Notification of open garage door

[Ira]

Since the issue seems to be "forgetting to close it", I wonder about a simple programmed in timer. If the door is open more than 15 minutes, it gets a close command.

I suppose one would need an override for when they wanted it open, perhaps a "leave open 60 minutes", or something.

For me (the OP), it's more an issue of not remembering if I closed it. Splitting hairs, I know, but it's a little different. 99.9+% of the time, I did close it, and turning around a little ways down the road to make sure is a waste of time (but it makes me feel better).

I'm not too big a fan of automatically closing the door after a certain time period. And it does require other considerations (none of which are insurmountable). For example, what if something is blocking the door? My preference along these lines would be to have a camera that I could view remotely so I could see what was going on if/when I decided to close the door remotely. Even then, how do I know if I'm locking my neighbor's dog (or some other animal, I live in a rural area) in my garage? Those are a couple of reasons why "instant, hands-off notification" is important.

I still keep thinking that the easiest solution (from a "use" perspective, not necessarily from an implementation perspective), would just be to have an indicator (and preferably a voice announcement) that would tell me as I'm leaving whether or not the door is open while I'm still in range. As I got out of range, the indicator/announcement would stop. I think a wireless relay mounted in the car and triggered by a sensor on the garage door (via Elk or CQC) is an easy solution, but I haven't been able to find a voice annunciation device that would work.

Ira

 

[pete_c]

Because of me being OC and occasionally sometimes driving around the block to check the garage door I have some automation in place.

Today I have it connected to my HAI panel and also sending me text pages. I can manually look (via cameras) and manually shut the door via my phone.

I have tried to make it a habit of watching it close and have seen the door bounce back open.

At one time had events shutting the garage door when the alarm was enabled but these events are currently disabled due to WAF. One day in the old home with the detached garage my wife was on the phone as she pulled into the garage. The door started to shut on her with the car running and she freaked out so disabled the event.

 

[tmbrown97]

I have the same obsession, even though I've never forgotten the door; and only once have I had it bounce back open (in mid 2000). Nevertheless, I've been known to circle the block up to 3 times because I didn't make a mental note. Luckily I was able to train the wife into the same OCD and she's learned - you back out, watch the door close, then drive away... no exceptions. I also used it as the major motivator for buying the Elk - she understands my OCD, and that helped me with it. I use the iPhone to check on the house surprisingly often. Nowadays, we arm the alarm from the car too from the driveway because we forget as we're walking out.

Understanding the OP's issue though - I guarantee we can find a nice little 12V solution... I'm thinking a single multi-color LED to indicate Open or Closed; Off would mean no signal or malfunction. When it's not the middle of the night, I'll browse a couple options... this is my kind of project!

 

[Dave X10]

I have the same obsession, even though I've never forgotten the door; .... Nevertheless, I've been known to circle the block
... this is my kind of project!

We seem to all share in driving around the block to check on the garage door. These are the type of problems that makes Home Automation really beneficial.. and FUN. Whereas the obvious solution maybe a "door open [cell] phone call"... the normal built in delays and such would likely not prevent the "drive-around".

Also... I can see a whole new automation opportunity here. As I am a Voice Command HA user... I have found that getting verbal notices from my computer voice (Kate 16)... my favorite benefit.

If we can...maybe use a proximity controlled FM radio in the car... that could [not only] warn of the garage door being open as we leave the driveway. But maybe also be a reminder of a forgotten cell phone..... or a warning that the alarm system is not armed. Maybe a simple "have a nice day" or "day/date/time announcement" as I back out of the driveway could serve as an "all is OK" signal.

 

[Ira]

We seem to all share in driving around the block to check on the garage door. These are the type of problems that makes Home Automation really beneficial.. and FUN. Whereas the obvious solution maybe a "door open [cell] phone call"... the normal built in delays and such would likely not prevent the "drive-around".

Also... I can see a whole new automation opportunity here. As I am a Voice Command HA user... I have found that getting verbal notices from my computer voice (Kate 16)... my favorite benefit.

If we can...maybe use a proximity controlled FM radio in the car... that could [not only] warn of the garage door being open as we leave the driveway. But maybe also be a reminder of a forgotten cell phone..... or a warning that the alarm system is not armed. Maybe a simple "have a nice day" or "day/date/time announcement" as I back out of the driveway could serve as an "all is OK" signal.

