So disappointing. The industry has been driven by DIY enthusiasts. I've had to reconnect my Chamberlain controllers to my garage controllers multiple times. The door sensor says the battery is dying and I pull out the battery and put it right back in and everything is showing full power again. So many little glitches. I'll be glad to get something more reliable.
@@cupertinogeek2070 the outages have been caused by 3rd party apps DDOSing their servers... oops! 3rd party apps are 1% of their users but 50% of traffic on a normal day...
I agree. I use Home Assistant to manage my home automation, and there are a 2-3 integrations that depend on a cloud service . I want to get that number down to zero, if possible!
EvilCorp has just demonstrated why I refuse to use any smart home tech that requires a server in the cloud. and yes, that applies especially to stuff like alexa, cameras and IFTTT.
@@mrxmry3264 I don't think you'll get much argument from anyone on this channel! That said, I bought a new home, and it came with MyQ...it was great, until it wasn't!
I now regret purchasing the Chamberlain garage door opener. The integration in home assistant was a big reason I made the purchase. As soon as I can get a RATGDO. Thanks for the info.
Thanks for covering this, Reed! Definitely the right call to change Chamberlain/MyQ to Evil Corp! We’ve also ordered a RATGDO to replace the e-waste generated by Evil Corp. Like you, I was surprised at how many automations in our house involve the garage door. 😮 Evil Corp: You really screwed up with this decision. Like Reed, I will never buy another one of your products. I will never subscribe to your services. I will never recommend your products to anyone else. You blew so much user community goodwill. You have damaged your brand and reputation to the point that you will probably never recover with the smart home community. Buh-bye, and I hope you go bankrupt! 😡
For parking assistance, instead of laser beam,using a mmWave sensor to measure distance and show progress bar on your ceiling strip light would be next level dam cool!
I just installed Meross and I love it. Response instantly! I was also able to install the contact sensors at the opener instead of running it to the garage doors. P.S. - screw MyQ
I had a MyQ garage door for years and I reluctantly accepted it. Last year I installed 3 additional garage door openers with high end models without the MyQ crap and went with a Meross setup. I have been happy with that setup and its integration into Home Assistant. This obviously forced me into replacing that last MyQ privacy invasion scam product. Kind of happy that Chamberlin helped me place this tumor extraction at the top of the priority list.
RATGDO seems like a slick option, and maybe I'll invest in one eventually. A similar option to the 2nd solution is to wire a ZWave garage door opener to the physical button on the Chamberlain button. This is what I did for mine.
Thanks for explaining why this is such a big deal Reed. I didn't realize that garage door openers aren't just a dry contact anymore until now. I've got an old one and control it with a Shelly relay and I have a tilt sensor on the door to tell me if it's open or closed. I didn't realize my setup only works on old school openers.
Hey Reed, great video! I love the Evil Corp reference! 🤣 I got my RATGDO in a couple of weeks ago and it was dead simple to set up. I flashed with ESP home as well and it popped right into Home Assistant. Just a suggestion for you and others, you can also use Wago connectors to make it super simple to connect, especially if you have very little room for all the wires in the push terminals on the Evil Corp garage door opener. 👍
I got the myQ hub and garage door sensors pre Home Assistant. Just wanted the cool feature to open / close the garage doors from my phone. When I started using Home Assistant, it automatically discovered the myQ hub. In the end, I was only really using myQ as open / close switches to trigger other automations. It worked but was a little slow (definitely acceptable) since the doors had to be fully up or down and wait for communication with the cloud. So, when the API no longer worked, I simply went to using the Aqara contact sensors. That solved my automations. Plus, was much faster since it was local and it didn't matter if the garage door(s) partially open or closed. I was disappointed with the change that myQ made but for me, worked out for the better.
100% feel the same way. I installed Meross which works SO SO good. No more delays (like Evil Corp) had when closing. Works perfectly with Homekit. I had one of those Homebridge for the Evil Corp on two doors. It was so Flaky. Laughing though because I sold it to someone on ebay for $80. Have fun with that! On a side, the crap big company was Belkin WEMO. Complete garbage. I am in the process of replacing everyone of these in my house with Meross. Again, they just work and work fast. At the end of the day most of home will be split between Aqara and Meross now.
Thanks for doing the video! I also purchased Evil Corp's openers when I was first getting into smart home automation. So, it was very nice that you covered the RATGDO installation as that is my next purchase! Very cool that you covered another option as well!
For my Evil Corp yellow learn button opener, I just took the button assembly off of my wall, soldered a wire to each side of one of the contact switches under the button (there's two) and ran that to a Shelly relay. I use aqara door sensors to know if the door is open or closed. I then set the shelly relay to work as a button with a .5 second closed time.
