Remotely control garage door from afar???

[Johnny Cakes]

I would like to have my garage door already open when I pull up the driveway. 

The way the road layout is by my house, I actually pass by the north side of my house rather closely, then drive around and approach the driveway and the garage from the south a minute later.

I have an exterior electrical outlet on the north side of the house which is about 30 feet from the road and protected from weather.

Could I use a Universal Modual and a Transceiver Module to give the garage door opener a momentary contact across the "open" terminals?

Would I also need to purchase a keychain remote in order to get my "Homelink" car to learn the command?

From doing a search on the threads, I realize that this compromises garage door security.  For the area I live in, that's not an issue.

Any other ideas?

[TakeTheActive]

I would like to have my garage door already open when I pull up the driveway. 

The way the road layout is by my house, I actually pass by the north side of my house rather closely, then drive around and approach the driveway and the garage from the south a minute later...

...Any other ideas?

+ +

[Johnny Cakes]

Thanks for the help.

[Tuicemen]

LOL TTA
Johnny Cakes  you could try AlertDialer if you have AHP and a voice modem may work farther then TTAs idea
Topic: [Add-On] AlertDialer (Phone Control)  (Read 5654 times)

[TakeTheActive]

Thanks for the help.

You don't sound convinced... Just ask JimC how well his V572A - Whole House Transceiver worked out. Re: MS14A RF range

I'll bet you thought that I was just "blowing you off" with the pictures!

P.S. You can probably skip Item #2.

[HA Dave]

TTA I think your idea has real merit! LOL

Or he could move his [garage door] openers attenna to the OUTSIDE eve of the north side of his home. And if that doesn't work call his local "garage door sales" people and ask them if they have a long range transmitter.

[Johnny Cakes]

I'm new to X10 -- would the the suggestion I proposed work?  Is there a different X10 (or similar) solution?

Thanks

[dave w]

Johnny Cakes,

Excluding your "Homelink" requirement;

Yes you should be able to do what you want with a TM751 at the protected outlet, a Key Chain remote, or Palm Pad remote to send RF to the tranciever module, and a universal module to activate the door lifter.

Can't help with getting HomeLink to learn X10.

[JimC]

TTA,

How did you get the picture of the antenna tower I use with my V572A?

[TakeTheActive]

...Can't help with getting HomeLink to learn X10.

I also have no HomeLink experience, thus...

...you should be able to do what you want with a TM751 at the protected outlet, a Key Chain remote, or Palm Pad remote to send RF to the tranciever module, and a universal module to activate the door lifter.

I suggest a RR501 instead of a TM751 (for the collision-avoidance), a PalmPad over ALL other RF Transmitters for the biggest on-board power supply (6VDC), and mounting the RR501 as HIGH as possible and with a minimum number of WALLS between it and the location of the automobile when the transmission is expected to be received.

Of course, experimentation is the key - deciding WHAT to buy and WHERE to install it is experience, opinion, hindsight, etc... 

[TakeTheActive]

...How did you get the picture of the antenna tower I use with my V572A?

GOOGLE!

Don't hold me to the details, since it was SEVERAL days ago, but I believe that it was on some PA Local Zoning / Municipal site - something about not getting a variance before installing the tower and one or more neighbors filing a petition to get it torn down...

[dave w]

Nothing to do with this link but the tower pix reminded me of a great story.

I was working for Motorola, putting in a large communications system in Michigan. we were surveying for a possible site for a 500 foot tower and found a farmerâ�,��,,�s field with great potential. The farmerâ�,��,,�s house was across the road from the field.

I spoke to the farmer about buying three acres of the field for the tower, expecting him to be very negative because of breaking up the field and the close proximity to the house. Surprisingly he was most cooperative. Then just when I thought the deal was close, he asked if the tower would have lots of strobe lights on it. With a sinking feeling I said yes, but quickly explained that at night the lights would change to red color so would hardly be visible at the house. He then asked if we could keep the strobes white (clear) and put more on the tower (!). Thinking this was pure sarcasm, I asked why?

His reply; â�,��"Divorced, I got the farm, she got the houseâ�,�¦â�,�.

Iâ�,��,,�m still laughing about that.

[Walt2]

I also have no HomeLink experience, thus...

Homelink has its own "native" RF mode.    One way of using this in this application, is to get their own special Homelink Transceiver.  This transceiver is quite similar to X10's, and just like X10's, puts X10 PLC signals out on your home's wiring, but where it is different is in the Homelink unique RF it receives.

The Homelink transceiver also supports their, now obsolete, Garage Door Open/Close RF transmitters and their Garage Door Status LED indicators (via X10 extended PLC signals).  That is what I use it for, myself.

Check out this link, https://secure.homelink.com/secure/shop.taf , and scroll down to "Vehicle Interface" which is what they call their transceiver.