G+_Ben Yanke Posted March 18, 2015 Share Posted March 18, 2015 Anyone ever create a network based garage door opener before? I'm trying to decide the best way to do it....does the raz pi have network capabilities? I assume I'd need an external relay? Nb: I have (or can have) access to live cat5 to the garage door motor if needed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G+_James Ledbetter Posted March 18, 2015 Share Posted March 18, 2015 I'm VERY interested in this... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G+_J Miller Posted March 18, 2015 Share Posted March 18, 2015 Why pay money on hardware to control only your garage door. Go for Z-Wave expand-ability and control every item in your home if and when you decide to. http://www.007systems.com/garage-door-control.html If you do decide to do this with WIFI please be safe about it and included a camera to see the state of your door and make sure it is clear before you close it from afar. you don't want to injure or kill someone closing it with your phone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G+_Ben Yanke Posted March 18, 2015 Author Share Posted March 18, 2015 Because 1) I really have no interest in controlling other things and 2) what's the fun in buying something when you can build it?, and make it work exactly how you want it to? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G+_Eddie Foy Posted March 18, 2015 Share Posted March 18, 2015 A rasPi is a bit overkill, but a ethernet relay will probably cost more. But it has a 100Mb port. Also keep inmind the RasPI GIOPs are 3.3V. Looking for wired or wireless solution? What are you looking to do exactly? Be able to open/close remotely? (ponder security concerns) Monitor if its open/closed? (will need 2 inputs and switches/sensors for open/closed) Close if night/bed time? Send a warning? Yes a small signal relay tied in parallel ('OR') to the open/close switch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G+_Travis Hershberger Posted March 18, 2015 Share Posted March 18, 2015 A RazPi would be perfect for this. Get yourself a poe injector and adapter for the raspi, a simple current sensor on one of the power leads on the garage door opener (a simple ring of copper wire around the positive or negative lead on the door opener.) You could do things like turn on a camera while the door is in motion, send you an email/text, etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G+_Ben Reese Posted March 18, 2015 Share Posted March 18, 2015 Yes, it's definitely possible and shouldn't be too difficult. This is my next Pi project if I ever get around to it. If you don't do something crazy complicated, the delay shouldn't be any more than the wireless door remote that came with the unit. A friend of mine is part of the startup Garageio (https://garageio.com) and if you look at some of their older videos you'll see that they prototyped with a Pi. Yes, the Pi is overkill but it's worth it for the experience and the price. Eddie Foy? mentioned that the GPIO on the board are 3.3v, but this shouldn't be an issue either. I'd recommend just getting a separate relay board and I've had no problems controlling that off the 3.3v. I've already setup something similar a couple Christmases ago where I connected the Pi to a relay board and used that to toggle power to an outlet where Christmas lights were plugged in and created a strobe. I chose to make it more complicated than it needed to be, but it gave me experience with a few new things: php updated a MYSQL DB then Python read the DB and updated the PWM accordingly... Maybe I'll do a post on if I can find that code somewhere. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G+_Ben Reese Posted March 18, 2015 Share Posted March 18, 2015 Tl;Dr... Yes, it's possible. Yes, it's been done. Yes, the Pi is overkill. Yes, you should try it just for the experience. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G+_Ben Yanke Posted March 18, 2015 Author Share Posted March 18, 2015 Garage door openers often get lost, or members of my large family sometimes get dropped off at home without a key, so it would be a general access solution. As well, it would give me the ability to set up temporary logins for others, giving friends or babysitters temporary access to the house without giving them anything (they just use their phone), which can also be revoked easier than a key Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G+_Ben Yanke Posted March 18, 2015 Author Share Posted March 18, 2015 Wired would be preferred, especially considering that I could easily (within a few minutes) have an Ethernet connection there. (I already have a drop for one of my APs in the mudroom just off the garage)? