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That Meross opener is rock solid. I've had one for almost two years now controlling two doors. Even with a marginal wifi signal it always just works. Homebridg
by js2 3y ago
That Meross opener is rock solid. I've had one for almost two years now controlling two doors. Even with a marginal wifi signal it always just works.
Homebridge + HomeKit is also an excellent middle ground between Home Assistant and HomeKit alone w/o having to go with some cloud-based solution.
For example, I wanted my garage door to automatically open and close as I leave and arrive in my car. Here's how I did that.
I have a pair of dummy switches in Homebridge. One of those tracks the state of whether my phone is in CarPlay mode or not. I do this with a Siri Shortcut on my phone that toggles the "CarPlay status" dummy switch when my phone enters/exits CarPlay mode. The second dummy switch triggers my garage door to open/close whenever the dummy switch turns on/off. This is a work-around for the opener itself being a secure accessory which HomeKit won't operate w/o the phone being unlocked. The last piece of the puzzle is a HomeKit location-based automation: if my phone leaves my home location and the "CarPlay status" dummy switch is on, then set the garage door dummy switch to off; if my phone enters my home location and the "CarPlay status" dummy switch is on, then set the garage door dummy switch to on.
I drew the home location as tight as possible around my home. The door opens just as I'm pulling up to my home and I see it close just as I'm leaving.
As to why I don't just use the CarPlay garage door button: I mean, why automate anything? Also, if you have multiple garage doors, there seems to be no rhyme or reason to which door CarPlay gives you the button for.
As to why I don't just use the button on my rear view mirror: Again, why automate anything? My mirror also has 3 buttons and it's easy to accidentally press the wrong one.