Which Lock Connection Do I Need?
Your lock connects to GuestsKey one of two ways, and which one depends on the lock itself rather than on a preference.
Wi-Fi locks connect through Seam. The lock talks to its manufacturer’s service over your Wi-Fi, and GuestsKey talks to that service. No hub needed.
Z-Wave locks connect through SmartThings. Z-Wave isn’t Wi-Fi — the lock has no internet connection of its own and needs a SmartThings hub to bridge it.
There’s also a Home Assistant path in alpha, for locks you already manage there.
The brand isn’t the answer — the model is
This trips people up constantly. Schlage, Yale, Kwikset, and August all make both Wi-Fi and Z-Wave locks, so “I have a Yale” doesn’t tell you which path you’re on.
Look at the model instead. A Yale Assure Lock 2 Wi-Fi goes through Seam; a Yale Assure Lock Z-Wave goes through SmartThings. A Schlage Encode Plus is Wi-Fi; a Schlage Connect is Z-Wave.
If you’re unsure, the practical test is whether the lock connects to your Wi-Fi network directly in its own app during setup. If it does, it’s a Wi-Fi lock. If setup told you to add it to a hub, it’s Z-Wave.
What each path needs
Seam (Wi-Fi): an account with your lock manufacturer, and the lock on a 2.4GHz network. Most smart locks don’t support 5GHz, which is worth checking if your router presents both under one name.
SmartThings (Z-Wave): a SmartThings hub — v2, v3, or Aeotec — with the lock already paired to it, and a Samsung account. Connect the account once and every location on it becomes available, so you don’t reconnect per property.
Home Assistant: your own instance, reachable from outside your network, and a long-lived access token. Whether a given lock works depends on your Home Assistant integration rather than on GuestsKey. This one is alpha.
Mixing is fine
Nothing stops you running some properties on Wi-Fi locks and others on Z-Wave, or connecting several manufacturer accounts. Each property just needs its own lock mapped to it.
Once connected, see lock brands and limits for the per-brand behavior worth knowing before your first guest arrives.