Blog
Guides to smart home setup codes, HomeKit and Matter pairing, and keeping your accessories easy to add back. From the people who make PairVault.
Guides
Storing setup codes securely means two things: you can't lose them, and nobody else gets them. Here is how to keep every HomeKit and Matter code safe with PairVault.
4 min read
News
Our first update since launch. Read setup codes from a photo, keep receipts with each accessory, better close-up scanning on Pro iPhones, and Dutch support.
2 min read
News
PairVault 1.0 is out on the App Store. What more than 400 beta testers changed, what is in the first release, and what happens now if you were on the beta.
4 min read
Guides
Yes. Every Matter device also carries an eleven-digit pairing code you can type in. It works for almost all of them, with one exception worth knowing about.
2 min read
Guides
Yes. The QR code is just the eight-digit setup code in a scannable wrapper. If you have the number, you can type it in by hand. Here is how, and when it is your only option.
2 min read
Guides
The 'Unable to Add Accessory' error covers a dozen different faults, most of them network trouble or a device that is still paired somewhere else. Here is what to check, in order.
3 min read
Guides
In normal use, no. A paired accessory keeps working without the code. But a handful of situations bring it back, and Apple Home will not show it to you when they do.
2 min read
Guides
A HomeKit setup code is eight digits and Apple-only. A Matter code is eleven digits and works across ecosystems. Here is what really separates the two, and how to spot which one your accessory uses.
3 min read
Guides
The Apple Home app never shows the setup code for an accessory you have already paired. Here is why, the one Matter exception that gets close, and where the real code lives.
3 min read
Guides
No. The setup code is fixed when the accessory is made, and a factory reset does not touch it. Here is what a reset actually clears, and the one setup where the code really can change.
2 min read
Guides
Apple Home never shows a setup code once an accessory is paired, so the sticker is the only copy you have. Here is how to record your HomeKit and Matter codes before you need them.
3 min read
Guides
What you need first, the steps to add a new Matter accessory, and the separate route for one that is already paired to Google Home, Alexa or SmartThings.
3 min read
Guides
Lost the pairing code for a smart home accessory? Here is where every setup code is printed, how to recover one from the box or manual, and what to do when it is genuinely gone.
5 min read
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