Remote admin of locks

[user897]

Looking into renting an apartment and I would like to be able to change lock access codes remotely... does this require a remote admin subscription or are there locks where this is possible without a subscription?

[672southmain]

@user897

does this require a remote admin subscription or are there locks where this is possible without a subscription?

Yes, no. The issue is not with the particular lock; instead, it’s a need to do it through Lock Code Manager.

You could also use a VPN to get to your LAN without Remote Admin.

[csteele]

Locks have buttons for altering the lock codes:

You fill in the 3 fields: Code Position, PIN code, and Name and click Set Code and that will be sent to the lock. Or, fill in the Code Position value and click Delete Code and that will be sent to the lock.

Lock Code Manager (LCM) is more or less a wrapper around those functions. It organizes by Name but the result is the same.

Both of those interfaces are local only. You can't manipulate them from a dashboard easily. The method used to gain remote access to the local hub interface is via your own VPN, or a subscription to Remote Admin.

[user897]

thanks, any suggestions for where i can find instructions on setting up a vpn?

[bertabcd1234]

There is a roundabout way to do this with Dashboard involving hub variables, among other possible ways you might be able to indirectly make this happen. Here is one old explanation that should still more or less work:

Use Dashboard to Manage Lock Codes

A question that comes up frequently is how to manage lock codes from a Dashboard. This is actually fairly easy with a Rule Machine rule and a Global Variable Connector. First, each lock code is defined by 3 values: the slot number (Code position), the code itself (PIN code), and a name (Name) for the code. These can be set from a lock's device page: [Screen Shot 2020-12-26 at 7.49.47 PM] What we want is a tile on a Dashboard to set those three values for a particular lock. This will look …

If you were to do this nowadays:

1. You'd need a hub variable (a new hub-wide feature in Settings) rather than a "global" variable (a now-Rule Machine Legacy feature, i.e., Rule 4.x and earlier)
2. You also don't need the connector, as Hubitat Dashboard can create tiles from variables directly without needing the connector (though that would still technically work, just not really necessary).

That being said, a VPN into this network or the Remote Admin service would both let you see the regular hub UI and do whatever you want to from there. Either may be handy to have regardless of how you make this change since it will let you see the entire device (might be helpful as some locks are a bit finicky), among other things you could do with either.

[aaiyar]

@user897

where i can find instructions on setting up a vpn?

You might find it easier to subscribe to Remote Admin.

[672southmain]

@csteele

You fill in the 3 fields: Code Position, PIN code, and Name and click Set Code and that will be sent to the lock. Or, fill in the Code Position value and click Delete Code and that will be sent to the lock.

Lock Code Manager (LCM) is more or less a wrapper around those functions. It organizes by Name but the result is the same.

The advantage of LCM is that it manages the Code Positions, which might be different on different locks. It can be a bit quirky, though, at least on my two BE-469ZP locks.

[marktheknife]

@user897

instructions on setting up a vpn?

Do you have a PC you can leave on all the time? Or at least most of the time? Alternatively, what router do you use for your internet connection?

@aaiyar is right that the hub remote admin subscription is definitely easier than setting up one’s own VPN server (though it’s not always that hard depending on the hardware one has available).