Looking for a sliding driveway smart solution

Hardware
1

Basically I’m looking for a smart sliding driveway opener. I have a BFT motor and the gate very much similar to the dude in the video here. Currently I’m using a similar remote using a single open/stop/close the gate button and when I lift the cover up the wiring is pretty similar, so I’m being cautiously optimistic for the time being.

Shelly from the video looks great (and I’ve seen it touted about).

I love the fact it can replicate the open/stop/close button using the 0.5sec timer, but is there a way for it to know/show the opened/closed status of the gate? That would definitely be a nice addition to have (and what the linked below amazon relay seems to come with, though the cables seem awfully short).
This one. I find the open/close sensors tempting (not sure how it currently “knows” when it’s open or closed).

I’m also open to alternatives (I’d love a thread version but don’t think one exists just yet). I’m willing to Zigbee or z-wave (I don’t currently have a z-wave dongle but I’d get the ZWA-2 for this scenario if needed).

But I’m more than willing to settle for a single WiFi smart device for a driveway opener (otherwise I loathe WiFi smart devices littering the WiFi, there’s three (four if you count bluetooth) protocols for smart devices, why use WiFi unless I’m absolutely forced to? Which is the likely scenario in this case, but like I said I’m willing to settle, at least until someone comes up with a thread version. It’s only $20-30 for a wifi relay, which is what I expect most of you will point me to.

Heck, I just started running into issues with thread with some firmware updates (-.-") so maybe a wifi version wouldn’t be such a horrible idea afterall.

I may also contact a professional for help with the installation (hopefully I can find one locally with experience in installing them lol). Wasn’t looking for the model make label when opening the cover and didn’t even think about there even being a manual for it lol.

This is what the wiring looks like:

I can’t make heads or tails of it.

And this is a battery powered sensor mounted on the side where the gate is in the closed position (I would assume that’s what catches the remote signals at a certain frequency - and I’d assume that z-wave/zigbee devices would need the specific frequency of the remote to do the job, unlike a relay switch, although I may well be wrong). Or does that sensor tell the gate it’s “closed”?

But yeah, thoughts? Suggestions? Experiences? Especially when it comes to sliding gates like the one in the video, it’s not exactly the same thing as a garage door opener (or is it?).

2

Most helpful would be, if you can find the exact model of your BFT, they have 100 that “look like much similar”. We don’t even know if it’s DC or AC motor.
Who installed that, made really ugly job with the wiring.
To get the gate opening/closing is pretty straightforward, digging the state needs more investigation. Those use normally limit switches, so in theory the information is available.
Shelly 1 Gen4 could be start point here.

1 Like
3

I echo what @karosm said. provide more info. Most gates are pretty easy to automate.
I added a Zooz zen17 and a contact sensor for my gate last year. I went with Zwave LR due to the distance. I took over the wiring installation after they installed the gate knowing they will make a rat nest out of it.
I have Nice Robus 600 sliding gate motor.

4

Thanks for the feedback. The sensor I posted above looks to be a photosensor, I think this one is the rf sensor (most likely main powered which would make sense).

Edit: Nope, just googled it, this is the photosensor. No idea what the one I posted above is for then (there’s one on the opposite side as well).

As for the motor itself, this is the make and model I could find:

It’s ancient by todays standards and a bit rusty on the inside, but it gets the job done so it’s here to stay until it fails :stuck_out_tongue:

5

Looks like you are f…g lucky. That model has 24V power output and also separate signal output for gate open state. So if your actual installation is done properly, you can do the whole crap with single Shelly1 without external sensors and without even connecting to mains.

To verify actual connection, I need to know what’s connected to contacts 13-16 and position of dip switch 7.

Edit: 24V output seems to be AC, so mains power needed (no problem with that).

6

Thank you very much for the information. I’ve gone ahead and ordered a Shelly1 gen4 and found two local companies that seem to have experience in smart driveways so hopefully all goes well.

Think I’ll go set up my dusty relic of a wifi 802.11n repeater and give it a new sense of purpose and place it somewhere halfway so it gets stable wifi. All of my smart devices (both zigbee and thread) are up in the attic in my place and this is outside and two floors down. The specs do claim 100m indoors and 300m outdoors for Zigbee (which I highly doubt) - which would be plenty to connect to my Pi upstairs, but I’m really not keeping my hopes up for Zigbee reaching that far. But wifi for the driveway? I can live with that for the time being. Hopefully matter and thread mature enough to the point I’m willing to blanket the entire house with them, but for now? This should be perfect.

Many thanks once again (especially for filling me with hope I could get an opened/closed reading out of the relay alone without the need for externals sensors - they seem awfully messy, maybe for a garage door, but a sliding driveway? Eh…)

Sadly, I couldn’t for the life of me find which pin is what, hopefully the company will be able to make sense of it :slight_smile:

7

If they are professionals, sure they can do it. How simple, depends on the existing wiring setup. You might need DC power supply or converter as well.
Ask them to clean the whole wiring.

8

Will do, thanks.