@@TrevorElliott I went straight to the contacts on my older opener that’s on my third car stall and that worked. Since my opener that runs my big door was newer and had the yellow learn button I tried to short out the contacts on the opener and see if it would open but it didn’t. So I soldered to the button contacts so the Shelly relay would emulate an actual button press. I don’t know if there’s a security feature or maybe I didn’t make good contact when I tried shorting it out.
my opener came with battery backup....and most garage lasers are battery operated/motion sensor startup....it's a shame such tech is needed for simple tasks such as parking a vehicle, it's scary to consider how one operates needing such aides...impressive you can land your backside on a toilet seat....
about 15 years ago, I took apart an extra garage door remote, soldered some wires to the button, and hooked it to the output on a PTZ camera. It would open and close the door with my phone, but it was more difficult and I only used it rarely... but it did work.
I love that I have an old dumb garage door opener! Made it super easy to just toss in a Shelly Relay to open and close the door, and local control! I love the motion sensor laser for parking, gonna have to set that up!
@@jetpacktuxedo Yeah that's another route I considered going. I use ESPHome for some other stuff, but this was one of my first automations so I had to make it work stand alone and it's worked flawlessly for years now.
So I actually took my switch down that was next to my door, soldered wires in that activate the switch so the logic and encoding that exist in the switch still are leveraged with my Smart Home garage door opener. It has worked pretty well.
My builder installed my Chamberlain openers. I recently bought a Zooz relay, thinking I could use it to control them, but their instructions say otherwise. This video is very timely!
I was wondering if I could use a Switchbot Fingerbot to just press the garage button? Unsure how well that’d work / how well it’d look (acceptance factor) but if it worked, I could give Evil Corp the finger each time I use it.
Thanks for putting this together. I ordered a Ratgdo and got it wired up. It doesn't replace Evil Corp out of the box, but I'm sure I can figure the rest out.
I feel like I’m missing something here. I have 2 Chamberlain openers that have built in WiFi. They connect directly to home home’s WiFi. I can open/close the doors with the MyQ app, or with the standard included openers. I pay no fees whatsoever.
I did the same thing with a small board from sonoff and wired it to a spare remote button. The board triggers the remote and the door opens. Board was 5 bucks and the remote was 15. Screw the evil corp
Agreed on Evil Corp's blocking the API and the fact that, if I ever have to buy another garage door opener, I will absolutely not buy Chamberlain/Liftmaster ever again. This is truly a horrible example of what not to do on the part of a smart device seller.
Great video. Just ordered my ratgdo since I just bought a house that has a myq unit. IRT the laser pointer, as much as I like using tech to solve problems, my solution to that was to install a convex mirror on the wall with a small adjustable mount.
Great idea. I’m going to implement your idea right away, thank you! MyQ sucks. I have 3 doors connected through an Ethernet hub. Worked great for 3 years. Now there are constant problems.
I use an inching switch to control the garage door and I installed a retractable extension cord right behind the opener. This gives me the same functionality of the tennis ball with the added benefit of having 3 outlets easily accessible.
Brilliant, just what I've been looking for, for ages! I knew there was a work around EvilCorp. BTW, I use a double laser, very handy, but need to add that safety feature of power only when the door is open.
Had MyQ Smart Garage Control addon - Trashed it and replaced with Refoss/Meross thingy works perfectly. Never going back will avoid all Chamberlain products in the future.
Get an extra push button switch for the myq system and wire the meeros to the button contacts. Then wire the push button to the garage opener. The meeros will close the contacts and the switch will send the coded signal to the garage opener. Viola, this is how I got mine working. The moment that garage opener fails, I am replacing it with something that will not try to rip me off on monthly cost for smart access when I got HA.
Yeah, MyQ was actually my gateway into smart devices. Pretty damn disappointing when I found out you can't do ANYTHING else with it. Never buying their product again, that's for sure!
As a german, i'm wondered why the f*ck they want users to pay for a subscription for just opening/closing the garage door?! It's nice to see that you still can hack these things to work normal for their intended task: just opening the garage door. There's no need that you're FORCED to have cloud connectivity for this task. But people, who doesn't know anything about electronics, will either fall for the trap and pay for the subscription or just throw away and buy another one althought, it theoretically still works :( btw: I love that you use Wago-Connectors instead of wire nuts or anything else :D
The reason why they disabled it (and why they won't enable local control) is they're trying to position themselves for partnerships with Amazon and Walmart for in-garage delivery. To do that, they have to prove that their systems are "unhackable" and secure. Hence the blocking of any unauthorized apps.
It already supports Amazon key. They’re just greedy. I deleted my account and app and installed a ratgdo. Blocked the opener from accessing the internet so they don’t try to sneak a firmware update to brick the ratgdo.
Went old school on my solution.... Relay, esp8266 (flashed with esphome), a spare door opener and a magnetic reed switch. Works a charm and as a bonus no delay on closing sand no annoying beeper
Hey, garage door guy here and I may have some insight on this topic. First I want to say is I with they made integration easier and open. The reason why they lock it down so bad is the integration of wifi. To allow them to stay compliant to safety laws they have to do certain things when closing remotely to stay in compliance. They have to sound a audible alarm in the garage before and during operation as well as have a visual alert by flashing the lights for the hearing impaired. That's why the retro fit kits come with a external box that has a light and a beeper, anything security 2.0 has that tech built in and is compatible with myq even if it doesn't have built in wifi(requires a hub). It use to be you could just short out the wires and that would send the signal to move but now it's controlled from a circuit board in the wall button that communicates with the motor. It helps in situations where internal wiring can get damaged and short out but makes it difficult when trying to install accessories. That control board it neat, it even has features like the door hight that myq doesn't have.
