UPB Garage Door - any way to do if/then without software?

[Adam12hicks]

Hi guys, I am using UPB components (SmartHome, but mostly HAI) throughout my house that I installed myself. All works great and I love the reliability.

I used a UPB I/O Module to allow my URC Remote to wirelessly control my fireplace, and it's been rock solid. Next, I want to fix the annoying issue of occasionaly waking up and realizing that the garage door was open all night long. Very scary, but with 5 kids sometimes it happens!

I installed a new UPB I/O module in the outlet that the opener itself plugs into, and installed a heavy duty reed-type magnetic switch at the garage door. Cables ran, everything tested and clean. Since my garage door doesn't have a wired opener button (it's a wireless controler by the exterior door) I'm going to modify a garage remote to handle the switch closure, using pins 1&2 on the I/O module with momentary function enabled.

SOOOOoooo I can sense then the door is opened - or closed, and activate a link. And I can use my remote control, or other triggers to activate the garage door remote, but it's only a toggle. So I'd love to have my timed event controller 'close' the garage door every night at midnight - but it's just going to toggle, so most of the time it would OPEN it. Bad news.

What I *need* is a way to sense the Normally Closed connection on the door (inputs 15&16 on the IO controller) and IF they're open, THEN activate the link to close the garage door.

I don't have any software other than UPStart that I program everything with. Is there an affordable solution to this, either using a reasonably priced automation software (I can't justify $500 for software when this is pretty basic functionality) or is there a way to do this with my existing controller and UPStart?

I'd REALLY appreciate anyone's advice / assistance on this. It will provide my family and I great peace of mind.

Take care,
Adam

 

[123]

Welcome to Cocoontech.com, Adam!

Firstly, congrats on the work you've accomplished so far. The next step, scheduling and decision-making, requires some sort of "controller with software". Many people here have a PC running Home Automation software (and you can get free HA software) but other options include a low-power, purpose-built controller (not a PC). What is best for you depends on how much interest you have in HA (time, effort, money).

I see on PCS's web Site that they make a controller (Mi LightStyle Web-enabled Controller) that would probably fill the bill and do much more but I don't know if it shipping yet and I suspect it will cost a few hundred bucks. A little steep if all you ever plan to do is close the garage door.

At the other end of the scale, the WebControl device is cheap ($40) and combined with a Relay could be used to close a garage door when conditions are right. However, compared to UPB devices and Upstart, it is far from being a plug 'n play device (research and tinkering required). Plus it would not interact via UPB and need to be wired directly to a door sensor and the wireless remote.

Let us know a little more about the scale of your interest in HA (and budget) and we can zero in on a better solution for you.

 

[BraveSirRobbin]

If it's "just" this application that you are seeking a solution for and you don't want to spend a lot of money and want a pretty easy time of it I would consider throwing about $120 (including wall wart) at a WebRelay 'single' device.

You can create timed events and have the relay pulse depending on the status of an input (which would be a magnetic contact). Since contacts are cheap I would probably want a separate one that is not connected to anything else.

I just started playing with one myself and really like it. You can even have it send you an email (or text message via email server) when it performs this event.

You could even have external access to control your garage as well (computer/phone) if you wish since this is connected to your network (it even has a built in web site).

 

[tmbrown97]

One even cheaper and all mechanical way to accomplish this is to add a second NO garage door contact sensor. You route the output via the contact sensor, and if the NO sensor is open (door is closed) the circuit won't be able to complete. However, if the door is open (making the contact closed) the circuit will complete and the "close" action will be able to complete. This means the IO module will only be able to close the door, never open it.

Unfortunately that MiLightStyle above is kind of a dead product - it's a great concept but they have put no effort into making it anything useful, or into any development at all really since its release. If you need a controller with scheduling ability, I'd look at the WebMountain RUC - but I don't recall off-hand if it has any sort of logic available or if it's just a scheduler.

 

[BraveSirRobbin]

How would that check the door at midnight though?

 

[ecborgoyn]

Folks that want to automatically close a garage overhead door:

I can recall the precise details, but I thought I read some 'code' or 'recommendation' that discouraged automatically operating an overhead door..... I thought the 'code' says that you should not be able to operate the door without the door being in clear sight. This also prevents placing an interior control somewhere other than in the garage.

know about the photo sensors and open/close pressure detection. But the door is still a dangerous and heavy item if it comes down on someone or something. For example, a timed automatic closure might bring the door down onto a vehicle (not very pretty). Or it might come down on someone standing in the opening, but NOT breaking the photo beam at the opening...

