The SmartGarage software allows you to control your garage door with Amazon Alexa-powered devices like the Amazon Echo. This project is based on the very inexpensive ESP8266 or ESP32 microcontroller and the PlatformIO IDE.
This project should run on all ESP8266 or ESP32 boards which are available from various manufacturers. By default, the software is configured to use the ESP-01 board and Pin 0. If you prefer to use a different board (like NodeMCU), please edit the files platform.ino and bsp-config.h.
Most garage door drivers provide an input for an extension unit. Caution: These connectors can carry a live voltage of 240 V or more. Typically used to connect wall-mounted push buttons. The microcontroller will output a pulse on the configured GPIO pin which can be used to emulate a press operation of the push button.
On my garage, there are an 18 V and a GND connector pin. I use an PC123 optocoupler to hook up these input terminals to the microcontroller. The 18 V terminal is connected to the collector (PCF123 Pin 4), Ground to the emitter (PCF123 Pin 3). Since the microcontroller is configured to output a low pulse, the Anode is connected to Pin 0 of the ESP, and the cathode to 3.3 V via a 100 Ohm resistor.
If you haven't already, please download the PlatformIO IDE, which is an extension for Visual Studio Code or Atom. Please follow the instructions on the PlatformIO Website to compile and download the firmware to the device.
You might apply changes to the configuration. To configure which board and which GPIO pin to use, please edit the files platform.ino and bsp-config.h. Also make sure to instantiate the Garage object in main.c to the matching polarity for your installation, with "false" meaning active-high and "true" meaning active-low, respectively.
Additional options can be set in project-settings.h.
Upon first boot, the device will boot in WiFi Access Point mode to provide a configuration portal. After the software has been downloaded to the device, connect to the WiFi network with SSID "Garage", the default password is "456config789" (without the quotation marks). Open the browser and navigate to http://http://192.168.4.1 where you can setup your WiFi connection.
After the device has connected to your WiFi network, ask Alexa to start device discovery.
"Alexa, discover my devices!"
If your device has been discovered, you can interact with it as if it were a light bulb. To open or close the garage, just say
"Alexa, turn on the garage"
This project is based on the fauxmoESP library by Xose Pérez. Additional libraries:
- DoubleResetDetector by Stephen Denne
- WiFiManager by tzapu
Thank you and all people who contribute to these projects and the SDKs for your great work!
This software is provided without warranty of any kind. Distribution and/or use of radio-enabled devices may be subject to regulatory and approval.
This software is missing fundamental security features. Therefore, this software does not provide sufficient access control. This may result in refusal of insurance claims and/or voiding/cancellation of your policy.
Work with electricity poses dangers. Electricity can cause severe injury, death, or property loss. Please consult a Licensed Electrician before performing with electrical circuits and follow your local electrical code.