I use an ismartgate device. Works great and has a battery powered sensor that I attach to the door itself to always be 100% sure of the garage door status. The battery is a common battery and last a long time.
Nice video covering nice new features. I just use a Sonoff relay on inching. Door open or closed with a Sonoff D2. No problems for years and years now. Controls door, integrates/triggers lights inside and outside the garage and house. (Detatched garage. ) Talks seemly to Alexa, Google, etc. I wondered why pay extra for MyQ. Though I have an iHost, I really don't care if someone in China can monitor my garage door... I'm always home.
ordered my RatGDO a couple of weeks ago and it's in production. Woohoo!.. I can't believe these companies that have you buy hardware and then change the rules to make you pay a subscription to use it the same way you've been using it.
Just FYI for some - if you have a newer opener from evil Corp you can't just short the wires anymore. It's not a simple button push. I hated what they did so much I cancelled an actual subscription for my Tesla so they lost a customer due to this.
Been using the "meross" method for years. Evil Corp's way never worked very well for me from the beginning thankfully. So I used an ESP8266 relay to "click" a button on the cheap extra remote door opener. You can even power the door opener remote directly from the ESP so no battery needed in it.
I have 7 garage doors and 2 regular doors (Yale locks) integrated into MyQ and no subscription. With the exception of the partial opening, the app can do everything you can do on the whatever app you showed (door open/shut/opening/closing, light on/off, errors for stuff obstructing the sensor etc. I do NOT have chamberlain garage door openers, i have more expensive one with MUCH larger commercial doors, but it still uses MyQ and no type of interface, just wifi directly to the app. I don't have any sort of fees though.
They just proved the concept of corporate greed. What happened to the day companies got rich by putting out a good product without screwing over their customers use of that product in any way the customer sees fit. There's no reason you need a web service to use the the inherent functions of the product. I do, however, disagree with your statement of them not losing money if they opened the API. You are correct the users who have not been using their app to use the product wouldn't be buying the service anyway, but if the other users saw there was a way to not have to pay for the service they too would also not buy the service which would be loss of the companies profit going forward.
The companies that got rich by making good products, get offers that pay more than they have earned, from companies that want to milk the end users for even more money. (Or someone in the family steps up to be the Exec, with the same plans.)
Excellent video. I too was p*ssed off at Evil Corp last month and ordered a RATGDO. Getting the PCB took about a month. It works great in Home Assistant. I chose the MQTT integration and highly recommend the RATGDO to anybody. Good riddance Evil Corp. I will never buy another one of their products.
Yeah, Apple has a looonng history of removing features and screwing up their UIs, and that's why, when they removed an iTunes feature I was using every day, I decided to give them the finger and switch to Linux. Haven't bought an apple product since then. a quote from rene ritchie (macbreak weekly) comes to mind: "any company sufficiently large is indistinguishable from evil." that certainly applies to EvilCorp
I just got my RATGDO devices for both my doors. Super easy install. Only thing is that gauge to open the door a certain percentage doesn’t seem to be working.
Hey reed, I've been using a Shelly 1 to control my 2 dumb doors for a few years now. And now that evil Corp broke the ha integration on my shop I'll be putting a Shelly 1 on there too. I had to supply my own wire and magnetic sensors but it's simple to setup. Then I use ha to detect when I get home or leave to open and close the door!
I completely understand the SaaS model, respect the need for servers to maintain that, and the cost for those servers. Howeverrrrrrr, in this case, how many times is that server hit per day, per customer? Maybe 6-12 times max? They could literally run the entire U.S. off of one small server floating in AWS. Some things were just never meant to go the SaaS route and this is one of them. Unfortunately, it is the way of the future.... resistance is futile (for anyone without the knowledge to DIY around it)
We have several garage doors with Evil Corp openers. These openers will literally be the first things I replace the moment an open alternative is available. It's only a matter of time.
Reed, the RATGDO display on your phone shows a slider to open/close door and stop midway. My display only has up and down buttons, is this because you use an iPhone and I use Android?
The Garage door here has the 'learn' but isn't recent enough to have wifi connectivity. My solution was to buy an extra remote, set it up with a Switchbot Robot to activate door opening/closing. Then used an Aqara door sensor and a gravity pivot (3d printed) that detects whether the door is open/closed. That all interfaces with Home Assistant. Also not concerned about the light, as I have a light socket right next to the garage door opener, that I dropped a smart bulb into, and have a motion sensor in the garage that activates it or not. If we ever get the garage to a state where one of us can park in it... Then I might consider the laser pointer.