Do you know of any voice annunciation devices that...1) work on 12vdc, 2) can be mounted in a car, 3) are relatively inexpensive (maybe under $200), and 4) can make different announcements based on some type of input (preferably combinations of multiple contact closures)?

An FM transmitter seems like a reasonable option. Do you know of any FM receivers that could be inconspicously located in a car? Maybe use a proximity device or a wireless relay to only turn on the receiver if it is near the house, and have it wired such that it also requires the car to be running.

I'm also considering using a wireless relay to turn on an LED in the car as sort of a "general warning" indicator if a dedicated FM receiver isn't practical. If the LED is flashing, it indicates that the HA system wants to tell you something. That indication would tell me to tune the car radio to my "home station" to find out what the warning is all about. Maybe have a green LED for all is okay and a red LED for warning, and if neither are on while in range, there is a HA system malfunction.

 

[drozwood90]

just to stick my nose in...

I use one solution, and soon, I'll be moving to another...

I hooked a tilt sensor up to a DS10A, then connected that whole unit to my door. So, homeseer is notified whenever the door transitions...

My Garage Door Opener, actually came with a wireless unit, which does the same thing...

--Dan

 

[Dave X10]

Do you know of any voice annunciation devices that...1) work on 12vdc, 2) can be mounted in a car, 3) are relatively inexpensive (maybe under $200), and 4) can make different announcements based on some type of input (preferably combinations of multiple contact closures)?

Yes. I was thinking of using the same Voice Announcements that my HA PC already generates. Which would wirelessly transmit (FM) from my PC to a relay switched FM radio in the car(s). Old car radios are cheap (or free) and run on the available power.

Even an old toy RC control can activate a relay in the car... turning on an announment/automation FM Radio... to receive any warnings or reminders while still in range. When the car drives out of the range of the RC toy tranmitter.. the TOY receiver would cause the relay to turn the "automation radio" off.

Although... this is still just an idea... I did do something similar with my backyard surveillance robot RED (Robotic Exploration Device). I made RED a mobile part of my home automation... so it (he) could talk to the grandkids.

Even though most Home Automation users don't use Voice Control... if you use a HA PC... your missing a lot if you don't use Voice Announcements.

 

[Rupp]

We seem to all share in driving around the block to check on the garage door. These are the type of problems that makes Home Automation really beneficial.. and FUN. Whereas the obvious solution maybe a "door open [cell] phone call"... the normal built in delays and such would likely not prevent the "drive-around".

Also... I can see a whole new automation opportunity here. As I am a Voice Command HA user... I have found that getting verbal notices from my computer voice (Kate 16)... my favorite benefit.

If we can...maybe use a proximity controlled FM radio in the car... that could [not only] warn of the garage door being open as we leave the driveway. But maybe also be a reminder of a forgotten cell phone..... or a warning that the alarm system is not armed. Maybe a simple "have a nice day" or "day/date/time announcement" as I back out of the driveway could serve as an "all is OK" signal.

Do you know of any voice annunciation devices that...1) work on 12vdc, 2) can be mounted in a car, 3) are relatively inexpensive (maybe under $200), and 4) can make different announcements based on some type of input (preferably combinations of multiple contact closures)?

An FM transmitter seems like a reasonable option. Do you know of any FM receivers that could be inconspicously located in a car? Maybe use a proximity device or a wireless relay to only turn on the receiver if it is near the house, and have it wired such that it also requires the car to be running.

I'm also considering using a wireless relay to turn on an LED in the car as sort of a "general warning" indicator if a dedicated FM receiver isn't practical. If the LED is flashing, it indicates that the HA system wants to tell you something. That indication would tell me to tune the car radio to my "home station" to find out what the warning is all about. Maybe have a green LED for all is okay and a red LED for warning, and if neither are on while in range, there is a HA system malfunction.

Do you have a cell phone? Why not have your home automation controller call you or text you. This way you will never be (or not likely to be, like the FM transmitter setup) out of range. I have HomeSeer text me when critical items are tripped. I just got a text 3 days ago and my upstairs bathroom developed a leak. The shut off handle had been bumped while cleaning and started to drip. My DS10A homemade leak detector caught this and sent me a text. I hate that panic feeing when you get these texts though.

