z-wave control of electric garage doors

[Ricky]

I have 3 electric garage doors and a z-wave system in my home controlled by Homeseer and I want to control the garage doors from the Homeseer computer, as well as from the car, as well as from the old switches in my garage.

What are my options?

I have been looking at the stuff from Wane Dalton. Is the Wane Dalton Garage Door Opener Conversion Module/receiver a real z-wave device? Will it serve as a repeater and can any z-wave controller find it? I don't think so.

I am confused on where the z-wave functionality resides in the 3 products made by Wayne Dalton: the conversion module/receiver (http://www.waynedaltonstore.com/prod...171410883.html), the keyless key chain controller (http://www.waynedaltonstore.com/prod...714109121.html) and the gateway (http://www.waynedaltonstore.com/prod...171410873.html).

I think the zwave is in the gateway. But can I use HS to controll the 3 garage doors through the gateway??

Are there better options?

Thanks!

[macromark]

Here's one alternative that will work with your existing garage door openers and is 100% Z-Wave.

Wire one of these in parallel around each of your garage door push-button switches: ACT ZRF113 (or ZRW113). Each is powered by 120v but has an isolated relay that can be used with HomeSeer to simulate a button push.

Now add a door sensor to each of your garage doors so that HomeSeer can track the open/close status of the doors.

When you arrive home, just use your existing garage door opener to open the door. The door sensor will alert HomeSeer and you can trigger events, based on that. Also, you'll be able to monitor the status of the door remotely and control the door with the ACT devices.

Mark

[Ricky]

Originally Posted by macromark

Here's one alternative that will work with your existing garage door openers and is 100% Z-Wave.

Wire one of these in parallel around each of your garage door push-button switches: ACT ZRF113 (or ZRW113). Each is powered by 120v but has an isolated relay that can be used with HomeSeer to simulate a button push.

Now add a door sensor to each of your garage doors so that HomeSeer can track the open/close status of the doors.

When you arrive home, just use your existing garage door opener to open the door. The door sensor will alert HomeSeer and you can trigger events, based on that. Also, you'll be able to monitor the status of the door remotely and control the door with the ACT devices.

Mark

Thanks. I got both of those switches you suggested as well as the sensor.

I have installed the ZRW113. It works fine but since the garage door is a toggle I have to turn the switch on and then off (say to open door) before I hit on again and off (to close it). In HS I suppose this will be easy implement the "off" after an "on" but it is a bit awkaward when actually using the switch.

It is no big deal but I thought I would ask if you see a better way of installing the switch. In re-reading your post I see you say to install the switch in parallel with the old switch. In that case I should just use the relay ZRF113, right? Since I won't be using actually rocker switch on the zwave device.

I will try that.

Thanks again.

[Ricky]

As macromark suggested, I installed the ZRF113 in parallel with the toggle switch and the Hawking sensor and it all works great together. Thanks!

[djc1603]

I also use the setup described by macromark but it is not foolproof for me. I have an event that will close my garage door if it has been left open for an hour. I have come home on several occasions to find my garage door open, knowing that it was closed when I left. After some investigation I discovered that HS doesn't always receive the signal indicating the door has closed so after an hour the event fires and since the door is down it opens.

[macromark]

Originally Posted by djc1603

I also use the setup described by macromark but it is not foolproof for me. I have an event that will close my garage door if it has been left open for an hour. I have come home on several occasions to find my garage door open, knowing that it was closed when I left. After some investigation I discovered that HS doesn't always receive the signal indicating the door has closed so after an hour the event fires and since the door is down it opens.

Anytime the door sensor status is changed (open or close), it sends out a Z-Wave broadcast of its current state. Since door sensors cannot be polled, it is critical that HomeSeer receive this broadcast whenever it's transmitted. If HomeSeer is not receiving that broadcast reliably, then your event will not work.

[IKUS]

Oh! This is such a good idea! I can't believe this hadn't even occurred to me! hehehe... I'm so on gettin' this setup for my garage!