My ratgdo only has up/down/stop for controls. It doesn’t show me percentages or give me the ability to set a partial open door. I’m using MQTT. Is this an esphome thing only?
Yes sorry I forgot to add it to the description www.printables.com/model/585229-ratgdo-v2-case-and-mount/files The case was as little too tight but it was good enough for me.
I thought I was the only one with this complaint. I called them once, and all they were able to do was send me a free remote... I didn't need another remote, and I needed automation!
What's the difference between MQTT and ESPHome? Do both of these integrate with Home Assistant? Also, am I safe to assume that all my remotes, door buttons, programmed Home-Link devices will still work after installing RATGDO?
I'm confused. I'm about to install my Chamberlain wall mount system. Are you saying I will need a subscription to open it remotely? Their box says nothing about that. :(
I have a Meross left over in a box somewhere from when I was in a rental, and it just wired directly into the unit. Interesting that they changed it now so it uses that hacky approach? On the MyQ side, does RATGDO block the use of MyQ? I HATE what they've done but I do like having Amazon Key delivery into my garage.
Do I really need that door opener attached to use the Meross with stupid evil corp? I don’t want that so I can control my garage door in CarPlay. Any other options?
If I get the ratgdo for my current MYQ system as it has the security 2.0. When I move into my new house can I use it with any other brand? Not sure the brand yet but planning.
Can you still use the EvilCorp controls exactly the same way after a RATGDO is installed? I'd like to keep everything the way it is but also add the RATGDO...
Hate Chaimberlin, ordered a Genie Garage door opener instead. (they have dumb ones still) and then set up an esphome to open and close the door. Used one of those magnetic sensors for if the door is opened or closed. Save my garage door hate being locked into cloud based bs.
What's the big deal with Evil Corp server integration ? How else will they be able to offer Amazon Key? I rather have Amazon key and give them cloud access. I don't see any charge for MyQ? Isn't the fee only if you want to use it from a Tesla?
I couldn’t make the Meross work. I sent it back. I have an Evil Corp adapter for my non-Evil Corp garage door openers. The adapters work about half the time. Yes, I almost have the worst, certainly frustrating, of all worlds.
Who's ready to Rage Against The Garage Door Opener?! 🙋🏻♂ Take that, Evil Corp!
Can you make a Video about your network and how you get your unify protect cameras onto the echos (sry for my bad englisch(germany))
Love this Reid! I'm yet another angry MyQ victim. I have much more to say about MyQ, but want to keep this family friendly 😁!
Glad that I have already installed the Meross for my HomeKit setup
Ordered 1 last week. Hopefully it comes soon! Awesome video thanks!
So disappointing. The industry has been driven by DIY enthusiasts. I've had to reconnect my Chamberlain controllers to my garage controllers multiple times. The door sensor says the battery is dying and I pull out the battery and put it right back in and everything is showing full power again. So many little glitches. I'll be glad to get something more reliable.
Kudos to you! I refuse to pay subscription fees! $10/mo for this and that, it all adds up. It's a slow death from hundreds of tiny bee stings.
In addition the MyQ service has had a lot of outages over the past few years making it less attractive than a cloud service is already in general.
@@cupertinogeek2070 the outages have been caused by 3rd party apps DDOSing their servers... oops! 3rd party apps are 1% of their users but 50% of traffic on a normal day...
I agree. I use Home Assistant to manage my home automation, and there are a 2-3 integrations that depend on a cloud service .
I want to get that number down to zero,
if possible!
And that is why you should never buy anything that relies on the cloud to perform basic functions. It'll either become chargeable tor will shut down.
And even if it doesn't, it still depends on a working internet connection.
True idk if it's everybody's case but My house came with it pre-installed
So glad you covered this. So irritating that Evil Corp did this.
EvilCorp has just demonstrated why I refuse to use any smart home tech that requires a server in the cloud. and yes, that applies especially to stuff like alexa, cameras and IFTTT.
@@mrxmry3264 I don't think you'll get much argument from anyone on this channel!
That said, I bought a new home, and it came with MyQ...it was great, until it wasn't!
I now regret purchasing the Chamberlain garage door opener. The integration in home assistant was a big reason I made the purchase. As soon as I can get a RATGDO. Thanks for the info.
Thanks for covering this, Reed! Definitely the right call to change Chamberlain/MyQ to Evil Corp!
We’ve also ordered a RATGDO to replace the e-waste generated by Evil Corp.
Like you, I was surprised at how many automations in our house involve the garage door. 😮
Evil Corp: You really screwed up with this decision. Like Reed, I will never buy another one of your products. I will never subscribe to your services. I will never recommend your products to anyone else.
You blew so much user community goodwill. You have damaged your brand and reputation to the point that you will probably never recover with the smart home community.
Buh-bye, and I hope you go bankrupt! 😡
For parking assistance, instead of laser beam,using a mmWave sensor to measure distance and show progress bar on your ceiling strip light would be next level dam cool!
