If you’re searching for an RBoy Apps replacement for SmartThings, you’re in a familiar situation. Thousands of short-term rental hosts relied on RBoy’s Rental Lock Automator (RLA) to handle calendar-based lock code automation, thermostat control, and device scheduling — and were left without a working solution when SmartThings shut down its Groovy platform at the end of 2022.
The good news: there’s a modern, purpose-built replacement that does everything RLA did — and more. This article covers what happened to RBoy Apps, where other alternatives fall short, and why Rental Home Automator is the best RLA replacement available for SmartThings short-term rental hosts today.
What Happened to RBoy Apps and the Rental Lock Automator?
RBoy Apps was one of the most capable SmartThings add-on platforms available to short-term rental hosts. Its flagship product, the Rental Lock Automator (RLA), let hosts do things no native SmartThings feature supported: automatically generate and program guest lock codes from booking calendars, adjust thermostats based on occupancy, and run coordinated device automations tied to check-in and check-out times.
The problem started in late 2022, when Samsung shut down the SmartThings Groovy IDE — the platform RBoy Apps was built on. Overnight, RLA and the entire RBoy suite stopped working for every host who depended on it.
RBoy has since released new SmartThings Edge Drivers, which handle some device control functions. Critically, however, the new Edge Drivers do not support calendar-based automations — the core feature that made RLA irreplaceable for STR hosting. Hosts who need their lock codes, thermostat changes, and device states to respond automatically to bookings are still without a native solution from RBoy.
Why Most RBoy Apps Alternatives Fall Short
The gap left by RLA attracted a wave of alternatives. Most of them have real limitations that make them poor fits for hosts who actually understand what they lost.
Per-Device and Per-Code Pricing
Many platforms that emerged after the Groovy shutdown charge by the device, or worse, by the lock code. If you manage two locks and a thermostat at a single property, you’re paying for three devices. Add a second property and the costs compound quickly. RLA charged a flat fee. Hosts accustomed to that model find per-device pricing a bad deal from the first billing cycle.
Seam.co-Based Connectivity
A number of newer platforms route device connectivity through Seam.co, a developer API layer for smart locks and devices. Seam has its own per-device and per-lock-code fees that get passed on to end users. For hosts managing multiple locks across multiple properties, this cost structure adds up to more than the automation is worth.
Bloated Feature Sets Built for Property Managers, Not Hosts
Some platforms bundle lock code automation inside a larger property management suite — guest messaging, upsell tools, OTA integrations, maintenance tracking. For a host who just wants lock codes to work and their thermostat to reset between stays, paying for and navigating a full PMS is unnecessary overhead. The complexity of these platforms is the opposite of what most former RLA users want.
SmartThings Lock Code Limitations
It’s also worth understanding what SmartThings alone can and can’t do. Native SmartThings supports basic lock code management, but it has significant limitations for STR use: no automatic code generation per booking, no calendar sync, no per-guest code scoping across multiple locks, and no reliable way to manage codes across properties from a single interface. See our full breakdown of SmartThings smart lock guest access limitations for the details — this is why RLA existed in the first place, and why its absence still matters.
Rental Home Automator: The Best RLA Replacement for SmartThings
Rental Home Automator was built specifically to replace what RLA provided — calendar-aware, SmartThings-native automation for short-term rental hosts — without the bloat, per-device pricing, or third-party connectivity layers.
Full SmartThings Compatibility
RHA connects directly to SmartThings and works with any device that integrates with your hub — door locks, thermostats, switches, water valves, sensors. If it’s in your SmartThings setup, RHA can automate it. No additional hardware required, no device compatibility list to cross-reference.
Calendar-Based Automation That Actually Works
RHA syncs with any iCal calendar — Airbnb, Vrbo, Booking.com, Google Calendar, or a direct booking calendar. When a reservation is created or modified, RHA responds: generating a guest-specific lock code, adjusting your thermostat, switching devices, and reversing all of that at check-out. This is the core of what RLA did, and it’s the core of what RHA does.
