Garage Door Monitor - cant get past "when the garage door is open"

SmartApps & Automations
#1

Problem: Trying to install “Garage Door Monitor” but cant get past first question of “When the garage door is open…” The response area is grayed out, asks “Which?” and says “You can’t currently add this”

Why?

Is there another app I should use?

Just purchased ST Hub V3 to replace WINK.

Successfully added device “GoControl Smart Garage Door Controller” using Classic App. It works fine, opens closes, displays status.

It is my only device, so far.

I would like to monitor it and be notified if left open for more than 15 minutes. would also like to know if battery is low on tilt sensor. I would like multiple household members notified.

update: after much research i found the solution that is probably obvious to the experienced user. There is a smartapp called “Left it Open” that works.
however, still disappointed with the default DTH that does not even show battery status.

never the less… I do appreciate your replies as I come on board with this WINK replacement.

#2

Welcome! As a new user, you may want to avoid using the Classic app and instead move to the new SmartThings app if possible. The Classic app Is in the process of being phased out. When that will happen, no one knows.

In the new app, there is an integration for the GoControl garage door which may be better than the controller you installed in the Classic app. Perhaps someone who has gocontrol can step in and offer better assistance than I can.

In the new app, you can use Automations or check out webCoRE for notifying your family members when the door is open. :slight_smile: I prefer webcore when it comes to the more complex items.

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#3

If you have access to RBoy Apps you may want to try this app:

There’s also an optional custom device handler for your GoControl which has a few additional features compared to the stock device hander.

#4

Unfortunately the new app automation creator still doesn’t have a sensor left open for X minutes condition option. It’s supposed to be implemented before Classic is retired.

#5

Thank you for your reply.

Great advice about the classic app. I was beginnning to understand that since 90%+ of the offerred solutions simply dont work because of the “gutting” of the classic features. There are a lot of obsolete SmartThings suggestions out there now!

also, i plan to invest some time in webcore.

But, I have taken a quick run at Scenes and Automations, both seem lacking in the functionality that i am looking for. (no way to specify a 15minute rule). As I get better at this, I hope I have to eat those words.

thanks again

#6

Thank you for your reply.

i plan to invest some time in webcore. glad to hear it has worked for you.
Once I get good enough to actually create a “piston” (right?), I may have another question for you

and, thanks for verifying that Automation does not offer the time limit option. maybe i’m not crazy

your reply was most helpful in keeping me from going down the wrong path.

#7

update: after much research i found the solution that is probably obvious to the experienced user. There is a smartapp called “Left it Open” that works.
however, still disappointed with the default DTH that does not even show battery status.

never the less… I do appreciate your replies as I come on board with this WINK replacement.

#8

It’s not as much the default DTH as it’s the device itself. It doesn’t report battery levels but with some models it does report a low battery condition (that’s where the custom DTH’s come in the picture). The default DTH’s in ST are designed to be as broad as possible so they don’t typically customize themselves to individual device features or settings and to focus more on the basic functionality.
Two simple examples are thermostats and locks. The default stock handlers will allow a minimum set of basic operations that work consistently across a broad range of models, but as you’ll see in the links the custom DTH’s can customize a lot of things including battery life, reliability, UI (using the Classic app for now since the new app doesn’t support custom UI’s) and also access settings/feature for individual lock models and brands. Infact through the use of custom commands it opens up new opportunities for users to use WebCoRE or CoRE to create more complex automation with minimal effort.

There are pros and cons to each approach, such as custom handlers run the cloud where some of the stock device handlers run locally for a slightly faster response. You can find more information about this on the FAQ pages.

#9

I am new to smart home automation. My first attempt was to use alexa to turn on a smartthings plug then off which worked well. My second attempt was to automate the garage door. I found lots of automation routines on this blog but noticed they were created in 2015/2016. I am using a smart plug to trigger a relay and a smartthings multipurpose sensor (set for garage use) to indicate open or closed door. Wrote automation in smartthings to automatically close the garage door at night.(8pm), here is what I did

If its 8pm
and if the garage door sensor state is open
Then turn on a smart plug and off after 2 seconds (plug actuated a relay shorting the two wires acting like the button was pushed.

it is basically three blocks in the smartthings app.

All works well if door is still open at 8pm the smart plug goes on then off triggering the relay and the door closes. If the door is closed nothing happens (also ideal)…

I have tried to create a routine in alexa (echo dot) to close the door but can not get it to work, does not see the sensor. Question is can alexa run a smartthings automation? If alexa can how do I get the smartthings app into alexa.