I just installed Meross and I love it. Response instantly! I was also able to install the contact sensors at the opener instead of running it to the garage doors.
P.S. - screw MyQ
I say screw MyQ and Meross. My smart diffuser from Meross makes my Home app crash when I try to use it.
I had a MyQ garage door for years and I reluctantly accepted it. Last year I installed 3 additional garage door openers with high end models without the MyQ crap and went with a Meross setup. I have been happy with that setup and its integration into Home Assistant. This obviously forced me into replacing that last MyQ privacy invasion scam product. Kind of happy that Chamberlin helped me place this tumor extraction at the top of the priority list.
RATGDO seems like a slick option, and maybe I'll invest in one eventually. A similar option to the 2nd solution is to wire a ZWave garage door opener to the physical button on the Chamberlain button. This is what I did for mine.
Thanks for explaining why this is such a big deal Reed. I didn't realize that garage door openers aren't just a dry contact anymore until now. I've got an old one and control it with a Shelly relay and I have a tilt sensor on the door to tell me if it's open or closed. I didn't realize my setup only works on old school openers.
Hey Reed, great video! I love the Evil Corp reference! 🤣 I got my RATGDO in a couple of weeks ago and it was dead simple to set up. I flashed with ESP home as well and it popped right into Home Assistant. Just a suggestion for you and others, you can also use Wago connectors to make it super simple to connect, especially if you have very little room for all the wires in the push terminals on the Evil Corp garage door opener. 👍
I have seen Wago...can you explain more about how you did it since I lack the visual. I want to do as you did. Thx
I got the myQ hub and garage door sensors pre Home Assistant. Just wanted the cool feature to open / close the garage doors from my phone. When I started using Home Assistant, it automatically discovered the myQ hub. In the end, I was only really using myQ as open / close switches to trigger other automations. It worked but was a little slow (definitely acceptable) since the doors had to be fully up or down and wait for communication with the cloud.
So, when the API no longer worked, I simply went to using the Aqara contact sensors. That solved my automations. Plus, was much faster since it was local and it didn't matter if the garage door(s) partially open or closed.
I was disappointed with the change that myQ made but for me, worked out for the better.
You can also use a Zwave momentary power relay. It connects after the garage door button and the garage door opener.
100% feel the same way. I installed Meross which works SO SO good. No more delays (like Evil Corp) had when closing. Works perfectly with Homekit. I had one of those Homebridge for the Evil Corp on two doors. It was so Flaky. Laughing though because I sold it to someone on ebay for $80. Have fun with that! On a side, the crap big company was Belkin WEMO. Complete garbage. I am in the process of replacing everyone of these in my house with Meross. Again, they just work and work fast. At the end of the day most of home will be split between Aqara and Meross now.
Does Meross track energy usage? I'm thinking of getting Kasa smart plugs since they report energy usage.
Thanks for doing the video! I also purchased Evil Corp's openers when I was first getting into smart home automation. So, it was very nice that you covered the RATGDO installation as that is my next purchase! Very cool that you covered another option as well!
For my Evil Corp yellow learn button opener, I just took the button assembly off of my wall, soldered a wire to each side of one of the contact switches under the button (there's two) and ran that to a Shelly relay. I use aqara door sensors to know if the door is open or closed. I then set the shelly relay to work as a button with a .5 second closed time.
Just curious why you soldered to the remote instead of just connecting to the terminals on the back of the garage motor?
@@TrevorElliott I went straight to the contacts on my older opener that’s on my third car stall and that worked. Since my opener that runs my big door was newer and had the yellow learn button I tried to short out the contacts on the opener and see if it would open but it didn’t. So I soldered to the button contacts so the Shelly relay would emulate an actual button press. I don’t know if there’s a security feature or maybe I didn’t make good contact when I tried shorting it out.
Tennis Ball is local control that works even when power is out.
But your garage door doesn't so it doesn't matter.
@@caseyhoward9101 just have to pull the cord and it does. #OGhandlift.
my opener came with battery backup....and most garage lasers are battery operated/motion sensor startup....it's a shame such tech is needed for simple tasks such as parking a vehicle, it's scary to consider how one operates needing such aides...impressive you can land your backside on a toilet seat....
I couldn't agree more with you on Chamberlin! Thank you for figuring out some solutions!!
Also ordered the RATGDO some time ago - still waiting for delivery 🚚
Love the idea with the laser!!
about 15 years ago, I took apart an extra garage door remote, soldered some wires to the button, and hooked it to the output on a PTZ camera. It would open and close the door with my phone, but it was more difficult and I only used it rarely... but it did work.
was actally about to buy the addon kit for my unit im glad I saw this first.
Hmmm. Glad I found this video. I’ve been right on the edge of ordering a MyQ for my door. Subscription for a garage door opener? How about NO. 💩
I love that I have an old dumb garage door opener! Made it super easy to just toss in a Shelly Relay to open and close the door, and local control! I love the motion sensor laser for parking, gonna have to set that up!
