If you’re like many commuters, you get home from work, press a button, and like magic your garage opens itself. Of course this is assuming you don’t have your garage dedicated to a workshop, or perhaps storage of junk that you’ve built up over the years, but either way, the door should open when prompted.
It’s something we generally take for granted, which is understandable since the electric garage door was invented nearly 100 years ago. Along the way there have been notable improvements like radio control and safety features to keep people from getting trapped under the closing door. With the advent of ubiquitous network connectivity, the possibility also exists to control these doors via the Internet and even your smartphone.
Of course there’s always a DIY option for enterprising hackers. For a head start on your own system, check out this EasyGarageControl board, which features Bluetooth connectivity, and the ability to control two garage doors individually via a dual-relay setup. A smartphone simply connects to the device via an app and can control the garage when in range.
The device is wired in parallel with the normal opener switch so that manual operation is still possible. Additionally, there’s no reason that this device couldn’t be used with a lamp or other appliance.
