Hi all,
I am looking to get some advice on how to integrate a solution for my wifi garage control.
I have been looking at IR beams to make sure the door cannot close when my car or object is parked under the door? this led me to query if there is something that HA can asssit with?
thanks
Cannot help but to mention that this topic has been entered earlier, do search the forum
apologies - i have tried to search the phrases / keywords
No apologies needed⌠I just remembered having read something months agoâŚbrowse this one with the
string pictureâŚnot sure if it helps
Garage parking aid to park in exact spot - ESPHome - Home Assistant Community (home-assistant.io)
Does your garage door opener not have an IR sensor already? At least in the states, theyâve been standard for decades.
Assuming it doesnât, you could always buy one and pull it in with ESPHome.
Mine doesnât, itâs a house that weâve moved into.
It started with a fob only opening⌠but I bought a tuya module that I got setup and running on HA. then added an IKEA Tradfri button which is wall mounted for a button to open/close through zigbee.
But Iâm realising that I have an old car thatâs my hobby and I fear the button getting pressed while itâs maybe sitting under the door when Iâm working on it (fumes go outside then)
And I wondered if an IR beam could be utilised with/without ESP to mean that the whatever button is pressed⌠original/Tradfri/HA dashboard and if the beam is âbrokenâ none of the buttons will close it
Any assistance would be great, does the standard IR beam just stop any input as an âanalogueâ solution?
So the only way the garage door is opened/closed is through HA?
If thatâs the case, lots of ways you could do it. A helper that you turn on when you donât want the open/close automation to function, an IR break beam with ESPHome similar to a newer garage door opener that does the same., etc.
A motion sensor will not work. It will be triggered by motion as you pull the car in, and preventing the door closure while the PIR detection is in âdetectedâ mode. But, after a few minutes, that clears, and the parked car will not be moving. The system will no longer know if the car is still there or not.
What solutions can detect the vehicle continuously?
A beam-break (garage door safety sensors) solution that garage doors already come with. A name brand one can be picked up for $35 ~ $40 in a large box DIY store. Online stores sell it for less than $20. Combine it with ESP32, and the beam will remain âawareâ of the vehicle as long as the beam is broken.
A camera with object detection and recognition, will see the car as long as it is in the garage.
An ultrasonic proximity sensor will be âawareâ continuously as the distance is blocked by the vehicle.
a pressure plate under wheel will detect the car in the garage.
Some other stuff, but cannot think right away.
No it can be opened with the original button aswell, there is a radio frequency key fob as well
I believe the IR break beam is what I need to ensure the door cannot be closed
The first solution sounds like what I want, basically I want the break beam to act as a killswitch for the whole garage door.
I.e. when the beam is broken, nothing can close the door
Iâll look into the ESP32 as I have never done anything with this kind of thing⌠at the moment Iâm an âoff the shelfâ Home Assistant guy 
ESPHome is kind of daunting as I have no knowledge/equipment etc
It is like Legos for adults.
Would it be a start to get an ESP32 starter kit?
Iâm intrigued and just seeing that starter kits are a thing⌠I was worried about the additional equient
The only problem is, if youâre opener isnât designed for a break beam then it may be a bit more effort/not possible; it connects to the control board to disable operation and I assume your board doesnât have connections for one.
You could go the ESPHome route, but then all of the original things that control the door would still be able to control it. It really comes down to exactly what your end goal/need isâŚ
Interestingly, the reason Iâm looking into it is because my opener does have the connection for it⌠so I was intrigued as to what I need for the analogue and then to see if it can be integrated into HA
Sounds like youâre on the right path then.
This could be a good ESPHome project, although take it slow. Thereâs A LOT to learn and it will definitely be overwhelming. 
One word of warning, the ESP device will operates at 0-3V but most likely your garage door opener (and break beam sensor, etc.) operates at 12V or even 24V. You wonât want to connect the ESP directly to any of that as it will just destroy it. Take your time, do lots of reading and probably try some simpler projects first to get your head around things.
I use a cheap magnetic reed switch like youâd use for windows etc. Itâs connected to an ESP32 and when itâs closed it means the door is shut. Home Assistant then reads this info from an API being served from the ESP32 (which is also operating an opener via a relay).
This wonât answer your question obviously, your door would still close onto the car, but maybe thereâs something similar you could do involving an IR range finder or similar.
Iâve had success with these types of range finders (~5v) making a robot car that didnât bump into things : https://au.rs-online.com/web/p/reflective-optical-sensors/6666568
You could maybe stick one on the wall and if something is detected then stop the door.
Thanks,
One option i have considered is to put a smart socket on the garage motor - and when the IR Beam is broken the switch would be turned off - thus killing the motor and all analogue/HA items from closing it
seems like a simple option - but essentially a killswitch for all options lol
this would also allow me to ensure the garage cannot be opened by anyything when we are away from the house. We currently use Blink Camera (bought before i used HA - annoyingly) and when we are both away the system arms. this could also include switching off the garage so if someone did happen to break in, the garage door cannot be opened from the house.