Originally Posted by macromark

Here's one alternative that will work with your existing garage door openers and is 100% Z-Wave.

Wire one of these in parallel around each of your garage door push-button switches: ACT ZRF113 (or ZRW113). Each is powered by 120v but has an isolated relay that can be used with HomeSeer to simulate a button push.

Now add a door sensor to each of your garage doors so that HomeSeer can track the open/close status of the doors.

When you arrive home, just use your existing garage door opener to open the door. The door sensor will alert HomeSeer and you can trigger events, based on that. Also, you'll be able to monitor the status of the door remotely and control the door with the ACT devices.

Mark

[Wadenut]

I'm so pleased with my solution I just have to brag a bit.

I didn't have a ZRF/ZRW113 on hand so I modified an Intermatic Appliance module to do the job. It was a simple matter of cutting the PCB trace between the relay contact and the 110V, giving me a dry contact; which I've wired across the push button on a spare door remote. I attached the remote to the module with carpet tape and plugged it into an outlet in the garage.
This was step one. HS could control the door.

The next step was to design the events/scripts to automate the door. This involved a motion sensor inside the garage, a DS10 on the door and an RFID tag in the car.

Long story short, here's the logic:

Created a virtual device "Car In Garage". Status is ON=Car Inside, OFF= Car Out.

1. Car Arrives:
Trigger: RFID tag is detected,
Conditions: If the motion sensor is off and the door closed and "Car Inside" Off
Actions: Open the door, turn on lights if it's dark.

2. Car moves inside:
Trigger: Motion detected within 60 seconds of #1.
Action: Set "Car Inside" On.

3. Close door with car in (just arrived):
Trigger: Motion detector becomes OFF.
Conditions: If "Car Inside" is On and the Door is Open
Action: Close the door, turn off lights

4. Car Leaves:
Trigger: RFID tag becomes absent.
Condition: Motion is ON and door is open
Action: Close the door, turn off lights.

5. RFID problem: (This has yet to occur)
Trigger: RFID becomes absent
Condition: "Car Inside" is ON and Motion is OFF
Action: Log a problem.


So far, all of this works (fits my lifestyle) and I still have manual remote control from the car and inside the house & garage.

[Rupp]

Originally Posted by Automated

I will not use a general purpose zwave module for the purpose of activating a door, because zwave is actually pretty easy to spoof a signal from using a ztroller.

I wouldn't loose too much sleep worrying about a criminal spoofing a Z-Wave device. Of all the criminals I've met, I've never seen one carrying around a Z-Troller Most would simply pry the door.

[kaldoon]

And when the garage door is pryed open that is what the Door Sensor is for

[Automated]

Originally Posted by Rupp

I wouldn't loose too much sleep worrying about a criminal spoofing a Z-Wave device. Of all the criminals I've met, I've never seen one carrying around a Z-Troller Most would simply pry the door.

Nobody is losing sleep over anything, but the principle stands as truth. We all know criminals would just break a small window or whatever, but that doesn't mean more sophisticated breakins do not occur. In fact, what a wonderful way to throw off police...to use a zwave signal and then break out a window after the deeds are done. I work with security, and comments like you make fill the mouths of executives everywhere. Then look at the news at the lost data, breached systems, and privacy data compromised almost weekly. The threat is real. I am not trying to pick a debate, but to be honest I am surprised to see such flippant attitudes here in the forum, assuming we are all fairly technical and understand the risk.

[Rupp]

Originally Posted by Automated

Nobody is losing sleep over anything, but the principle stands as truth. We all know criminals would just break a small window or whatever, but that doesn't mean more sophisticated breakins do not occur. In fact, what a wonderful way to throw off police...to use a zwave signal and then break out a window after the deeds are done. I work with security, and comments like you make fill the mouths of executives everywhere. Then look at the news at the lost data, breached systems, and privacy data compromised almost weekly. The threat is real. I am not trying to pick a debate, but to be honest I am surprised to see such flippant attitudes here in the forum, assuming we are all fairly technical and understand the risk.