Yeah, I tossed an esp32 and a relay on mine, basically the same deal. It's great, was pretty easy to set up.
@@jetpacktuxedo Yeah that's another route I considered going. I use ESPHome for some other stuff, but this was one of my first automations so I had to make it work stand alone and it's worked flawlessly for years now.
I just bought a trackt. It is a commercial product, clear install instructions, and even has a car sensor.
So I actually took my switch down that was next to my door, soldered wires in that activate the switch so the logic and encoding that exist in the switch still are leveraged with my Smart Home garage door opener. It has worked pretty well.
My builder installed my Chamberlain openers. I recently bought a Zooz relay, thinking I could use it to control them, but their instructions say otherwise.
This video is very timely!
MyQ was obviously a low-hanging fruit scam by a supposed high-end manufacturer. It degrades their brand. Like monthly fees for heated seats.
Bingo. At this rate, I’ll just build my own. Screw em.
I was wondering if I could use a Switchbot Fingerbot to just press the garage button? Unsure how well that’d work / how well it’d look (acceptance factor) but if it worked, I could give Evil Corp the finger each time I use it.
Would work if you can get it in position, but you'd need a sensor to determine open it closed
Talewind also has a solution that is UL 325 compliant AND has a HA integration (HACS)
Thanks for putting this together. I ordered a Ratgdo and got it wired up. It doesn't replace Evil Corp out of the box, but I'm sure I can figure the rest out.
Got a Ratgdo 6+ months ago... and has been working great with HA. Recommended.
That’s great to hear!
I feel like I’m missing something here. I have 2 Chamberlain openers that have built in WiFi. They connect directly to home home’s WiFi. I can open/close the doors with the MyQ app, or with the standard included openers. I pay no fees whatsoever.
I did the same thing with a small board from sonoff and wired it to a spare remote button. The board triggers the remote and the door opens. Board was 5 bucks and the remote was 15. Screw the evil corp
Agreed on Evil Corp's blocking the API and the fact that, if I ever have to buy another garage door opener, I will absolutely not buy Chamberlain/Liftmaster ever again. This is truly a horrible example of what not to do on the part of a smart device seller.
Absolutely! 100%!
Great video. Just ordered my ratgdo since I just bought a house that has a myq unit. IRT the laser pointer, as much as I like using tech to solve problems, my solution to that was to install a convex mirror on the wall with a small adjustable mount.
Great idea. I’m going to implement your idea right away, thank you! MyQ sucks. I have 3 doors connected through an Ethernet hub. Worked great for 3 years. Now there are constant problems.
Ha! Thanks for expressing what we all feel so concisely. And for citing one of my favourite tales to do so.
Thank you! I didn't know what it stood for :) Can't wait to get mine; been on order about 3 weeks now. Great content!!
I use an inching switch to control the garage door and I installed a retractable extension cord right behind the opener. This gives me the same functionality of the tennis ball with the added benefit of having 3 outlets easily accessible.
Brilliant, just what I've been looking for, for ages! I knew there was a work around EvilCorp.
BTW, I use a double laser, very handy, but need to add that safety feature of power only when the door is open.
Had MyQ Smart Garage Control addon - Trashed it and replaced with Refoss/Meross thingy works perfectly. Never going back will avoid all Chamberlain products in the future.
Get an extra push button switch for the myq system and wire the meeros to the button contacts. Then wire the push button to the garage opener. The meeros will close the contacts and the switch will send the coded signal to the garage opener. Viola, this is how I got mine working.
The moment that garage opener fails, I am replacing it with something that will not try to rip me off on monthly cost for smart access when I got HA.
You should mention that ratgdo sells an installation kit, so it’s easy to install . No soldering or 3d printing required!
Yeah, MyQ was actually my gateway into smart devices. Pretty damn disappointing when I found out you can't do ANYTHING else with it. Never buying their product again, that's for sure!
when it first came out you could do this and that. then something changes what I think someone working there did
Can't wait for Matter to support garage doors
Not just the monthly fee - their darned app has ads in it too.
I’ve noticed those! Evil Corp is the worst!
Hello, Meross. Just threw out my MyQ and Meross has been great with HomeKit. No soldering required even for yellow buttons.
Great coverage! Thanks a ton!!!
As a german, i'm wondered why the f*ck they want users to pay for a subscription for just opening/closing the garage door?!
It's nice to see that you still can hack these things to work normal for their intended task: just opening the garage door. There's no need that you're FORCED to have cloud connectivity for this task. But people, who doesn't know anything about electronics, will either fall for the trap and pay for the subscription or just throw away and buy another one althought, it theoretically still works :(
btw:
I love that you use Wago-Connectors instead of wire nuts or anything else :D
The reason why they disabled it (and why they won't enable local control) is they're trying to position themselves for partnerships with Amazon and Walmart for in-garage delivery. To do that, they have to prove that their systems are "unhackable" and secure. Hence the blocking of any unauthorized apps.
