Gar HAge

Abstract

1. Introduction

GarHAge allows two "dumb" garage door openers to be controlled (open/close) and report garage door status (open/closed) via MQTT.

GarHAge is almost completely compatible with Home Assistant's "MQTT Cover" platform. It responds to HASS's open and close commands and reports door status to keep HASS's GUI in sync with the door state. GarHAge does not implement HASS's "stop" command (as this functionality varies between garage door openers) or "tilt" functionality. Sample HASS configuration snippets are provided in this repository to get your garage door openers connected to HASS as quickly and painlessly as possible.

GarHAge should be controllable via any home automation software that can configure an MQTT cover, rollershutter, garage door, or send commands over MQTT, including OpenHAB.

2. Objective

a Home-Automation-friendly ESP8266-based MQTT Garage Door Controller

This project demonstrates how Arduino, ESP8266 can be applied to a real-world Internet of Things (IoT) problem.

4. Technology Stack

5. System Requirements

General requirements for this technology stack — check the README for exact versions.

• See the project README for exact requirements
• Git (to clone the repository)

6. Installation & Setup

git clone https://github.com/marthoc/GarHAge.git
cd GarHAge

1. Mount GarHAge in your garage.
2. Mount the reed switch for Door 1.
3. Run bell/low voltage wire from Door 1's reed switch to the NodeMCU; strip the wires and plug into D5 and GND.
4. Mount the reed switch for Door 2.
5. Run bell/low voltage wire from Door 2's reed switch to the NodeMCU; strip the wires and plug into D6 and GND.

Full setup instructions are in the project README.

7. Future Enhancements

Suggested extensions you can add to make this your own project.

• Add a mobile dashboard using Blynk or Firebase
• Store readings in a cloud database for history charts
• Add alerts via SMS / Telegram when thresholds are crossed

8. Viva / Review Questions

Common questions examiners ask for projects in this domain.

1. Which microcontroller / board and sensors are used and why?
2. How does the device send data (Wi-Fi, MQTT, HTTP, Bluetooth)?
3. Where is the sensor data stored and visualised?
4. How is power consumption managed?
5. How would you secure the device and its communication?

9. Source Code & License

This project is developed by marthoc and published on GitHub under the MIT License. Please follow the license terms and credit the original author when you use or modify this code.