 

[Dave X10]

.... My Garage Door Opener, actually came with a wireless unit, which does the same thing...
--Dan

OMG Dan... your right!
Just the commercially available tilt activated garage door warning unit could do this all... and/or serve as a trigger for more automation.

My last "drive around" was actually a two mile return trip to the house to get my Cell Phone. I am now beta testing a BlueTooth software (and BT Dongle) that detects my Cell Phone. It is part of my Occupancy Sensing setup... still under construction.. but thanks to Dan (Electron)'s Key Holder my setup CAN tell when I am home.

It might be nice to get reminders and warning... in my car... while still in the driveway.

 

[Ira]

Do you have a cell phone? Why not have your home automation controller call you or text you. This way you will never be (or not likely to be, like the FM transmitter setup) out of range. I have HomeSeer text me when critical items are tripped. I just got a text 3 days ago and my upstairs bathroom developed a leak. The shut off handle had been bumped while cleaning and started to drip. My DS10A homemade leak detector caught this and sent me a text. I hate that panic feeing when you get these texts though.

I use my cell phone much less than the average person. I work from home, and my reception isn't very good, so my cell phone stays in my car when I'm at home. Also, I'm not all that consistent about turning it on when I get in the car, especially for short trips. I never do texting. I know that behavior modification could take care of a lot of this, but part of the fun of HA is that it can provide behavior modification assistance.

With that said...I'm trying to solve a subtle but different problem (that it looks like may not be so unique to me). The key requirement is that I want to be alerted that my garage door did or did not close before I have left the driveway and without me having to do anything "extra" to receive the notification. That way, I can still close it if necessary using the GDO remote without having to turn around and go home to do it or close it via cell phone. As other's have suggested, such a system could do other things like tell you the security system isn't armed before you actually leave your property.

I agree that cell phone notification as a backup plan, as well as to provide notification of events that occur while I'm "out of range" is a good idea. I'm just trying to add another layer of automation to it.

 

[Rupp]

I use my cell phone much less than the average person. I work from home, and my reception isn't very good, so my cell phone stays in my car when I'm at home. Also, I'm not all that consistent about turning it on when I get in the car, especially for short trips. I never do texting. I know that behavior modification could take care of a lot of this, but part of the fun of HA is that it can provide behavior modification assistance.

With that said...I'm trying to solve a subtle but different problem (that it looks like may not be so unique to me). The key requirement is that I want to be alerted that my garage door did or did not close before I have left the driveway and without me having to do anything "extra" to receive the notification. That way, I can still close it if necessary using the GDO remote without having to turn around and go home to do it or close it via cell phone. As other's have suggested, such a system could do other things like tell you the security system isn't armed before you actually leave your property.

I agree that cell phone notification as a backup plan, as well as to provide notification of events that occur while I'm "out of range" is a good idea. I'm just trying to add another layer of automation to it.

Wow, I find it a bit odd that you do not keep your cell phone on but your would keep a FM transmitter on and "hope" you were not out of range or hope you didn't forget to turn the transmitter on as well. There's also the kiss approach and put an auto closer on it and don't worry about it.
http://www.autocloser.com/auto-closer.asp?Id=6

 

[Ira]

Wow, I find it a bit odd that you do not keep your cell phone on but your would keep a FM transmitter on and "hope" you were not out of range or hope you didn't forget to turn the transmitter on as well. There's also the kiss approach and put an auto closer on it and don't worry about it.
http://www.autocloser.com/auto-closer.asp?Id=6

I agree, that would be odd, but you are missing one of the most important points/requirements. Whatever solution I decide to use, one requirement will be that the system effectively "turns on" whenever the car is started. If it's not idiot proof (with me being the idiot and meaning I don't have to do anything I don't already do for it do work), it's not a good enough solution. Other than a complete system failure, the only "hole" I see in these types of solutions is that it won't work if my car is not parked in its usual location while at home, but for some reason I decide to exit thru the garage door to get to the car anyway (both of which are very unlikely given my environment).

