Garage door opener?

I am newbie to smart things world. I am planning to buy a Z-wave garage door opener. I see that Iris is the best option, but I have two garage doors and planning to have/buy only one that works for both garages. is there any best option to do this?

Thanks in advance :slight_smile:

I’m not familiar with a garage door opener that will control two doors. I would think both openers would need to have a separate module to control each door. I’m using an Iris door opener, and know you must have a controller for each door. Maybe others have a different approach for multiple doors, but I’ve never read anything concerning your scenario. Tagging @JDRoberts

Garageio works with SmartThings and comes in one door, two door, and three door models. However, all three are sold out at the present time and their support says it may be two months before they get more stock. So I’m not sure what’s going on there. There are some community members who have it. The ratings are not generally as good as for the linear product (which is sold under many different names, including the iris model you mentioned, but also GoControl and Nutone). And only the linear is officially supported by SmartThings. And on top of that, the cost of the garageio two door is almost exactly the same as the cost of two of the iris models.

https://www.amazon.com/Garageio-Door-control-garage-Amazon/dp/B00ZJMZMZC

I believe the Chamberlain MyQ can also be configured for two doors. There’s an unofficial integration with SmartThings, but I don’t know for sure that it’s working, it had some problems the last time I looked.

So my own recommendation would be to get the Linear and just get two of them. If you have them connected through SmartThings, it’s easy to set up one button or widget to control both doors if that’s what you want.

But there are some other options if you want to look at them.

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Thanks. I had problems with Chamberlain MyQ and returned it.

when you say only the linear is officially supported by SmartThings, does that include IRIS that i have mentioned? this is not called Linear, so making sure before i buy it. link that i am planning to buy is @ https://www.lowes.com/pd/Iris-Garage-Door-Internet-Gateway/50213045

thanks again

To expand on @JDRoberts post, I’ve installed 2 GoControl Z-wave Garage Door Openers. I contacted their technical support after one of the tilt sensors began malfunctioning, and they ended up sending me a replacement sensor after a few minor troubleshooting steps. Overall I’ve been happy with the opener, but I don’t like that the app loses its sense of open/close in the event of a power outage. A bonus of the Z-wave garage door controller is that it functions as a z-wave repeater for other devices you may have in or around your garage.

I haven’t used the Chamberlain MyQ, but I prefer my devices to communicate directly with my hub rather than via internet-based integrations that may break or be discontinued. Also, the MyQ has some form of subscription associated with it now, and I am not sure if you would need to pay for that subscription to integrate with SmartThings.

If your primary concern is knowing whether or not the garage door is open or closed then you could simply install a Ecolink Z-wave Plus Tilt Sensor.

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That IRIS model you linked to is what we are all talking about being a Linear re-branded unit. I have the IRIS version installed with my ST system just fine. Many of us ended up with the IRIS branded one when they went on sale a while back…as well as they are easy to grab at the local Lowe’s.

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Same device, different box.

From JDRoberts’ post that you responded to:

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It’s a little hands on as far as setup, (Actually very easy just takes a little time) but there is a $10 option to control as many garage doors as you want. That’s how I have my garage doors setup using ST_Anything on an ESP8266. A plus is that I don’t think there are any garage doors that it wouldn’t work with, as long as they have a wall remote.

Thanks all. One last question, does this Iris has a movement sensor where I can put a rule to close automatically if no movement for a certain amount of time?

You can, but I strongly recommend against it. Garage doors, unfortunately, can kill people. Imagine that someone is in the garage, falls ill, and lies on the ground across the threshold of the door. No movement. Then your automatic rule kicks in and the door comes down. While it is true that once the door hits something it will likely reverse direction, that’s once it hits something.. And with the motion sensor rule, it will come down again the next time the rule will triggers. And again.

Also, I know that people have different opinions about this, so speaking just for myself, I would not use a relay just to hotwire the garage door. With just a relay you don’t have any of the safety features that are generally recommended for out of sight operation of the garage door.

In contrast, most of the devices that we have discussed in this thread, and specifically The iris/Linear models, are UL approved and have all the recommended safety features.

But if you are going to close a door that you can’t see, my personal recommendation is that you get a notification that it is open, you then check the area visually with a camera, and then you manually close it if appropriate. That way you don’t have to worry about accidentally injuring a car or a person who is blocking the doorway.

JMO :sunglasses:

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I agree as it is better to err on the side of caution

With that said however, thats one thing I love and hate about the MyQ as it has the loud alarm and seizure causing flashing that sounds/blinks prior to the garage door ever closing, so those that are conscious have plenty of time to get out of the way before it closes. As for someone falling to the floor unconscious, if the safety beam is severed in any way, the garage door will not operate or try to close, whether they are moving or not my sensors are set 6inches off the ground).

In the end foreseeing potential disaster, leaving automation out of it, mitigates any risk at all.

In my case, if I leave the house, my system arms automatically via GPS (mine works lol), and if I happen to leave without closing the garage, I have rules in place that notify me that I left the garage open based on my open/close sensor. Then, because I have a Nest camera in the garage to view any activity, I can then proceed with closing the garage door remotely and still have the visual to make sure that no human or animal happens to be there before I press Close. :). And if someone does come walking toward the door while I’m closing it, I can yell at them through the camera to get out of the way.

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Thanks everyone…

JDRoberts…can you expand on Garageio and SmartThings working together? Other than some customized features from a while ago in the forum, are there any other methods for making it work? I have the 3-door version, but have not seen a way to get it into Smartthings.

Thanks for any help or direction as I’ve been looking for this support for some time.

jim

There is no official integration.

There is a community – created integration, but I don’t know if it works for that particular model.

The fastest way to find it will be to use the quick browse lists in the community – created wiki. Look in the device type handler section, and then look on the “garage” list. Then you will be able to find the discussion thread.

When you post to that thread, the author of the thread will automatically be notified, and other people who have the device should also see your post and be able to comment.

http://thingsthataresmart.wiki/index.php?title=How_to_Quick_Browse_the_Community-Created_SmartApps_Forum_Section#Quick_Browse_Links_for_Device_Type_Handlers