I have and like monitoring the closed state of the door with a magnetic contact. At least I know that the door is closed when I attempt to arm my security system. AND I could even periodically verbally announce that the door is open (I need to add to my new Elk installation). But I don't like the automatic closing. Yes, my security system has a contact output to cause the door to open/close, but this is ONLY manual control...

 

[ecborgoyn]

Any rebuttal or comments?

 

[123]

A few years ago, someone was crushed in their vehicle while passing under an overpass. The overpass collapsed at the precise moment the vehicle was beneath it, traveling at highway speed. What are the odds?

There is a risk of garage door closing on someone, or something, but it's a risk I can live with. I recently wired two speakers in the garage. When operated remotely, there'll be an announcement indicating opening/closure in 5 seconds. The primary goal is to prevent jumping out of your skin when the door activates seemingly by itself.

 

[electron]

I personally refuse to automate the closure of the garage door myself (safety is a good reason, but I am mostly worried about locking the wife out), however, I have no problems with remote control of the door. People already do this with the garage door remotes (wife was doing this before I automated it), plus, I also have 2 cameras pointing at the door allowing me to verify what's going on.

 

[BraveSirRobbin]

Everyone has their own 'comfort factor'. I auto close my garage door after the house is armed in away and the door is still up for five minutes. I do chirp the sirens in the garage and flash the lights before doing so.

I also auto close the garage door when armed in stay mode and if it is night time.

Everyone has their own levels of comfort.

For instance I also replaced one of my builder installed 120 VAC smoke detectors with one that has contact closure (and didn't use fire wire for those contacts as this is just 'extra' external notification).

But on the flip side I don't 'gang' bundles of wire together to increase current capacity of the bundle.

 

[tmbrown97]

Yup - I wouldn't personally automate a garage door - I like to see what's going on - but as BSR said - everyone has their comfort factor. There are products on the market that auto-close your door if you forget - and lots of people around here automate their doors; I don't feel like debating whether or not it's a good idea - instead prefer to focus on the technical aspects when asked. To each his own.

And a couple years ago I had to watch in horror as my truck was parked partway out of the garage and I bumped the remote in my pocket while up on a ladder where I couldn't react fast enough - watched a 20yr old garage door opener with no safety eye close the door on the hood of my truck - pushed the truck down a little bit too from the force and held it there for a few seconds before finally reversing. To my relief, there wasn't so much as a scuff mark on the truck.

How would that check the door at midnight though?

OP made reference to a timed event controller so I'm taking that to mean he already has something in place that could send the event every night at midnight; my solution with the NO contact makes it so he can execute that task every night, but it'll only actually affect the door if it's open, not closed.

 

[123]

ecborgoyn,

"They" also say you have to perform periodic tests of the garage door's ability to reverse when it encounters an obstruction. The sensitivity must be adjusted so that it doesn't attempt to squeeze the life out of a child or pet before it finally backs off. I suspect most people set it once, during installation, and never check it again.

My door self-closes 5 minutes after the home is armed away. We always close it manually but it is comforting to know it will self-close if we forget. I feel the chance of someone stealing something from my garage is greater than the door self-closing on a stray pet. We don't have children and the neighbor's kids are beyond the age of mindlessly standing under a moving door. It's all a calculated risk. You'd have to show me some eyebrow-raising insurance statistics to make me concerned about my self-closing garage door. My seat-of-the-pants feeling about this one is that serious injuries caused by garage doors is in line with being struck by lightning. The commute to work is far more hazardous.

 

[video321]

If I coud keep watching Craftsman commercials about closing my garage door from the restaurant via my phone then I don't have an issue with my Elk doing it.

As for the auto-closing... we enter/exit through the garage and use keyfobs for arming so making sure the garage is closed is part of the routine.

 

[Ira]

For times when the garage door is mistakenly left open while people are still home, why not just put out voice and/or visual announcements every minute or two? Is it that much trouble to manually close the garage door if it was left open? If the door was mistakenly left open starting at 9:00PM, do you really want to leave it open until midnight before doing something?

I put out a voice announcement every minute whenever the garage door is open. If I want to leave it open for a while, I can suspend the message for 30 minutes at a time, or turn it off completely. I also have a buzzer in my car that will sound if my car is running and the garage door is open, i.e., I start to drive off without closing the garage door. The buzzer turns off completely when I'm a couple of hundred yards from my home, in case I want to leave without closing the garage door.

 

[video321]

I also have a buzzer in my car that will sound if my car is running and the garage door is open, i.e., I start to drive off without closing the garage door. The buzzer turns off completely when I'm a couple of hundred yards from my home, in case I want to leave without closing the garage door.

Care to explain how you did this?