I first tried the Meross unit, thinking I would both save money and have HomeKit control. I couldn’t get it working to save my life (my LiftMaster is a yellow button model).
Then I got the MyQ unit for HomeKit. It took me a couple of reboots of both the bridge and the eero router, but it has worked with zero downtime for the past 8 months, and it still almost makes me cry when I’m two blocks from home and the CarPlay button appears on the screen, offering to raise the door. One of my goals was to get the door-opener remote out of the car for security reasons, and the MyQ got me to that goal.
Call me skeptical, but let's say Chamberlain is coming out with a Matter version sometime in the near future. Wouldn't this announcement help clear the channel of inferior units prior such a product's release?
We have one of these, and it's the only way to bring our garage door into HomeKit - the garage door uses RF to communicate with the bridge. It has been very reliable in general with only one off-line incident in several years.
I'm not sure what those other 99% of people are doing?
It’s not the only way. I use a combination of the Bond Bridge device and an Eve door sensor.
This is a work-around, but it actually adds a layer of security. Bond Bridge is an RF device typically used to operate “dumb” ceiling fans with RF remotes. Bond Bridge is not a HomeKit compatible device, but it will function with Siri Shortcuts. If your garage door operates via RF remote, chances are the Bond Bridge can duplicate the signal and thus issue a toggle to activate the garage door.
Add an Eve (or other HK) door sensor at some creative place in the garage door mechanism, and you can tell if it’s open or closed.
Then, create a Siri Shortcut to activate the garage door toggle signal. This is where the added security comes in. First, it’s up to you what verbal command will trigger the shortcut, so you can create whatever code word you like, obvious or cryptic. Second, all shortcut commands are keyed to the specific user. So someone standing outside your window (or inside your house) yelling the toggle command to your HomePod will likely be rejected, because Siri will only operate a shortcut command issued by a recognized user’s voice. HomePod also sends a notification to the user’s iPhone that it has run a shortcut command, so with that and a door sensor notification, you’ll know when it’s been activated and the garage door has been opened or closed.
Unfortunately, that's expected with the upcoming Matter protocol that will be the standard for home automation. Why support a device that only works with specific platforms? That's the biggest issue I had with Apple's HomeKit. Apple finally will add support for Matter meaning that every device with Matter logo should work on HomeKit, even if it's not built for it.
Apple was part of the Matter/CHIP from the beginning.
Matter isn't yet a final product - that's coming later this year. So "finally" isn't really accurate.
My understanding (can't find the article) is Matter is heavily based on the protocols/design of homekit re: privacy and security.
And: "With the iOS 15 SDK or later, you can test your smart home apps with Matter, the unifying open connectivity standard designed to increase the compatibility of smart home accessories so they work seamlessly with your devices. Existing HomeKit APIs automatically work with Matter-enabled accessories, so you don’t need to make any changes to your iOS or iPadOS apps that support HomeKit. Find out more about Matter standard and open source implementation on GitHub."
We have one of these, and it's the only way to bring our garage door into HomeKit - the garage door uses RF to communicate with the bridge. It has been very reliable in general with only one off-line incident in several years.
I'm not sure what those other 99% of people are doing?
Using the myQ app on my iPhone (and Apple Watch). Door closes automatically per schedules I set in the app. Pretty sure that's what the other 99% are doing.
I don't use automation vendor apps, e.g. Philips Hue, myQ, Lutron. Everything is via HomeKit. If it doesn't work via HomeKit, it isn't purchased and added to the IoT landscape.
Comments
Then I got the MyQ unit for HomeKit. It took me a couple of reboots of both the bridge and the eero router, but it has worked with zero downtime for the past 8 months, and it still almost makes me cry when I’m two blocks from home and the CarPlay button appears on the screen, offering to raise the door. One of my goals was to get the door-opener remote out of the car for security reasons, and the MyQ got me to that goal.
Matter isn't yet a final product - that's coming later this year. So "finally" isn't really accurate.
My understanding (can't find the article) is Matter is heavily based on the protocols/design of homekit re: privacy and security.
And:
"With the iOS 15 SDK or later, you can test your smart home apps with Matter, the unifying open connectivity standard designed to increase the compatibility of smart home accessories so they work seamlessly with your devices. Existing HomeKit APIs automatically work with Matter-enabled accessories, so you don’t need to make any changes to your iOS or iPadOS apps that support HomeKit. Find out more about Matter standard and open source implementation on GitHub."