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Basically wanting to start off with by controlling garage door through Internet and then add things like smart lights and door alarms over time. I just heard about Z-Wave and Google Weave on this site - they might be of some help. Also wanting to be able to see if the garage door is currently open or not in addition to being able to open or close it.

I have a Craftsman 41a5507-5 garage door opener - need to find out how/if it is possible to send signals to that opener without it's remote. Or do you need to buy a special garage door opener?

Some direction would be appreciated.

strider
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5 Answers5

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You could use an Arduino or a Raspberry Pi with a Bluetooth module. They could connect with your Smartphone through Bluetooth LE. Then, when the Arduino/Raspberry Pi sense your Smartphone or Smartphones with the correct code/id, which you have to register in the Arduino/Raspberry Pi previously, the door can open automatically.

Another possibility is to use Wi-Fi. In this case, you must have active the Wi-Fi always and you wait until the Smartphone connects to your Wi-Fi.

In the Arduino/Raspberry Pi you could register the frequency of the door controller to open and close the door or you could directly to the door motor to open and close the door directly. In this case you do not need a special door for your garage.

Aurora0001
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CGG
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Sears sells the "AssureLink Garage Door Opener Smart Phone kit" that works with virtually all Craftsman door openers made since 1998 (older openers lack modern safety features.) It includes a replacement for your old wall-mounted push-button, and a "gateway" you connect to your router. Once installed, you can use their phone app to check or operate your garage door from anywhere.

Because garage doors have both safety and security aspects, I recommend you consider a commercial product that addresses these concerns. For example, the replacement button includes a warning beeper that sounds for 15 seconds before closing the door when closed by the app, in case you are not present to warn people to get out of the way.

John Deters
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Weeeell, you could just strap an existing door opener somewhere in signal range and connect it an IoT device. That would probably require some wiring on your part, are you comfortable with that?

I think that the answer to this question and many similar (like this one) is going to be the same: if you are happy with soldering & electronics, make your own. You might get some help at Hardware Recommendations or Electrical Engineering.

Otherwise, (and, probably, even if if you are a hardware guru) it is better to start from scratch.

I won't bother to Google and post any of the many solutions which are available.

Although this app says that it will work with your Android 'phone and Craftsman garage door.

Download the Craftsman Smart Garage Door Opener app for your Craftsman Smart Garage Door Opener. Can’t remember if you closed your garage door? No worries…Confidently use the Craftsman Garage Door app to monitor or check if your garage door is open and then close it if necessary. Convenience. Security. Peace of mind. Works with Craftsman Smart Garage Door Openers. See Craftsman.com for details.

With the Craftsman Smart Garage Door Opener app, you can: Stay connected even when you are thousands of miles away.

• Control - Open and close your garage door with smart device
• Security - Check and open or close your garage door
• Peace of Mind - Never worry if you forgot to close your garage door
• Convenience - Open your garage door for family, friends, deliveries and more
• Turn on / off lights - Requires Craftsman Plug-in-Light Control (sold separately / not included with Craftsman Smart Garage Door Openers)
• Program your garage door to automatically close on a set schedule • Program your lights to automatically turn on/off on a set schedule
Works with both Craftsman Smart Garage Door Opener products and Craftsman AssureLink™ Garage Door Opener products.

Despite that, if you are in it for the long haul, I would suggest that you look for a very flexible solution. Consider what else you might want to corporate into a smart home, and look for a solution which you can grow over time to handle all of it.

Don't just look for a solution for your currnet garage door; look for something that covers you entire home, possibly your vehicle(s), anything else? Elderly relieves ...?

Community
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Mawg
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A fairly recent addition is the ratgdo. Hardware is available (or can be built yourself with off the shelf parts) and software is on GitHub.

I've not used one personally yet, but it's on my list of things to do. It does work with many (but not all) garage door openers, including Security+ 2.0.

It runs over MQTT so it can integrate with a wide variety of control applications including Home Assistant and Apple's HomeKit.

FreeMan
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I am doing this using Zwave devices.

  • I have a smart relay behind the garage door switch that is mounted on the wall.
  • I have a microswitch on the side of the garage door.
  • This feeds a smart input. In other places I have just used a smart switch (with its switch input connected to the microswitch, and I can read its status)
  • I have a dedicated server to run scenes (routines).
  • I also have Alexa connected to it, so I can say "Open Left Garage Door"

Operation

  • Once an open is activated, the routine checks that the microswitch opens right away.
  • When a close is initiated, it waits the time I takes my garage door to close and checks that the microswitch is activated.
  • Between 7pm and 10pm, it checks every hour and Alexa speaks out a message to tell me if the Garage door has been left open.

There are other families of devices that can be used such as zigbee.

Rohit Gupta
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