iApartments Review | Apartment Automation Software Review, Cost, Alternatives

 

 

The challenges of managing a multifamily building evolve as smart technology advances. Apartment automation software is an emerging technology that can help make your job easier. iApartments is one such provider that you may decide to work with.

iApartments offers smart upgrades for apartments, access control systems, and self-guided apartment tours. Read on to learn more about iApartments’ features, pros and cons, pricing, and alternatives.

In this review, we cover:

• About iApartments
• Features
• Pricing
• Pros and cons
• Should you get iApartments?
• Alternatives to iApartments

 

 

About iApartments

Based in Tampa, Florida, iApartments was founded by experts in the multifamily and smart home industries. iApartments evokes the all-in-one nature of the iPhone — without being an Apple product.

iApartments has partnerships with property management software companies such as Yardi, ResMan, and Entrata.

iApartments offers an all-in-one app available on the Apple App Store and Google Play store that allows both residents and building managers to control all of their building’s smart devices right from their phones.

The smart products that they offer to outfit your building with include:

• Smart hub thermostats
• Smart locks
• Voice control
• Smart sensors
• Smart lights

In addition to smart technology, iApartments offers access control features for your building’s staff and residents. This includes keyless entry and guest access.

iApartments also offers self-guided apartment tours that promise to help keep vacancies low.

 

Features

• All-in-one app. With iApartments, everything can be controlled from a single phone app, no matter the number of devices that a resident has in their unit or that property managers have in the public spaces of the building,
• Smart technology. Smart technology is credited with making your residents’ lives easier by allowing them to control devices from their smartphones. Automating devices such as thermostats and lightbulbs allows your building to save energy and enable green living apartments.
• Integration. Smart devices such as Alexa that residents may already own can be easily integrated into the iApartments setup. These devices can then be controlled from their app.
• Asset protection. iApartment devices monitor humidity and moisture levels in an apartment building, attempting to detect leaks before they cause massive damage.
• Self-guided tours. Prospective residents can schedule appointments to tour your building without having to interact with any staff. All they have to do is submit an ID and do a biometric scan to confirm their identity. The self-guided tours can be done at the prospect’s convenience and include answers to many questions that they may have.
• Access control. Residents can enter the building with the swipe of a finger on their iApartments mobile app. They can also give their guests temporary access. Access control can be implemented at all of your building’s amenities including pools and gyms.
• Building management. Staff can enter and remove residents seamlessly from having access to the building.

 

Pricing

There is currently no pricing information publicly available on the iApartments website. Pricing likely varies depending on the size of your building and the number of units it has.

 

Watch how ButterflyMX works:

 

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Appeal. A tech-savvy multifamily apartment building will appeal to tech-savvy millennials, the biggest market demographic for renters.
• Expenses. Reduced costs on lighting, temperature, and staffing are all benefits of iApartments smart technology.
• Easy integration. The ability to integrate with pre-existing products can save on expenses, especially if a building already has some smart devices.

Cons:

• Connectivity. Ensuring that all of the smart devices in a building are connected to the hub and operating correctly is a big logistical challenge.
• Privacy. Privacy and data collection might be a concern for residents, especially if they don’t own most of their smart devices.
• Confusion. While tech appeals to millennials, older renters might have trouble understanding and operating smart technology. As a result, they may need staff to help them.

 

 

Should you get iApartments?

Many of the reviews of iApartments on the Apple App and Google Play stores list frustrations with their smart devices continuously losing connection. Other reviewers say that customer service is frustrating and slow to respond. Despite these complaints, iApartments has a 4.8 rating with over 2,000 ratings at the time of this review.

Keep in mind, many of these reviews are from residents and not property managers or staff. So, there is more of a likelihood that somebody will complain about an issue in their apartment rather than complement a feature that they like.

Other case studies and quotes about iApartments praise the company’s ability to make a multifamily building feel more modern.

Overall, iApartments might be worth investing in if your building has no smart technology and needs a major tech overall. However, if your building has already started embracing smart technology, you may be better off buying and integrating smart products on your own.

Additionally, iApartments doesn’t appear to have incorporated much in the way of property management technology just yet. You should look into specific property management software for your building.

 

Alternatives to iApartments

While iApartments offers many great features for your building, you may want to break down the upgrades for your building with specific companies that focus on one or two things that they do best.

For alternative apartment automation software, you should look into:

• OpenHAB. This software integrates all of your automation software into one platform, streamlining your devices.
• SmartThings. This software focuses on integrating hundreds of different brands to ensure your property runs smoothly no matter how many vendors you work with.

 

For a holistic automated multifamily access solution, check out ButterflyMX. They offer access control systems both in the form of video intercoms and keypads, as well as self-guided apartment tours. With a focus on access made simple, residents can enter the building or an amenity space with their mobile app. Guests and delivery personnel can also enter thanks to remote access.

 

 

Disclaimer: ButterflyMX provides these blog posts to help our customers and potential customers make the right business decisions for them. Our blog posts are based on the information we have available to us at the time of writing.