Holiday home automation in Dubai does three jobs for a landlord. It lets guests in without a key handover, stops the air conditioning cooling an empty home, and tells you what is happening in a property you cannot see.
We fit smart locks, AC control, leak sensors and cameras that you run from one app. One landlord account can see and manage all your properties. We also use the same set-up in every unit, so guests, cleaners and you follow the same routine each time.
This guide is for holiday home operators and long-term landlords. It covers what to automate first, what keeps working when the internet drops, what affects the cost and how to get a quote.
How do guests get in without a key handover?
A smart lock gives each guest their own code for their stay. Codes can be created and removed automatically from your booking system, so nobody has to meet the guest or change a code by hand at checkout. Ask our engineer whether the platform you use connects.
We fit locks from several manufacturers, including Oji, Tedee, Yale and Aqara. The right one depends on how the door is used and how much direct sun it gets, which matters on a villa front door in a Dubai summer.
The locks we recommend keep a physical key or an emergency power option for when the batteries run flat. If the internet goes down, you lose remote access, but the keypad and fingerprint reader keep working at the door.
The locks also link to Akuvox intercoms and UniFi Protect cameras. When a guest or cleaner rings, you see them and open the door from the same app. Our guide to smart door locks compares the options in more detail.
What can guests control?
Guests get only the controls you choose to give them. That might be lights and AC, in the app or on a tablet left in the property.
Your owner controls stay separate. Guests cannot see the other properties on your account, and the temperature limits you set still apply.
Why use the same set-up in every unit?
One set-up across your units means one routine to explain and one system to support. A returning guest already knows how the door and the AC work, and your cleaning team does not have to learn a new keypad in each flat.
Our own team handles all programming and commissioning (setting up and testing every device), so each unit works the same way. If you add a unit later, we copy the same lock, scenes and settings.
For long-term lets, the change between tenants matters more than the check-in. Our handover service removes old users and resets logins. It also gives you written system records and drawings, plus a training session for the next household.
How do you stop paying to cool an empty home?
You set the air conditioning to an away mode between bookings, then cool the home again before the next guest arrives. This is the main energy management job in a rental. An empty flat cooling itself all day through a Dubai summer adds to your DEWA (Dubai Electricity and Water Authority) bill for nothing.
Symphony, Avario's own automation platform, runs this. It was designed to make large, complex homes easier to manage, and it includes away mode, set temperature limits and usage reports.
We connect all AC brands and types, from split units to ducted, VRF and chilled water fan coils. If the AC units themselves need servicing, we can advise you or put you in touch with an AC maintenance partner. Our guide to air conditioning control and energy management covers DEWA summer bills in more detail.
- Away mode holds a higher temperature while the unit is empty.
- Temperature limits stop guests setting the AC lower than you allow.
- Pre-cooling starts from the app before check-in, so the guest walks into a cool room.
- Opening the front door can switch on the lights and set the AC to a chosen temperature.
- Usage reports show as much or as little detail as you want, on the app, a tablet or your own computer.
How can you keep an eye on the property from somewhere else?
Leak sensors, cameras and the app's own checks tell you about problems while you are away. A leak in an empty apartment is the one you most want to hear about early.
Our leak sensors are wireless and work with UniFi Protect and third-party shut-off valves. You can choose a simple alarm on your phone, or have the valve close the water supply automatically. We work with your MEP contractor (the mechanical, electrical and plumbing team) to fit the valve, and if you have none, we arrange one. Read more in our guide to water leak detection and shut-off.
The app runs a watchdog, a check that makes sure every device is working. It warns you when a sensor's battery is low or it loses its wireless signal.
For cameras and intercoms we use Ubiquiti UniFi Protect and Akuvox. Recordings are stored in the property, with an option for cloud backup, so the footage stays under your control. We work with licensed partners who specialise in CCTV planning and installation. Before you place any camera in a let property, check what your holiday home permit and UAE privacy law allow in the areas guests use.
What still works when the internet goes down?
Inside the property, the system keeps running without the internet. Keypads and door locks work as normal, and the app still controls the home from a phone connected to the home Wi-Fi.
What stops is remote access. You cannot open the door or change the AC from abroad until the connection comes back. Whether the leak alarm and automatic shut-off work without the internet depends on how the system is set up, so tell our engineer the level you need.
Guests judge a stay partly on the Wi-Fi. The only Wi-Fi networks we design and install are Ubiquiti UniFi. Most UAE apartments, even older ones, already have wall data points. That means we can usually reuse the existing cable and fit wall access points without opening walls.
Wired or wireless for a rental property?
For a finished apartment or villa that is already let, wireless is usually the simpler choice. A wireless install usually takes a couple of days, so it can fit between bookings. In the UAE we recommend Zigbee, a wireless standard that lets devices talk to the hub (the small box that runs your system) without new cables.
Wired KNX, the wiring standard most wired systems use, goes in during a new build or a major renovation, while the walls are open. For new villas of three bedrooms or more, we advise KNX.
Who looks after the system once guests are using it?
We do, through a support chat in the app. During business hours (Monday to Saturday, 8am to 7pm) we respond straight away and can be on site within 4 hours.
About 90% of our support is done remotely. You approve each remote session, and you can switch remote access off completely.
Maintenance plans are built around what each property needs. They can include checking lock batteries, firmware and user codes, and testing leak sensors and replacing their batteries. Our smart home maintenance guide explains what a visit covers.
What affects the cost?
The cost depends on what you control and how many units you run. A lock and AC control in one apartment is a smaller job than locks, AC, leak shut-off, cameras and Wi-Fi across several villas.
We can give you a budgetary estimate from floor plans, or a written quote after our engineer has seen a property.
- How many units you want to set up, and their size
- Wireless in a finished home, or wired KNX in a new build or renovation
- How much you control: locks only, or AC, leak sensors, cameras and Wi-Fi as well
- Whether shut-off valves go in during construction or are fitted later
- The lock, camera and switch brands you choose
Questions people ask
Can guests set the AC as cold as they like? No. You set temperature limits in Symphony, and guests adjust the AC within them.
Will someone respond if an alarm goes off? Alerts go to your app. We do not have a monitoring centre in Dubai, so you or someone you trust needs to act on them.
Can you take over a unit another installer fitted? Usually, yes. We tend to work with KNX and other standard systems. If the setup file is missing, we rebuild it, and you always keep a copy.
How do I get a quote for my units? Book a home visit or engineering survey and tell us how many units you let and what you want to control. We get in touch the next business day, our engineer visits one of your properties, and you usually get a written quote within 2 days.