Using the FM transmitter solution as an example, the transmitter would always be on and connected to my HA PC. To further automate it, my preference would be to have a cheap FM receiver inconspicuously mounted in the car that is on when the car is running. When the garage door is open, the HA PC would use the FM transmitter to "broadcast" that the door is open. Since we seldom open the garage door other than to leave home, it wouldn't be broadcasting for no reason very often. So everything gets triggered to start the broadcasting when I open the door. By the time the car is running, the HA PC should be broadcasting repetitively that the door is open so I should hear that the door is open while I'm backing out of the garage. I will continue to hear that until it closes. If I'm still hearing it by the time I reach the end of my driveway (which it should still be easily in range of the transmitter), then either I've forgotten to close it, it reversed on me, there's a system malfunction, or I meant to leave it open. In the latter case, when I drive away, I will stop hearing the announcement. The only change in habit for me will be to train myself to realize that if I don't hear anything when the car is started, there's a malfunction somewhere. If a malfunction doesn't happen often, I don't even have to worry about training myself for it. If I want to get even fancier, I could use a wireless relay to turn off the FM receiver in the car when I get out of range of the house.

This is a very specific, customized solution to a project that may only be of value to me. But one of the benefits to HA that I see is being able to have things customized to the way I live, and not have to change my habits to fit HA unless I want to.

Ira

 

[roussell]

Why not use a pair of walkie-talkies that broadcast on the unlicensed FRS bands? Put one in you car, always on and wired to an ignition-switched power source. Put the other in the house and connected to your favorite choice of HA. You'll need some simple circuitry (relay) to "press" the push-to-talk button (some have auto voice-activation PTT) and then wire the mic. into the audio output of your HA system. You should be abe to get it going in an afternoon. The FRS band with the right radios and location should get you up to about a mile of coverage.

Terry

 

[BraveSirRobbin]

Why not use a pair of walkie-talkies that broadcast on the unlicensed FRS bands? Put one in you car, always on and wired to an ignition-switched power source. Put the other in the house and connected to your favorite choice of HA. You'll need some simple circuitry (relay) to "press" the push-to-talk button (some have auto voice-activation PTT) and then wire the mic. into the audio output of your HA system. You should be abe to get it going in an afternoon. The FRS band with the right radios and location should get you up to about a mile of coverage.

Now THAT is a great idea!!!!

Well done Terry!

 

[Ira]

Old topic, but finally resolved. The local electronics parts house had one of these relays on the shelf. It came with the four button keyfob/transmitter and "case" shown further down the page. My SUV has a "blank insert" above the rear wiper control (where the 4WD control is located if it is 4WD). I tapped into the switched 12Vdc wire powering the rear wiper control to power the relay, a buzzer, and an LED. There's enough room behind the insert to stuff the relay, buzzer, and wires.

As some people on the forum have done before, I opened up the transmitter and soldered a couple of leads onto the button/switch I wanted to use to control the relay. Also, I soldered a couple of leads to the battery terminals. The good thing about the transmitter is that it too is 12Vdc, so I can wire it into the Elk M1G PS. The switch leads are connected to a relay on the M1G expansion board. When the M1G detects the garage door opening, a couple of rules "push the transmitter button" via the relay, on for two seconds, off for two seconds, until the garage door is closed.

So now when my garage door opens, it starts the transmitter sending a "pulsed" signal to the relay. I can actually hear the M1G relay opening and closing when I'm in the garage. Since the relay is on a switched circuit in my SUV, nothing happens in the SUV until I turn the key to start it up. At that point, if the garage door is still open, the buzzer starts buzzing and the LED starts flashing. When the door closes, everything stops. The transmitter/relay range is a couple of hundred feet, so based on the location of my driveway, road, etc., it takes me at least a minute to get completely out of range of the transmitter. If I haven't noticed the buzzer by then (it's pretty annoying), then I have other problems that HA may not be able to resolve :nutz: When I go out of range, the relay opens back up and the buzzer and LED turn off.

Another good thing about this setup is that the transmitter can work with multiple relays. So I can put the same type of relay in my wife's car, train it to work with the same transmitter, and she's good to go.

I decided to get a spare blank insert for my SUV before drilling a hole for the LED in the one I have. The insert is a piece of molded plastic, less than 2"x3". Just called the dealership. They are still available...at a cost of $45.