Smartplugs and garage door automation. Geek content!

mjheathcote

Centenary Club
Messages
9,033
About a year ago I bought a Belkin wemo smart plug, which I have plugged in both my garage door electric openers.
Using this, and the IFTTT app, when ever I leave the house via geo fencing, the garage door openers are electrically isolated, and on my return, switched back on.
The reason for this with no power, there is no way the doors can be opened, either accidentally, or 'hacked'...i'm not convinced that garage door blippers are that secure with regard to scanning etc. Additionally overnight the openers are also automatically electrically isolated using the wemo app.

I've now taken it a stage further using a pair of 'wemo makers'. Using these, I can now open and close either garage door using the wemo app on my smartphone, or by using the IFTTT app on my android wear watch. I don't need the traditional blipper anymore. Also as the wemo makers have a sensor input for example a magnetic reed switch, when either door is opened, either intentionally, or forced (even if electrically isolated), I get a notification immediately on my phone/watch, wherever I am again using a IFTTT applet that is automatically run.

The wemo makers are normally £70 each, but Maplin are currently selling these at less than £23.
I think they are great, if only to give notification that a garage door or side exit door has been opened.

Wemo plug https://www.screwfix.com/p/wemo-plug-in-home-automation-switch/8657h
Wemo maker https://www.maplin.co.uk/p/wemo-maker-a47rr
Inspiration https://geekdad.com/2015/11/wemo-maker/

I'll get my coat...
 

alfatwo

Member
Messages
5,517
Kinell Mike, I'm still I'm steam power.

Did you see Guy Martin on Sunday night, that was an eye opener for an old bugger like me!

It aint going to happen in my lifetime though..

Dave
 

redsonnylee

Member
Messages
1,540
I didn't know this existed, currently I have to go through the back garage door and switch off the plug that powers up my front doors when I'm going away. It's a real pain to keep doing so this is a great idea tks.
 

CatmanV2

Member
Messages
48,541
Good idea, Mike.

However, IOT devices are legendarily insecure so I wouldn't be *too* sure that they are any better than the blipper. If you're going much further down that route, you might want to consider something like Vera
http://getvera.com/

As a Z-wave controller you get a lot more devices that you can integrate. It uses OpenWRT as a base operating system and while you're still dependent to a degree on the cloud services, you can at least make that the only ingress point to your network.

C
 

mjheathcote

Centenary Club
Messages
9,033
I didn't know this existed, currently I have to go through the back garage door and switch off the plug that powers up my front doors when I'm going away. It's a real pain to keep doing so this is a great idea tks.

The reason why I bought a smartplug in the first place, then I realised I could have the plug switch off automatically when I am outside of the geo fence area, and also automatically at night too when in the house after bed time.
 

mjheathcote

Centenary Club
Messages
9,033
Good idea, Mike.

However, IOT devices are legendarily insecure so I wouldn't be *too* sure that they are any better than the blipper. If you're going much further down that route, you might want to consider something like Vera
http://getvera.com/

As a Z-wave controller you get a lot more devices that you can integrate. It uses OpenWRT as a base operating system and while you're still dependent to a degree on the cloud services, you can at least make that the only ingress point to your network.

C

I do have double protection with using a smartplug, the wemo maker can only open a garage door when I am inside the geo fence area when power is on to the garage door opener. Not sure I would trust it alone. The other option is that I continue using the blippers to activate the garage door opener, but I still have the wemo makers to give indication when either garage door is open or forced open. The relay outputs could then be used on my command to release deadly nerve gas to anyone not authorised to be in the man cave!!
 

CatmanV2

Member
Messages
48,541
I do have double protection with using a smartplug, the wemo maker can only open a garage door when I am inside the geo fence area when power is on to the garage door opener. Not sure I would trust it alone. The other option is that I continue using the blippers to activate the garage door opener, but I still have the wemo makers to give indication when either garage door is open or forced open. The relay outputs could then be used on my command to release deadly nerve gas to anyone not authorised to be in the man cave!!

Right until someone attacks the plug via your wifi. But I like the gas idea ;D
 

redsonnylee

Member
Messages
1,540
The reason why I bought a smartplug in the first place, then I realised I could have the plug switch off automatically when I am outside of the geo fence area, and also automatically at night too when in the house after bed time.

I've been trying to find a solution to do this for a while, thanks for doing the research :)
 

mjheathcote

Centenary Club
Messages
9,033
Right until someone attacks the plug via your wifi. But I like the gas idea ;D

Does this really happen? "There's a wemo plug, let's switch it on and off?" They don't know what it is connected to, could be table lamp in the hall? Same with the wemo maker, could be a water sprinkler system and the plants get extra water!
 

CatmanV2

Member
Messages
48,541
No, but 'There's a Wemo plug, let's get into the LAN, install keylogging software on all the machines we can find etc etc quite possibly does.....'

C
 

zagatoes30

Member
Messages
20,758
You lost me with electric garage doors..

And if I want to turn the lamp on or off they come with a perfectly integrated switch which appears to work really well. I even have the remote option covered, i just tell the smalls or ask the wife - obviously remote option is less successful than doing it yourself but it has been known to work.
 

outrun

Member
Messages
5,017
Neat idea.

I have my garage isolated on my home consumer board and so I shut off the whole place if I go anywhere. The alarm is battery powered so it still stays working.
 

mjheathcote

Centenary Club
Messages
9,033
No, but 'There's a Wemo plug, let's get into the LAN, install keylogging software on all the machines we can find etc etc quite possibly does.....'

C

Use a chromebook at home, hopefully such keylogging software can't install?!!
 

jasst

Member
Messages
2,313
You lost me with electric garage doors..

And if I want to turn the lamp on or off they come with a perfectly integrated switch which appears to work really well. I even have the remote option covered, i just tell the smalls or ask the wife - obviously remote option is less successful than doing it yourself but it has been known to work.

:laugh::lol2:
 

Ewan

Member
Messages
6,756
So in a power-cut, you can't get into your garage - is that what this all means?

I have a combination padlock on mine. Seems to work just fine. And it doesn't even need an app/blipper/sensor/phone/fob/computer/key etc., or even electricity. Satisfies the insurers as well.