I wondered why. Funny because I would never allow Amazon or Walmart to open my garage.
Maybe they should first poll how many of their customers would allow Amazon in their garage in the first place. Cart before the horse much?
It already supports Amazon key. They’re just greedy. I deleted my account and app and installed a ratgdo. Blocked the opener from accessing the internet so they don’t try to sneak a firmware update to brick the ratgdo.
Went old school on my solution.... Relay, esp8266 (flashed with esphome), a spare door opener and a magnetic reed switch. Works a charm and as a bonus no delay on closing sand no annoying beeper
Hey, garage door guy here and I may have some insight on this topic. First I want to say is I with they made integration easier and open. The reason why they lock it down so bad is the integration of wifi. To allow them to stay compliant to safety laws they have to do certain things when closing remotely to stay in compliance. They have to sound a audible alarm in the garage before and during operation as well as have a visual alert by flashing the lights for the hearing impaired. That's why the retro fit kits come with a external box that has a light and a beeper, anything security 2.0 has that tech built in and is compatible with myq even if it doesn't have built in wifi(requires a hub). It use to be you could just short out the wires and that would send the signal to move but now it's controlled from a circuit board in the wall button that communicates with the motor. It helps in situations where internal wiring can get damaged and short out but makes it difficult when trying to install accessories. That control board it neat, it even has features like the door hight that myq doesn't have.
I use an ismartgate device. Works great and has a battery powered sensor that I attach to the door itself to always be 100% sure of the garage door status. The battery is a common battery and last a long time.
Great video as always, thank you! I was just starting to look at options to replace my previously awesome MyQ due to them dropping HA integration..
Great video - my RATGDO just arrived today - so just need to get it setup - which looks super simple and can finally be rid of Evil Corps shenanigans.
Nice video covering nice new features. I just use a Sonoff relay on inching. Door open or closed with a Sonoff D2. No problems for years and years now. Controls door, integrates/triggers lights inside and outside the garage and house. (Detatched garage. ) Talks seemly to Alexa, Google, etc. I wondered why pay extra for MyQ. Though I have an iHost, I really don't care if someone in China can monitor my garage door... I'm always home.
Good on you for speaking out! Here's a comment to help drive engagement!
Thanks!
ordered my RatGDO a couple of weeks ago and it's in production. Woohoo!.. I can't believe these companies that have you buy hardware and then change the rules to make you pay a subscription to use it the same way you've been using it.
Did you get a notification that it is in production? Do you have contact information for ratCloud?
Just FYI for some - if you have a newer opener from evil Corp you can't just short the wires anymore. It's not a simple button push. I hated what they did so much I cancelled an actual subscription for my Tesla so they lost a customer due to this.
Been using the "meross" method for years. Evil Corp's way never worked very well for me from the beginning thankfully. So I used an ESP8266 relay to "click" a button on the cheap extra remote door opener. You can even power the door opener remote directly from the ESP so no battery needed in it.
I have 7 garage doors and 2 regular doors (Yale locks) integrated into MyQ and no subscription. With the exception of the partial opening, the app can do everything you can do on the whatever app you showed (door open/shut/opening/closing, light on/off, errors for stuff obstructing the sensor etc. I do NOT have chamberlain garage door openers, i have more expensive one with MUCH larger commercial doors, but it still uses MyQ and no type of interface, just wifi directly to the app. I don't have any sort of fees though.
They just proved the concept of corporate greed. What happened to the day companies got rich by putting out a good product without screwing over their customers use of that product in any way the customer sees fit. There's no reason you need a web service to use the the inherent functions of the product. I do, however, disagree with your statement of them not losing money if they opened the API. You are correct the users who have not been using their app to use the product wouldn't be buying the service anyway, but if the other users saw there was a way to not have to pay for the service they too would also not buy the service which would be loss of the companies profit going forward.
The companies that got rich by making good products, get offers that pay more than they have earned, from companies that want to milk the end users for even more money. (Or someone in the family steps up to be the Exec, with the same plans.)
Thank You. Was pretty nettled after the home assistant posting.
Excellent video. I too was p*ssed off at Evil Corp last month and ordered a RATGDO. Getting the PCB took about a month. It works great in Home Assistant. I chose the MQTT integration and highly recommend the RATGDO to anybody. Good riddance Evil Corp. I will never buy another one of their products.
I am also not a fan of Evil Corp. I am looking into something to replace their app myself, so timing of this video was great.
So they are the Apple of the garage door openers.
Yeah, Apple has a looonng history of removing features and screwing up their UIs, and that's why, when they removed an iTunes feature I was using every day, I decided to give them the finger and switch to Linux. Haven't bought an apple product since then.
a quote from rene ritchie (macbreak weekly) comes to mind: "any company sufficiently large is indistinguishable from evil." that certainly applies to EvilCorp
I just got my RATGDO devices for both my doors. Super easy install. Only thing is that gauge to open the door a certain percentage doesn’t seem to be working.
