How To - Linear Garage door and Amazon Alexa

This is exactly how I’m using the integration. I set up two separate routines, one for “open the garage door” and one for “close the garage door.”

Just wanted to mention that now that Amazon has added its own routines to Alexa it’s very easy to use whatever verbiage you want for your virtual switch.

So you can say “open the pod bay doors” or “lower the drawbridge” or pretty much anything you want as the trigger for your Alexa routine ( not a SmartThings routine, this is an Amazon feature created through the Amazon app).

Then have that routine turn on the virtual switch that triggers your SmartThings routine that opens the garage door.

You will still need one routine to open and one routine to close, but you could have the verbal phrase be whatever you want now. :sunglasses:

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Does anyone have experience with the controller and open/close sensor becoming un-paired?

I had a power disruption about a week ago, and now the controller and sensor keep becoming unpaired for one reason or another. I’ve tried changing the battery in the sensor, only for them to unpair a day or two later.

Should I try a new sensor? Any suggestion on that front if so? Could my controller be on the fritz?

Is yours still working? My app closes and opens garage but Alexa just stopped. I did create a new skill with lambda function recently for my lights. The other smart things work

After 2.5 years, Mine is still working great. I’ve never had a problem with mine. I have replaced the door sensor battery only once in all of this time. This has been my most trustworthy device in my system. I’m still using the original dth from the 1st post.

Mine was too but the Alexa side stopped is your voice control still working? I probably need to add and remove the device. It’s weird the smartthings app works fine it’s just the Alexa side

I installed two Linear garage door openers. After installing the first one everything worked fine. I went through the whole process with the second one, but the tilt sensor was defective and I received the replacement today. I paired it with the opener and SmartThings can control it fine as can my Action Tiles, but Alexa just responds that the second door does not support that. They appear to be setup exactly the same in SmartThings and Alexa sees them as the same type of device. I am hoping someone has a suggestion as to what may be going on. Thanks for this post.

I just need to remove the second door from Alexa and add it back in.

I just set my Garage Door up and followed your instructions exactly.

When I ask Alexa to “Open/Close the garage door” she just responds with “Garage Door doesn’t support that.” But she’ll respond to “on/off”.

Is there a fix for this?
In the meantime, I have created multiple routines in Alexa.

Thanks @bamarayne!

Yes, very simple…

You will need to routines in the native Amazon Alexa app.

Routine 1 - When you say, “Alexa, open the garage door”
Alexa will - Turn on garage door
Alexa will say… whatever you want

Routine 2 - When you say, “Alexa, close the garage door”
Alexa will - Turn off garage door
Alexa will say… whatever you want

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Has anyone experienced “A network or Server error occurred. Try again later” when opening the device in SmartThings? This didn’t happen until the latest major update to the app (iPhone). app version 1.6.28-225

This is my first posting as a new user in the SmartThings community.

A big thank-you to bamarayne and all users contributing to this thread!

I recently moved over from a Vivint home system and I’m in the process of moving over all my devices to SmartThings. After moving over my Linear Garage Door Opener (GD00Z-4), everything has been working smoothly.

I really wanted the integration with my Amazon Alexa assistant, more for convenience instead of having to grab my smart phone, unlock, open the app, and open the door. After following this thread, I was able to successfully accomplish this. Thanks for the great information!!

My question is about the notifications I have enabled in my SmartThings app, that appear both in app and through my IOS notification. Prior to the changing the device handler, when I opened the garage door, I received the message “Garage Door was opened”. After closing, I received the message “Garage Door was closed”. After changing the device handler, I now receive “Garage Door contact is open” and “Garage Door contact is closed” respectively. Not a huge deal, but I like the previous notification text!

Is there anyway to modify the device handler to achieve this? I scanned down through and I see some mention of the word ‘contact’ in the z-wave event but I’m not sure if this is the place to change the text?

Thanks for any help you can offer!

Cheers,
Daniel

Your automation, what app are you using for this?

I’m using the SmartThings Classic app. Either when I change the state of the garage door opener, or choose the routine, or ask through Alexa, I receive the same notification from the SmartThings Classic App (and from the SmartThings newer app, but I ended up disabling the notifications for that one for now…).

Is that what you meant?

Thanks again,
Daniel

No, in the classic app, what smart app are you using that actually performs the Acton of sending you the message? Is it smart home monitor?

Ah, sorry, I misunderstood. I originally created the automation using the ‘Notify Me When’ SmartApp under Safety & Security in the SmartThings classic app. I have the Contact Opens and Contact Closes section targeting my Garage Door. Should I use the ‘Contact’ section or the ‘Switch’ section, as the Garage Door now appears in both?

After reviewing this, I see there is a Message Text section that I could fill in. However, the same message would be used whether or not the contact/switch was opened/on or closed/off. I’m wondering if the solution to this is to create two separate notifications, one for open and one close close, changing the Message Text to the text I’d like to say and then enable Push Notifications…

What do you think?
Daniel

I’m honestly not familiar with that app, I’ve never used it.
I would like to introduce you to some apps I think you’ll love.

Echo speaks - an amazing app that a allows you to use your Alexa devices in smartthings.

https://community.smartthings.com/t/release-echo-speaks/142252

EchoSistant - an amazing app that lets you do everything else.

WebCoRE - the app you shouldn’t be without

https://community.smartthings.com/t/webcore-installation-video/108516

These custom apps will allow you to do just about anything you can imagine with smartthings

Excellent, thanks for the great information!

The Notify Me When appears to be a newer SmartThings notification:

I ended up created 2 separate notifications, using different Message Text for open / close, and it worked!

One more question. In the SmartThings Classic app, the garage door sensor now appears Green when closed and Yellow when opened. Previously, the colors used where Blue for closed and Orange/Red for opened (looking through the Recently section for the device). When looking down through all of my Things, the normal state for my devices are all Blue.

Is there a way to change the normal state (Closed) for the Garage Door to Blue? Is it as simple as modifying the DTH tiles section to change the hex colors? I’ve never modified any custom device handlers, always copying and pasting the raw text, never making any changes!

Appreciate any direction you can give me!

Cheers,
Daniel

Update: After the latest ST update I now get a blank screen when I open the Garage Door. I don’t see options to open or close the door. I also do not see the door status. This is using the “new” ST app, NOT Classic. Anyone else experiencing the same?