How to Install igloohome for HomeHerald

This is the technical setup guide for connecting an igloohome smart lock to a HomeHerald community. By the end, your community’s residents will receive a one-time access code in the app whenever they book an amenity with a paired lock. Plan on 30 to 45 minutes for the full setup if it’s your first time.

The setup happens in three places: igloohome (the consumer mobile app you’ll use to physically pair the lock), iglooaccess (igloohome’s web portal where you generate API credentials), and HomeHerald (where you connect those credentials and pair each amenity to its lock).

What you need before you start

Hardware

• One igloohome smart lock. We recommend starting with the Deadbolt Go (around $200 retail) for most clubhouse and gym doors. Other models work too:
  • Deadbolt 2S, Deadbolt 02: standard residential deadbolt replacements, $180 to $250
  • Mortise Lock 2: for mortise-style doors (common in older clubhouses), around $300
  • Padlock 2: outdoor gates, pool gates, $150
  • Rim Lock 2: glass doors, storefront-style entries, around $250

iglooHome’s full compatibility list is at igloohome.co/products. Any model that supports algoPIN will work with HomeHerald.

Accounts

• An igloohome consumer account (free; sign up in the app when you first open it)
• An iglooaccess account ($2 per active lock per month, billed by igloohome, 30-day free trial). Use the same email address as your consumer account so locks propagate.
• HomeHerald admin or board member access for the community

Phone

• Bluetooth-enabled smartphone for the initial lock pairing. After setup, residents do NOT need a smartphone or the igloohome app to use the lock; they just punch the code on the keypad.

A door

• A door with a deadbolt or compatible lock you can replace. Most installations take 15 minutes with a screwdriver. No electrician needed.

Step 1: Install the lock hardware

This is the same process as any deadbolt replacement.

1. Unbox the lock. Note the orientation (which side is the keypad). igloohome locks are usually shipped pre-set as right-hand. If your door is left-handed, flip the bolt direction following the included instructions (the bolt has a small lever you slide).
2. Remove your existing deadbolt. Two screws from the inside.
3. Insert the igloohome lock into the door’s bore hole. Make sure the keypad side faces out and the deadbolt extends and retracts cleanly.
4. Secure the inside plate. Two screws.
5. Install the included AAA batteries (usually four).
6. Test mechanically: turn the thumb-turn from the inside. The deadbolt should extend smoothly and retract smoothly without binding.

If the deadbolt binds or the motor sounds strained when you later send a code, your door isn’t perfectly aligned with the strike plate. Adjust the strike plate (usually one screw on the door frame) so the bolt has clearance.

Step 2: Pair the lock to the igloohome app

This is where the lock “meets” your account.

1. Download the igloohome app (iOS or Android). Sign in with the email you’ll use for iglooaccess (this matters; same email on both is required for the lock list to propagate later).
2. In the app, tap Add Device. The app will scan for nearby Bluetooth devices.
3. Wake up the lock by pressing any digit on the keypad. The app should detect it.
4. Follow the prompts: set a master PIN (this is the lock’s offline emergency PIN; do NOT use this for booking access), confirm the lock’s time zone (America/Chicago, America/New_York, etc.), and name the lock something descriptive (“Clubhouse Main Door”, “Pool Gate North”).
5. Confirm the lock’s clock synced. The igloohome app does this automatically over Bluetooth during pairing. If you ever notice access codes failing later, this is the first thing to recheck (described in Troubleshooting below).

At this point, you can punch your master PIN on the keypad and the deadbolt should retract. If that works, the hardware is done.

Step 3: Set up iglooaccess

iglooaccess is igloohome’s web portal for API access. It’s a separate signup from the consumer app.

1. Go to https://www.igloohome.co/software/iglooaccess and click Start free trial.
2. Sign up using the same email address you used in the igloohome app.
3. Activate the trial. Your billing kicks in 30 days later at $2 per active lock per month, billed by igloohome directly. HomeHerald does not collect this fee.
4. Once logged in, you should see your lock under Devices. If it’s not there, double-check the email match between the consumer app and iglooaccess, and try the consumer-app Refresh button. There’s also a one-click “Refresh devices” link in the iglooaccess portal.
5. Navigate to the API Access section (sometimes called Credentials or Apps). Create a new credential pair and name it HomeHerald (or “HomeHerald Production”).
6. Copy the Client ID and Client Secret. Treat these like a password. Anyone with both can mint access codes for your locks.