Thanks

#10

Which sensor are you trying to get Alexa to see? Alexa can’t run an Automation but it can operate your SmartPlug.

If you’re using the Classic app there is something called a Routine (which was basically an Automation + Scene combined into one) which could be run by Alexa.

With the new App Alexa can execute a Scene (not an Automation), so ideally you want to group your actions into a Scene and then have the Automation execute the Scene and Alexa can also execute that Scene in SmartThings as explained on this link.

If you’re looking for a more comprehensive way to convert your multisensor + smartplug into a Virtual garage door, check out this app: [RELEASE] Virtual Garage Door Opener/Controller with Relays and Contact/Tilt/Door Sensors

#11

The sensor that I am trying to use in alexa is the Samsung multipurpose sensor (open closed, temp & tilt)

If I go to alexa devices and select the sensor I can see if the sensor is in the open or closed state. if I hold the sensor in vertical position device status is closed, if I move the sensor into the horizontal position the state changes to open. Alexa does not allow me to use it in a routine.

I will look over the Virtual garage door opener you have mentioned

Thanks for feedback

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#12

Thanks again for your response.

Would you please elaborate on your point about the generality of the supplied DTHs?. I would have thought that when choosing a device that identifies itself as specifically for this product that the DTH would be specific also. I would certainly understand your comment if the device chosen was from a list of “generic Z-Wave” devices. But, it was not.

Let me pick your brain on one other subject. No one has even attempted to answer my core question of why I cant get past the first “Garage Door Monitor” smartapp question of “When the garage door is open…” The response area is grayed out, asks “Which?” and says “You can’t currently add this”

It is as if the smartapp wants to know which of the 2 sensors (“door control” and “contact sensor”), but for some reason cannot. This problem is not unique to this smartapp when it comes to garage door openers. Any ideas?

Your experience in this area is invaluable to the community. Much appreciated

#13

SmartThings works on the concept of capabilities.

Device have (expose) capabilities (e.g. Contact sensor, Door Control, Thermostat, Lock, Switch etc).
SmartApps consume (use) capabilities as inputs that you see on the screen

When an input says “You cannot currently add this”, it’s a message from the platform saying that it can’t find any device with the capability that the SmartApp is requesting for that input in the location where the SmartApp is installed - hence the app basically says that nothing is available for you to select.
So you need to check a few things:

  1. Are your SmartApp and devices both in the same “location” (note this is SmartThings location and not physical, the location can be found in the ST mobile app and the IDE, you can setup multiple locations and sometimes accounts are created with a default virtual location which can cause the issue since apps and devices end up in different locations)?
  2. Does your device expose the capability that the SmartApp is looking for
#14

Thank you for the clue.

I dropped everything and proceeded to try syncing the “locations” of the smartapp and the device as you suggested. But, to no avail. I cant find anything that associates the smartapp with a location. Nor is location an attribute of the smartapp anywhere that I look.

I only have 1 location (“Home”) with several “rooms”. So I even tried moving the device to other rooms. No luck.

Here is another clue…
Although this same problem exists with other garage door smartapps, there is a SmartApp called “Left it Open”, that has no difficulty in finding my device and works 1st time. It also asks the question “Which?”, and presents a list of devices from which to choose. Works great.

So, to answer your second question… Does your device expose the capability that the SmartApp is looking for Yes it does, the other app has no dificulty seeing that capability.

thanks again

#15

I seem to be having a similar difficultly with the “Garage Door Monitor” app.

#16

I think I know what’s going on. There are two different types of capabilities in SmartThings which apply to garage doors, door control and garage door control. They are identical in functionality but a SmartApp can only pick one at a time.
So it depends on which capability is exposed by the device handler (a good device handler will expose both to avoid this compatibility problem and not all stock device handlers do that).

I can look into it. In the meanwhile if you have a zwave garage door controller use this device handler which should work with all apps. It’s an integrated zwave garage door controller which is compatible with both smartthings specifications.

This one should work with both types of SmartApps.

EDIT: I noticed that your device may be using a 3-axis controller device handler and not a garage door controller device handler which is causing the issue you’re seeing

#17

Thanks. Yes, this is the problem. The “Garage Door Monitor” SmartApp is looking for the multiaxis input and the device handler no longer has this. Would it not be possible to rewrite this app to look at the appropriate input?

Or add this functionality to the RBoy garage door SmartApp. This would seem the better option. :wink:

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