Cleaning events are also supported. You can run a different set of automations for a cleaning block than for a guest stay — separate codes, different device states, different thermostat setpoints.
Automatic Lock Code Management
RHA generates unique, time-scoped lock codes for each booking automatically. No manual entry, no code reuse across guests, no codes that linger after check-out. The lock code management system handles creation, scheduling, and deletion — and covers four code types: Automatic (guest codes tied to booking windows), Temporary (manual one-off access), Permanent (long-term access for property managers), and Master (a single code that applies across all your locks at once).
For hosts managing multiple properties, the Master Door Codes feature lets you assign one code across every unit from a single place — useful for maintenance staff or a co-host who needs access to everything.
One Flat Monthly Fee Per Property
RHA charges per property location, not per device and not per lock code. Add as many locks, thermostats, switches, and sensors as your property has — the price doesn’t change. This is the same pricing model that made RLA attractive to hosts managing more than one or two devices per property.
Automatic Retries
One of the practical realities of Z-Wave and Zigbee devices is that commands sometimes fail to reach a device on the first attempt. RHA automatically retries failed commands until they succeed — so if a lock code doesn’t program on the first try at 3am before check-in, you don’t wake up to a guest locked out. See how automatic retries work in practice. This was not a feature RLA had, and it’s one of the reasons RHA is a genuine upgrade rather than just a replacement.
RBoy Apps RLA vs. Rental Home Automator: Side-by-Side
| Feature | RBoy RLA (Legacy) | Rental Home Automator |
|---|---|---|
| SmartThings compatible | ⚠️ Legacy (Groovy — defunct) | ✅ Yes (current) |
| Calendar-based automation | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
| Auto lock code generation | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
| Thermostat automation | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
| Automatic retries | ❌ No | ✅ Yes |
| Multi-property support | ⚠️ Limited | ✅ Yes |
| Pricing model | Per app license | Flat monthly per location |
| Currently functional | ❌ No (Groovy shut down) | ✅ Yes |
| Cleaning event support | ⚠️ Limited | ✅ Yes |
How to Get Started with Rental Home Automator
Setup is straightforward for any host already running SmartThings. Our guide to using SmartThings to automate your short-term rental covers the full configuration — but the short version is: connect your SmartThings account, add your property, sync your iCal calendar, and select which automations to run for guest stays and cleaning events.
For hosts coming from RLA who have an existing device setup and just need a working calendar automation layer on top, the transition is typically an hour or less. For a broader picture of what booking-aware automation can do across your whole property, the ultimate guide to short-term rental automation is the right starting point.
Frequently Asked Questions: RBoy Apps Replacement for SmartThings
RBoy Apps’ Rental Lock Automator stopped working when SmartThings shut down its Groovy IDE platform in late 2022. RBoy has released new Edge Drivers since then, but they do not support calendar-based automation — the feature that made RLA useful for short-term rental hosts.
Yes. Rental Home Automator replicates and extends RLA’s core capabilities: calendar sync, automatic lock code management, thermostat automation, and device control — all through SmartThings, with no per-device fees.
Yes. RHA connects directly to SmartThings and supports any device integrated with your hub, including Z-Wave and Zigbee locks, thermostats, switches, and sensors.
Yes. RHA syncs with any iCal calendar — including Airbnb, Vrbo, Booking.com, and Google Calendar — and automatically creates and deletes guest-specific lock codes based on booking windows.
RHA charges a flat monthly fee per property location. There are no per-device fees and no per-lock-code charges, which mirrors the flat-fee model that made RLA attractive to hosts managing multiple devices per property.
Yes. Each property is managed as a separate location, and features like Master Door Codes let you assign a single access code across all your locks and properties from one place.
Yes. RHA supports cleaning event automation separately from guest stay automation — different lock codes, thermostat setpoints, and device states for cleaning blocks versus active bookings.
Ready to Replace RBoy Apps?
If you’re running SmartThings and need calendar-based lock code automation and device control that actually works today, Rental Home Automator is the direct answer. Flat pricing, no per-device fees, full SmartThings compatibility, and automatic retries built in.