Glad that I have a now discontinued WiFi bridge that allows local control! 🤠👍
I'm ragging too! Pitched my MyQ a week ago!
Thanks Reed. I've had my eye on this Ratgdo.
Hey reed, I've been using a Shelly 1 to control my 2 dumb doors for a few years now. And now that evil Corp broke the ha integration on my shop I'll be putting a Shelly 1 on there too. I had to supply my own wire and magnetic sensors but it's simple to setup. Then I use ha to detect when I get home or leave to open and close the door!
I completely understand the SaaS model, respect the need for servers to maintain that, and the cost for those servers. Howeverrrrrrr, in this case, how many times is that server hit per day, per customer? Maybe 6-12 times max? They could literally run the entire U.S. off of one small server floating in AWS. Some things were just never meant to go the SaaS route and this is one of them.
Unfortunately, it is the way of the future.... resistance is futile (for anyone without the knowledge to DIY around it)
We have several garage doors with Evil Corp openers. These openers will literally be the first things I replace the moment an open alternative is available. It's only a matter of time.
Reed, the RATGDO display on your phone shows a slider to open/close door and stop midway. My display only has up and down buttons, is this because you use an iPhone and I use Android?
The Garage door here has the 'learn' but isn't recent enough to have wifi connectivity. My solution was to buy an extra remote, set it up with a Switchbot Robot to activate door opening/closing. Then used an Aqara door sensor and a gravity pivot (3d printed) that detects whether the door is open/closed. That all interfaces with Home Assistant. Also not concerned about the light, as I have a light socket right next to the garage door opener, that I dropped a smart bulb into, and have a motion sensor in the garage that activates it or not. If we ever get the garage to a state where one of us can park in it... Then I might consider the laser pointer.
Curious, you used the ESPhome version, but would the MQTT work the same? Whats the benefits of using either?
i'm looking for a smart lock but for a patio door and i can't find one . any ideas ?
Just ordered mine, thanks for the info! MyQ sucks.
I just ended up finding a HomeKit bridge by Liftmaster and now I have local control over my MYQ Garage Door opener.
My ratgdo only has up/down/stop for controls. It doesn’t show me percentages or give me the ability to set a partial open door. I’m using MQTT. Is this an esphome thing only?
@reedssmarthome do you have a link to the 3D printed mounting solution?
Yes sorry I forgot to add it to the description www.printables.com/model/585229-ratgdo-v2-case-and-mount/files
The case was as little too tight but it was good enough for me.
I thought I was the only one with this complaint. I called them once, and all they were able to do was send me a free remote... I didn't need another remote, and I needed automation!
Bought both these options as well. Stick it to em! Yeah! :)
My ratgdo in homeassistant is showing up as an UP / STOP / DOWN. What did you do to get a control that gave you that slider to partially open/close?
How do we feel about the Genie garage door opener?
What's the difference between MQTT and ESPHome? Do both of these integrate with Home Assistant?
Also, am I safe to assume that all my remotes, door buttons, programmed Home-Link devices will still work after installing RATGDO?
I have the old chamberlain without myq integration. Can I directly use Merros or something similar?
I'm confused. I'm about to install my Chamberlain wall mount system. Are you saying I will need a subscription to open it remotely? Their box says nothing about that. :(
I have a Meross left over in a box somewhere from when I was in a rental, and it just wired directly into the unit. Interesting that they changed it now so it uses that hacky approach?
On the MyQ side, does RATGDO block the use of MyQ? I HATE what they've done but I do like having Amazon Key delivery into my garage.
Do I really need that door opener attached to use the Meross with stupid evil corp? I don’t want that so I can control my garage door in CarPlay. Any other options?
AMEN. Good evilcorp rant!!!
If I get the ratgdo for my current MYQ system as it has the security 2.0. When I move into my new house can I use it with any other brand? Not sure the brand yet but planning.
Can you still use the EvilCorp controls exactly the same way after a RATGDO is installed? I'd like to keep everything the way it is but also add the RATGDO...
Hate Chaimberlin, ordered a Genie Garage door opener instead. (they have dumb ones still) and then set up an esphome to open and close the door. Used one of those magnetic sensors for if the door is opened or closed. Save my garage door hate being locked into cloud based bs.
What's the big deal with Evil Corp server integration ? How else will they be able to offer Amazon Key? I rather have Amazon key and give them cloud access. I don't see any charge for MyQ? Isn't the fee only if you want to use it from a Tesla?
Not all heroes wear capes (or maybe you should). Thank you for this 🙏🏾
i don't use home assistant, but hoobs. Do you still have to flash with esphome?
I couldn’t make the Meross work. I sent it back. I have an Evil Corp adapter for my non-Evil Corp garage door openers. The adapters work about half the time. Yes, I almost have the worst, certainly frustrating, of all worlds.
Thanks for a great video! Question, does the Ratgdo integrate into Apple’s HomeKit? If not, does it integrate into Homebridge? Appreciate it!!!
It does. I use the ESP integration to add it to my HA instance. Rock solid!