when a guest messages in the middle of the night, they receive a message saying that I'll get right back to them in the morning, or if it's an emergency, to call me. Then I can turn my notifications off overnight and actually sleep well! Worth every penny :)
Property Manager · Mammoth Lakes, CA · Member since 2014 · 263 posts · 230 votes
6y
@Rachel Hughes over the last five years and close to 2,000 guests, I've had one guest lose a key, and probably three or four lock it in the unit. I keep a spare key to each unit in the same place with all the linens and cleaning supplies, so my cleaners will just go run back and grab the spare when that happens. Personally I'd recommend starting just with that and making sure to remind guests to replace key in the lockbox when they leave. It's part of the checkout instructions they get messages the night before and also posted on a checkout instruction sheet just inside the front door, so it makes it easy for guests to know what to do.