Do you have any data indicating that Z-Wave has ever been spoofed? I've never read of single incident of this. Again, there are many many ways to get at users data and we should be diligent but spoofing Z-Wave isn't one I would worry.

[rmasonjr]

Looks like locks and other devices with the security class are encrypted:

http://www.zwaveworld.com/ask/ask47.php

[VirtualPanther]

Originally Posted by rmasonjr

Looks like locks and other devices with the security class are encrypted:

http://www.zwaveworld.com/ask/ask47.php

That's great. Most definitely use of of the locks soon in the future on my front door. But... How do I securely, easily, access garage?! Everything suggested so far seems to work for folks who tried those routes, but these solutions resemble jerry-rigging and not a securely designed conversions from traditional garage controls to secure z-wave. Is there such a thing anyway?

[chewie]

Has anyone tried the Wayne Dalton Car2U? Wouldn't that work and not be a Kludge?

[rmasonjr]

Originally Posted by VirtualPanther

That's great. Most definitely use of of the locks soon in the future on my front door. But... How do I securely, easily, access garage?! Everything suggested so far seems to work for folks who tried those routes, but these solutions resemble jerry-rigging and not a securely designed conversions from traditional garage controls to secure z-wave. Is there such a thing anyway?

I dont think something exists that meets your specs. Hopefully others will chime in, but in this group of HA enthusiasts, most simply build their own with different pieces of technology.

[kaldoon]

Understand that the traditonal garage door opener is not based on the Z-Wave frequency but the 372 Mhz frequency. Wayne-Dalton back in the day incorporated Z-Wave into their garage door openers but Z-Wave was not used to open and close the door.

[VirtualPanther]

Just a quick update:

I bought two Aeon Labs DSB04100-ZWUS Wireless Door/Window Sensors and two of the Evolve LFM-20 - 20A Z-Wave Relay Fixture Modules. Installed all of these in garage. The Evolve relays are great; wiring them in parallel to the garage door openers was quite simple indeed. Next, the Aeon Labs sensors were installed -- one on each garage door. Finally, following advice from gdrapp, I created an event that would turn each of the Evolve relays off a second after it was turned on. This was necessary to return control of garage doors to the standard wall buttons. Otherwise, while the Evolve relays remained on (after opening or closing the door), the wall buttons would not respond.

So... Now, both doors can be remotely controlled and integrated into events in HomeSeer and the Aeon sensors instantly tell me the status of each door, which I use as trigger in events. Here are some pics:

[VirtualPanther]

Originally Posted by Otis

Awesome solution here VP! I'll be copying this myself...

Thanks. It actually works quite well. The only "but" is that all of these devices (the Evolve relay and the Aeon sensor) are shown as "devices" in HSTouch. That means they have an "On" and "Off" button. So... I once accidentally hit the "Off" for the Aeon sensor. The only way I was able to set it was by manually (not via HSTouch but using wall buttons in garage) opening and closing the door. Until then, after I clicked the wrong button in HSTouch, the sensor would not change state (open vs closed).

In reality, it was a minor problem. If I were away, I would remotely log into HomeTroller and reboot it. But more importantly, I do not plan to rely on predicting the state of any entrance to the house via whatever the sensor reports. I plan to buy two cheap Foscam IP cams and have one per garage door. This way, I can SEE the state of the door. Just extra peace of mind. Plus, you know, creating an event to capture snapshots when garage door is activated. That's the plan for now, at least. The wife still has to approve additional budget

[Otis]

VP -- stupid questions maybe. I ordered the same Evolve relay you used. In your pic, I don't see the black live wire going up to a power source -- just the white wire. Also where are you running that yellow wire to? Isn't that just in case you want to use a wall switch with the Evolve relay as well? Finally I'm assuming it's the two blue lines I wire in parallel around the garage door opener wall switch.

Anyway I'll be heading out to give it a shot now. :unsure: