Smart apartment technology for St. Louis-area communities
Mobile access, smart thermostats, video intercoms and a resident app, packaged as an amenity that can support higher rents and fewer front-desk tickets. Industry estimates put payback at 18–30 months; results vary by building and market.
A smart apartment is a bundle, not a gadget
A smart apartment platform is an integrated bundle: access control, thermostats, intercom, package handling and a resident app that ties them together. Done right, it’s one of the most marketable amenities you can add. Done wrong, it’s three apps nobody opens.
The case is straightforward. Setbacks in vacant units cut utility waste. Mobile access ends fob replacement and speeds turns. App-controlled thermostats and phone-based intercoms mean fewer calls to the office. And many renters value these features enough to support higher rents, though how much varies by market.
We typically deploy Salto KS or Allegion Zentra for access, ButterflyMX at the front door, Alarm.com Smart Properties for thermostats and property-wide control, and Livly or a similar resident app. Behind it all sits a UniFi network that keeps resident, building-system and management traffic apart.
Multifamily headaches a smart-apartment bundle fixes
Lost fobs, slow turns, wasted energy, missed deliveries and too many apps.
Residents lose fobs constantly, and you pay to replace them.
Mobile credentials, with cards or fobs for anyone who prefers them. A lost credential is replaced in seconds.
Turns take days: rekeying, resetting thermostats, clearing access.
Access is revoked the day the lease ends and the thermostat drops to your vacancy setback automatically, so maintenance can start the turn right away.
Utility bills climb in vacant units running at the last resident’s setpoint.
Vacancy setbacks: an energy-saving setback (for example, about 80°F cooling and 60°F heating, set by you) until the next lease starts.
The front desk fields “the delivery driver is here” calls all day.
ButterflyMX calls residents’ phones, delivery codes let drivers in, and package lockers handle the rest.
Residents have one app for the door, one for the thermostat and one for the intercom, and use none of them.
One resident app for door, thermostat, intercom, packages and building announcements.
Leasing can’t demo smart features because the model unit is on the old system.
We set up the model unit first so leasing agents can show the real app from day one.
What’s in a smart-apartment build
Access, climate, intercom, resident app and the network underneath, installed and supported as one platform.
Access at every door
Salto KS, Allegion Zentra or Alarm.com Smart Properties at unit doors, common areas, gym, mailroom and parking, with one dashboard for managers.
Video intercom at the front door
ButterflyMX calls residents’ phones, with delivery codes and guest PINs. Most modern platforms offer Yardi, RealPage or AppFolio integrations; we confirm the exact integration at design.
Per-unit smart thermostats
Residents control their own temperature; managers see building-wide use, set vacancy setbacks and spot units running inefficiently.
Resident app
Livly or an equivalent app for door, thermostat, intercom, packages, announcements and amenity booking.
Segmented building network
UniFi with separate VLANs for residents, building systems, management and guests, with coverage tested at every unit.
Lockers, cameras and common-area lighting
Package lockers sized to delivery volume, cameras at lobby, mailroom and parking tied to door events, and scheduled common-area lighting.
What drives the cost of a smart-apartment project
Unit count is the starting point, not the whole story.
Unit and door count
Each unit door, common door and gate adds a lock or reader.
Which systems you bundle
Access only, or access plus thermostats, intercom, lockers and a resident app.
Existing wiring and network
Usable cabling and closets lower cost; a building without a real network needs one first.
Retrofit vs. new build
Occupied buildings need phasing and resident communication; new construction lets us wire during the build.
Platform subscription fees
Access, intercom and resident-app platforms usually charge monthly per unit or per door. We show these separately.
PMS integration
Connecting to Yardi, RealPage or AppFolio adds configuration and testing time.
Every project gets a free walk-through and a line-item design at three price levels.
Smart apartment installation for St. Louis & Metro East communities
We’re a Maryville, Illinois company installing smart-apartment technology for apartment communities across the St. Louis metro: Madison, St. Clair and Monroe counties in Illinois, and St. Louis City, St. Louis County, St. Charles County and Jefferson County in Missouri. That includes garden-style communities in Edwardsville, Glen Carbon, O’Fallon and Shiloh, mid-rise buildings in Clayton and Kirkwood, and student housing near local campuses. Properties with individual HVAC units, door hardware worth keeping or a dated buzzer system are usually the quickest wins.
Older Class B properties are often the best candidates, because the upgrade helps them compete with new construction for the same renters. We phase work around lease cycles so residents keep access throughout. Larger portfolios beyond the metro are taken on by arrangement. See our service area.
How a smart-apartment rollout runs
Four phases, one project lead, line items from day one. An optional service agreement covers the access platform, thermostats and intercom we install.
Who buys smart-apartment upgrades
New lease-ups, Class B retrofits and portfolio standardization each need a different mix of access, thermostats and intercom.
The pieces inside the bundle
A smart apartment is the sum of access, intercom, automation and network.
Smart-apartment platforms we install and support
Salto KS, Allegion Zentra and Alarm.com Smart Properties for access and unit controls, ButterflyMX and Comelit at the front door, Livly for the resident app, and UniFi underneath. Choosing an access platform? Read Salto KS vs. Allegion Zentra. We can also work with other platforms on request.
Smart apartment questions
Occupied-building installs, the resident app, PMS integration, payback, fees and move-outs.
A 50-unit deployment is typically 4–8 weeks, phased by floor or stack. We plan cutovers so residents keep access throughout; phases are communicated in advance and coordinated to lease cycles.
Yes, but the app is the value, not a barrier. We handle the rollout: onboarding email, an in-person Q&A and first-week support. A well-run rollout is what drives adoption.
They use key cards or fobs. Salto KS and ButterflyMX both support mixed-credential deployments, so smart features stay available to residents who want them.
Most modern platforms offer Yardi, RealPage or AppFolio integrations; we confirm the exact integration at design. Where the integration is in place, a new lease can trigger app, door and thermostat access without manual entry.
Industry estimates put most projects at an 18–30 month payback, from some combination of utility savings, faster turns, fewer front-desk calls and higher rents on smart-equipped units. Results vary by building and market.
Yes, and many properties do. Access usually comes first because it delivers the fastest return. Thermostats and intercom follow in phase two. The resident app is most useful once at least two systems are connected.
We design and install both. The smart-apartment platform is only as reliable as the network underneath it, and we don't install apps on a network we can't vouch for. We typically deploy UniFi end to end.
Most owners include the app as a building amenity with no resident fee. Some operators add a small monthly amenity fee to the lease.
Access is revoked, the thermostat returns to your vacancy setback and the app account is deactivated. The next resident gets a fresh setup at lease start.
Ready to talk about smart apartments?
Your free three-option design: Good / Better / Best, line-item, yours to keep. We respond within 24 hours.