

Portal: Control your garage door from anywhere - coreymgilmore
http://coreygilmore.io/portal/
Portal is a simple, an add-on device that allows you to open or close your garage, check if the door is open, and schedule automatic opens or closes.  It works in real-time, is always connected to the internet, and is incredibly simple to setup and use.  No more remotes, just use your phone! (or anything else with a web browser)
======
dangrossman
Many garage door openers made in the past 15 years were made by the same
company, whether they're branded LiftMaster, or Chamberlain, or Craftsman or
Sears. You can add remote opening, status and smartphone control to any of
them with the LiftMaster MyQ retrofit kit.

[http://www.liftmaster.com/lmcv2/accessoryfamily/213/myq-
enab...](http://www.liftmaster.com/lmcv2/accessoryfamily/213/myq-enabled-
accessories/)

It installs in about 5 minutes: you just remove your opener buttons and move
the two wires to their new buttons, which talk to their gateway. That's even
less setup than this one (no attachment to the opener or the door). As a big-
name commercial project, it's a pretty closed system, though. There's a JSON
API, but it's not meant to be used except by their web/phone apps. There's a
plugin to add it to Vera home automation hubs, but I worry about the longevity
of it since I think such a thing is still against the product's TOS.

They also have the newer "Universal Smartphone Garage Door Opener", which
works with pretty much any brand (adding Linear, Genie, Overhead, Stanley,
Wayne-Dalton) since it appears to use a light/IR sensor to detect open/closed
state and acts like any remote opener to control the door.

[http://www.liftmaster.com/lmcv2/accessorydetail/19898/liftma...](http://www.liftmaster.com/lmcv2/accessorydetail/19898/liftmaster-
myq-garage/)

The only reason I bought one was because none of the do-it-yourself or
crowdfunded options were so plug-and-play, and I don't have the patience for
wiring up weird circuit boards to the back of my openers and hoping they work.
I also care a bit about obeying local laws that say a remotely controlled
garage door must have an audible warning before it's closed, so that you don't
accidentally crush a child you can't see is playing under your door. Most of
the DIY stuff doesn't have that, LiftMaster's does and it's a bit like a smoke
detector going off for 5 seconds before the door starts closing. There's no
sound if you close it any other way (wall buttons, a normal remote in your
car).

I don't really get what this site is offering, but if it were the same thing
as what LiftMaster sells but self-hosted or with a much more open API, I'd
have paid money for that instead.

------
jerknextdoor
I feel like this website is missing some critical information. Is this a
product? a service? Can I buy it? do I build it? What is this other than a
remote garage door monitoring tool?

~~~
ForHackernews
GDOAAS

------
damian2000
A little similar to this kickstarter ... in fact this guy needs another $600
for his goal in 7 days.

[https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1916007507/lift-the-
eas...](https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1916007507/lift-the-easy-way-to-
open-your-garage-door-0)

------
coreymgilmore
Hi all, Following up on all your comments here. Thanks for the replies and
comments.

> Yes, Liftmaster/Sears/Craftsman have similar products. I propose mine as an
> add-on to existing systems in a more universal way. Plus, nothing wrong with
> a little competition (although the tech world these days hates it).

> Opening or closing your door could be useful if you left the house and
> forgot, or a friend is coming over, or a contractor to do some work. This is
> noted below as well.

> As for security, the backbone communication system is designed to
> communicate device <-> server via https. So there is some security there. We
> are working very hard on this to implement something very strong.

> Schedules will work regardless if the network is up or down. These are
> synced anytime the network is up, but the device runs them as needed. No
> internet needed.

> If something is below the door, than you would have the same issue as if
> someone pushed a remote button. The laser sensor may or may not be tripped,
> and the door-load (how much force to close) may or may not be tripped.
> Nothing Portal can do here.

> In regards to the setup. No, it is not "zero"...fixed the website. As for 5
> minutes, absolutely. The trigger is simply another wired remote, two wires.
> The sensor is prewired and just needs to be placed. No soldering, building
> circuit boards, etc.

> Yes, if the Portal service/servers or the internet connection is down in
> between, Portal will not work. It is meant to be an add on to RF remotes.
> However, we do provide a default website on the device with a PIN code for
> activating the door. Currently, its not so polished as it isn't the main
> focus. But needless to say, it works.

> If someone gains access to your phone, than yes they could open/close your
> garage. Just like losing your car remote. You could always log out of the
> app.

> Portal is a product and a service. Nest like model: buy the hardware, the
> software does not have a monthly fee.

------
damian2000
From the how section ... 5 minutes seems like an extreme exaggeration,
especially for connecting a sensor to the door and a trigger to the back of
the motor.

 _Setup:

\- Power to the wall.

\- Trigger to the back of the motor.

\- Sensor to the door.

\- Use your home wifi network.

\- Open the portal website or app.

Total time = less than 5 minutes. _

~~~
ChristianBundy
I really love how their tagline says "Zero Setup" with a 5-step setup guide.

------
adrianN
Can someone please tell me why I would want to open my garage door if I'm not
either in front or inside my garage?

~~~
User9821
There are some rare use cases, but I think it would have a negative impact on
my own life.

1\. I'd question the security, is there going to be an exploit where someone
can intercept signals to the door, and then use them to open or close it on
their own when I'm away?

2\. What happens if I arrive home, and my network is down? Or what if their
cloud servers are not responding? What if I open the door for a delivery guy
like the other poster mentioned, then the network fails, and I can't close it?
I'm at work, and my package and home is now open.

3\. In one of their use cases they mention setting up a schedule, so it opens
when your kids get home. Same as the above, if the network isn't responding,
your kids are locked outside. This means they need a key to open the door as
backup, so what was the purpose of the automatic schedule in the first place?
What happens if they're running late from school, my house is open when no one
is home again?

4\. What happens if I have something below the open door (although not in line
with the sensor), and it decides to close itself because of a schedule, or
someone else in my family triggering it online? For example, the trunk of my
car goes up fairly high. If the door closes while the trunk is open, the
braces hanging down could potentially hit it. So if I'm unloading my
groceries, and my spouse is at work thinking the door shouldn't be open, we
have one scratched car.

5\. It's another piece of technology to micromanage. I don't want to start
worrying about the schedule of my garage door. I enjoy the simple life.

Anyway, this is too much thought for what it is, but you get the idea.

------
darkstar999
So if your service is down, I can't open my garage? Or does it still work over
wifi?

~~~
jonobird1
You can. It says you can still use your normal garage opener. My question is
since it syncs with your server, can you open my garage? Someone can open my
garage if they gain my password, my phone, or my wifi network. Is this
correct?

------
therobot24
pictures?

