Turn your dumb garage door into a smart one — controllable from Alexa, Apple Home, Google Home, or any Matter-compatible app. No cloud subscriptions, no proprietary hubs, just an ESP32 and a relay.

This project uses the Matter protocol to expose your garage door as a smart home device. A relay wired across your existing wall-button terminals simulates a button press on command. The ESP32 handles WiFi, Matter commissioning, and state tracking — all in a single .ino file.

Your garage door opener's wall button works by shorting two terminals together. This project connects a relay across those same terminals, letting the ESP32 "press" the button electronically. Matter takes care of the rest — discovery, pairing, and integration with your smart home ecosystem.

The door's position is estimated by timing (default: 12 seconds for a full open/close cycle). The onboard RGB LED reflects the current position — bright white when open, off when closed.

Future improvement: A magnetic rotation encoder on the chain sprocket could provide real position feedback. Contributions welcome!

ESP32 GPIO 13  ──────►  Relay IN
ESP32 3.3V     ──────►  Relay VCC (triggers at 3.3V despite being a "5V" module)
ESP32 GND      ──────►  Relay GND

Relay COM      ──────►  Garage wall-button terminal 1
Relay NO       ──────►  Garage wall-button terminal 2

Note: Use the NO (Normally Open) terminal on the relay. This way, the circuit is open at rest and closes (simulating a button press) when the relay activates.

⚠️ Safety: Only connect the relay to the low-voltage wall-button terminals on your garage door opener — never to mains power. These terminals are typically 12–24V DC.

Mount the ESP32 and relay near your garage door opener on the ceiling. Power the ESP32 with a USB adapter. Run two wires from the relay to the same terminals your wall button connects to (in parallel with the existing button — it will still work normally).

• Arduino IDE (2.x recommended)
• Arduino ESP32 Board Support — version 3.3.6
  • In Arduino IDE, go to File → Preferences → Additional Board Manager URLs and add:

    https://espressif.github.io/arduino-esp32/package_esp32_index.json
    

  • Then go to Tools → Board → Boards Manager, search for esp32, and install version 3.3.6

1. Create your Secrets.h file with your WiFi credentials:

   #define WIFI_SSID "your-wifi-name"
   #define WIFI_PASS "your-wifi-password"

2. Adjust timing (optional) — in GarageDoor.ino, change DOOR_MOVE_SECONDS to match how long your garage door takes to fully open or close:

   const uint8_t DOOR_MOVE_SECONDS = 12;  // seconds for full open/close

3. Select your board in Arduino IDE:

   • Tools → Board → esp32 → ESP32S3 Dev Module (or your specific variant)
   • Tools → USB CDC On Boot → Enabled (for Serial Monitor output on Supermini)
   • Tools → Partition Scheme → Huge APP (3MB No OTA/1MB SPIFFS) (to ensure enough space for Matter stack)

4. Upload the sketch to your ESP32.

After uploading and powering on:

1. Open the Serial Monitor (115200 baud) to see the pairing code and QR code URL.
2. In your Matter controller app, add a new device:
   • Amazon Alexa: Alexa app → Devices → Add Device → Other → Matter
   • Apple Home: Home app → Add Accessory → scan the QR code
   • Google Home: Google Home app → Devices → Add → Matter-enabled device
3. Enter the manual pairing code or scan the QR code shown in the Serial Monitor.
4. The device appears as a window covering (this is the closest Matter device type to a garage door — it maps open/close commands perfectly).

Tip: The device shows up as a "window covering" or "roller shade" in your smart home app. You can rename it to "Garage Door" after pairing.

Once commissioned:

• "Alexa, open the garage door" — opens the door
• "Alexa, close the garage door" — closes the door
• Use any Matter-compatible app to control it
• The RGB LED on the ESP32 shows the door position (bright = open, dim/off = closed)
• The wall button continues to work normally — the relay is wired in parallel

• Matter Device Type: WindowCovering (RollerShade Exterior) — the closest standard type to a garage door
• State Persistence: Door position is stored in ESP32's NVP (Preferences) and survives reboots
• Relay Timing: The relay activates for 250ms to simulate a button press
• Position Estimation: Linear interpolation over DOOR_MOVE_SECONDS — no physical sensor
• LED Feedback: RGB LED brightness maps inversely to lift percentage (0% lift = fully open = bright)

GarageDoor/
├── GarageDoor.ino   # Main sketch — all logic in one file
└── Secrets.h        # WiFi credentials (not committed — create your own)

MIT License — Copyright (c) 2026 Frank A. Krueger. See LICENSE for details.