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G+_Ben Reese Posted March 18, 2015 Share Posted March 18, 2015 How many doors? I had no problems driving 4 relays off the GPIO, though you would probably only need to fire 1 at a time... A pre-built relay board is pretty cheap if you don't want to build that circuit yourself: SainSmart 4-Channel Relay Module https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0057OC5O8/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G+_Eddie Foy Posted March 18, 2015 Share Posted March 18, 2015 RasPi cheapest (but still overkill) $35 for it, $5-10 for SD card and about $10 for misc parts. Now for the interface.... Run a web server with a Python plug in on the Pi? ssh into the Pi and run a script? Wouldn't just a combo keypad mounted outside be easier? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G+_Ben Reese Posted March 18, 2015 Share Posted March 18, 2015 It's super simple, but here's where I started: Raspberry Pi strobe: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G+_Ben Reese Posted March 18, 2015 Share Posted March 18, 2015 Good idea! You could get a cheap Android tablet and put a keypad on that then attach it to the side of the door. Not sure why I didn't think of!! Then you don't have to worry about revoking access, you can just change the pin. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G+_Ben Reese Posted March 18, 2015 Share Posted March 18, 2015 The Pi gives SO MUCH POTENTIAL! I saw one project that gave a spoken audible alert when the door was opening/closing. One that was controlled by "Ok Google" on his phone. One that had an Asterisk PBX built in and you could call it to open the door. Most projects have Webcam attached so you can see who's coming/going. The real question is, why would any geek who owns a house NOT do this? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G+_Fr. Robert Ballecer, SJ Posted March 18, 2015 Share Posted March 18, 2015 This project is 100% a waste of time and overkill for that application... So OF COURSE... You know I'm behind it all the way! #GoPiDoor! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G+_Ben Yanke Posted March 18, 2015 Author Share Posted March 18, 2015 That's what Know How is all about, amirite, Padre? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G+_J Miller Posted March 18, 2015 Share Posted March 18, 2015 I appreciate your enthusiasm in reinventing the wheel. But please follow some safety rules (UL325 standards) when giving control of a electrically controlled door to an electronic control device. I would hate to see you hurt someone with your garage door. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G+_Ben Reese Posted March 18, 2015 Share Posted March 18, 2015 Meh, no need to bypass any of the existing safety devices. This can be just as safe as hitting the button on the wall. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G+_Ben Yanke Posted March 18, 2015 Author Share Posted March 18, 2015 That's exactly what it would do: simulate a button press on a standard remote or the button on the wall Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G+_J Miller Posted March 18, 2015 Share Posted March 18, 2015 The new Ul standards are designed for controlling a door or gate when you are not within visual range of that door or gate. We have garage door controllers that give a visual and audible notification inside the garage for 5 seconds before the door is closed. We also recommend a camera for viewing a live image of the area before triggering the door We also recommend a door tilt sensor to see the state of the door. It seems like a lot for a door, but when you away from home and do not know the status of your garage door, or whether you just crushed your neighbors bike, these products are worth every penny. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G+_Bob Nowak Posted March 19, 2015 Share Posted March 19, 2015 Ben have you checked out the Electric Imp? I found this how to video on Geekbeat: http://geekbeat.tv/control-garage-door-internet Total parts only came to maybe $40, can control 2 doors and only required minor soldering required and it worked the first time - wifi enabled also! The one problem I have is one Sears door opener I have comes with its own battery backup. Should power go out, the relay flips to 'closed' I think and triggers the garage door. The opener without batter backup works fine in a power out situation. I think the sample code supplied above (I just copied, pasted, and changed the login password) might be missing some default settings for the 2 Channel Relay Board, but I'm not an engineer so will be posting for help on the electric Imp boards. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G+_Ben Reese Posted March 19, 2015 Share Posted March 19, 2015 Nice. No, I haven't checked it out but I will. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G+_Ben Reese Posted March 19, 2015 Share Posted March 19, 2015 He's just a kid! Did a great job on the video though. The setup looks simple which is good. The power outage thing is a concern with the Pi option too... Whether the pins start on or off could affect whether the relay starts open or closed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G+_Bob Nowak Posted March 19, 2015 Share Posted March 19, 2015 And it worked out of the gate! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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