Step 4: Connect to HomeHerald

1. Sign in to HomeHerald and go to Admin → Amenities → Manage.
2. You’ll see the Digital Lock tile (it has a Lock icon and an indigo header). Click it.
3. The settings dialog opens. Pick iglooHome from the platform dropdown (it’s the default; more vendors are coming).
4. Paste your Client ID and Client Secret.
5. Click Test & Connect. HomeHerald verifies the credentials against iglooaccess and pulls your device list.
6. On success, the tile flips to “Connected” and shows your lock count. The device inventory appears in the dialog.

Step 5: Pair each amenity to a lock

Each amenity (clubhouse, pool, gym) needs to know which physical lock guards it.

1. Still in Admin → Amenities → Manage, click the amenity tile (e.g., Clubhouse).
2. Scroll to the Smart Lock section. Because the community is now connected, you’ll see a dropdown listing every lock paired to your iglooaccess account.
3. Pick the lock that physically guards this amenity. Save.
4. Repeat for each amenity that has a smart lock.

If two amenities share the same physical lock (e.g., a clubhouse with a conference room inside it), point both amenities at the same device. The system handles this correctly: each booking gets its own unique code.

Step 6: Verify with a test booking

1. As a resident (or test account), book the amenity for a time within the next 24 hours.
2. The booking is created and the rental fee + deposit are placed on hold via Stripe.
3. Within an hour or so, the system charges the rental fee and the resident’s Booking Pass starts showing a Locked access code tile.
4. One hour before the booking, the actual 9-digit code reveals in the resident’s Booking Pass.
5. The resident punches the code on the lock at the booked time. The deadbolt retracts.
6. After the booking window ends, the lock auto-secures. The deposit hold sits on the card until five days later, when it’s automatically released.

If you want to skip the waiting and verify immediately, you can grant yourself Early Access from the admin booking detail page. That mints a code valid for any window you specify, immediately.

Troubleshooting

The lock beeps “success” but the deadbolt doesn’t move. Usually the deadbolt is already retracted (the lock didn’t need to move). From inside the door, manually extend the deadbolt, then punch the code from outside. The deadbolt should retract this time. If it still doesn’t move, run the Calibrate lock position routine in the igloohome consumer app.

Codes aren’t working at all even though they look valid. The lock’s internal clock has drifted out of sync. Open the igloohome consumer app, walk to the lock, and tap it in the device list. The app re-syncs the clock over Bluetooth automatically. Repeat any time the lock has been on the same set of batteries for several months.

My lock doesn’t appear in the iglooaccess Devices list. The email on the consumer app and the email on iglooaccess have to match exactly. If you signed up with different addresses, contact igloohome support to merge the accounts, or log out of iglooaccess and sign in with the matching email. Then refresh the Devices view.

HomeHerald says “Connection error.” Your iglooaccess Client ID and Secret were rejected on the last access-code attempt. The usual cause is that someone rotated the credentials in the iglooaccess portal but didn’t update HomeHerald. Open the Digital Lock tile in HomeHerald, click Reconnect, and paste the fresh credentials.

A resident says the code “expired right away.” The booking window may have ended already. Check the resident’s booking date and time against the current time. Smart-lock codes are valid only during the booked window (plus the one-hour reveal lead time on the resident’s display). If the booking is still upcoming and the code isn’t working at the door, recheck the lock’s clock sync (above).

Battery low warning on the lock. The igloohome consumer app shows battery level for each paired device. The lock will start beeping a low-battery warning when batteries are below 20 percent. Plan to replace AAA batteries roughly once a year for an outdoor lock, longer for indoor.

Adding more locks later

The setup above gets you one lock running. Adding more is repetitive but quick: install hardware (Step 1), pair in the consumer app (Step 2), then they auto-appear in iglooaccess and in the HomeHerald dropdown. You don’t have to redo the credential connection.

iglooaccess pricing is per active lock, so a community running three locks (clubhouse, pool gate, gym) is $6 per month.

What’s next

If you have August, Yale, Schlage Encode, or Latch locks instead of igloohome and want to wait for HomeHerald to add support, drop a note in the community feedback channel. The architecture is vendor-agnostic; each new lock vendor is a focused integration on our side. We’ll announce each one as it ships.

For the higher-level story on what Amenity Automation actually does and why it’s included free in every HomeHerald community, see the launch post.