Installing a Smart Garage Door Opener
This project is a pretty simple one and rather strait forward if you already have a motorised garage door. If you do then this is a good place to start if you are looking for a quick weekend project.
There are 2 differnet products that can be used for this project. The cheaper option is to
use a Sonoff SV board - Can be found on Amazon here
The board only costs around £12.00.
a down side to this device is that there isn’t a sensor to notify you of the garage door is open or not.
Use the Sonoff Garage Door Opener - This can be found on Amazon here
This device is slightly more expensive than the first option at arounf £20.00
This device also comes with a contact sensor that will show you in the Sonoff app (aka. EWeLink) as open or closed.
This opton also comes in a case therefore the board is more protected than option 1.
Both options allow you to operate the garage door in a number of ways. You can use the app, Alexa or IFTTT. If the garage door in not in view of a security camera then it would be best to go for the second option as it will give you peace of mind that the garage door is actaully closed.
Adding the Device to the App
Once the device arrives, its time to get it installed.
First step, plug the device in and make sure it works. You don’t want to get it installed only to find that you have a device that doesnt work and need to send it back. This is as easy as plugging in the micro USB cable. both options use usb to power the PCB.
Now its time to add the device to the app. This is the same process for all sonoff devices.
If you haven’t done so already, install the EWeLink app.
click here to install the Android app
or here for the IPhone app
Once installed, create an account or sign in.
At the bottom of the screen, click the blue plus button to start the pairing procedure. this can be seen in the screenshot below:
The blue “plus” button can be found at the bottom of the EWeLink app home screen.
This will start the paring process. the next screen will ask you to select a pairing mode. Select “compatible mode >>” as this is the mode that always seems to work. the Quick Pairing mode sometimes doesn’t find new devices.
Follow the instructions on screen to put the device in pairing mode. You may need a pin to press the pairing button. Once the device is in pairing mode, click “Next” in the app. the next screen will ask you to enter the wifi details that you want your next device to use. Enter you details and click “Next” again. The app when then start looking for the device.
Once the app finds the device it will transfer the wifi settings to it and restart the device. Some times you may have to repeat this stage several times in order for the app to pick up the device. it is rare that this will work first time.
The final screen will ask you to name your device. Add a name and csave the changes. This then completes the setup process. Oncethe device is added, click in the device and go to settings. you will need to set the “inching setting to on nad set the time to 0.5 seconds. Inching is the term used to a short period that the device is truned on then off again. setting this to 0.5 seconds means that when ever the device is turned on, it will automaticatically turn off again after 0.5 seconds.
To add this new devices to Alexa just ask “Alexa, Discover new devices” the new device will then be found for you to use.
Alexa may add the device as a switch rather than a specific type of device. in this instance a garage door opener. if this happens Alexa will want you to say. “Turn on the garage door” to activate the switch. This isn’t a very natural way to operate the device. In order to make this more normal you can create an Alexa routine so that when you say your more natural phrase like “open the garage door”, she will know what to do.
Installing The Device
Now to the fun part!
Both of these devices act like a momentary press of a button. Basically what happens when you tell the device to turn on, it opens the relay on the board and connects the two terminals. The result is the same as pressing a traditional door bell. the circuit is completed for a short amount of time and then broken again but this is enough to tell your garage door opener that you want the door to open or close.
If you garage door opener already has a wired control, like a button on the wall to open the door, then all that is needed is to attach the new device to the same terminals on the garage door opener. If you don’t have a button already then please refer to your garage door opener manual to locate the correct terminals to connect the bord to.
If you chose to use option 1 above then you will need to connect some low voltage wire to the normally closed and common terminals on the side closest to the blue relay box on the board. The terminals and relay are highlighted red in the image below:
If you chose option 2 then the devices comes with red and black wires pre attached ready for this to be connected to you garage door opener. As this is a switch, it doesnt matter which way round the wires are connected to the terminals. Once the device is connected the you can connect the USB to the new Sonoff board again. You may find that the easiest way to have usb power near your garage door opener is to use a usb power socket adapter like the one shown below.
This will allow you to power the garage door opener the the sonoff device at the same time from a single socket. The light on the board should blink then stay a solid red to indicate that the device is connected to wifi.
IF you went for option 2 above now is a good time to install the contact sensor provided with the device. run the cable down the side of the center door runner. attaching the cable as you go with the sticky cable clips provided. fit the wired sensor to the edge of the runner making sure that it will not impeed the door mechinism. Fit the non wired part of the sensor near to the wired part but to the door itself. This part needs to move away from the wired sensor when the door is open. By doing this the app will be able to correctly identify if the door is open or closed. when the door is open the the app will have a white background when you open that switch. If the door is closed then the background will be black.
Once you device is powered and connected to the wifi you cna now control the opening of the garage door. try pressing the on button in the app. the garage door should then open. repeat the process to close he door. You cna also test that your Alexa commands work at this point.
And that is it! hopfully a fairly simple weekend project that will extend the functonality of your smart home. If you have any issues with this project please contact us using the link above.
DISCLAIMER: Electricity can kill. If you do not feel confident in wiring in the device yourslef then please contact a qualified electrician.
