We analyze the automatic opening system of your HomyHub garage, compatible with any automatic door and can be controlled from your iPhone, Apple Watch, Alexa and Siri.
HomyHub offers us a complete kit with what we need to open our garage from our iPhone. Thanks to a very simple installation system, well guided from the HomeHub application itself and in about 15-20 minutes (a little more if we have to install the cables) we can have our garage doors fully automated and controlled from our mobile, with the ability to add temporary guests or other users with unlimited control. And all of this can be controlled via Alexa, Google and Siri (not HomeKit but via shortcuts).
Features
The The HomyHub starter kit includes everything you need to control two garage doors:
- HomyHub Garage (door opener) and HomyHub Connect (Central)
- Allows control of two doors with one kit
- Cable or wireless opening and closing control (cables included)
- Compatible with fixed code wireless controls
- WiFi, Ethernet or 4G connectivity (SIM not included)
- Open/close sensor included (1)
- Proximity opening (optional)
- Compatible with Alexa, Google and Siri (via shortcuts)
The system is made up of two fundamental elements. HomyHub Connect is a small bridge that connects to your home network, via Ethernet or WiFi, and which requires a permanent connection to a socket. It is the central that will take care of giving you access to your doors from anywhere. If you don’t always have internet at home you can use a 4G modem (you put it).
The other fundamental element of this kit is HomyHub Garage, which is the door opener. It connects wirelessly to the HomyHub Connect, and can use batteries for its operation (2 AA batteries give you one year of autonomy) or connect it to the electrical network thanks to its microUSB connector. The range compared to HomyHub Connect is up to 50 meters, but it will depend on the walls of your house.
facility
To start the installation, you must first download the HomyHub app on your iPhone (link) and also for Android (link). With it, you can follow the whole installation process step by step. You don’t have to worry about your knowledge of electricity or door motors, it’s foolproof, and if I managed to install it without a problem, I assure you that anyone can do it. HomyHub guarantees that its system is compatible with almost all engines, regardless of type, and you can always consult its experts if you have any questions.
The first step is to configure your HomyHub Connect, which you can place near the main router connected by Ethernet cable, or closer to your garage if necessary thanks to the fact that it also has a WiFi connection. What it needs is an outlet nearby, or at least USB-A, since it doesn’t have a battery or batteries to run. This is the first item you need to add from the kit in the HomyHub app. After that you need to add the HomyHub garage, which you should place near your garage doors. To be able to do this without problems, it can work with batteries (2xAA), and if you have a socket nearby, you can connect a microUSB cable to a conventional charger and forget about having to change the batteries every year. To place it you can use the magnets that it includes and fix it on any metal surface, or place the magnetic adhesive included in the box.
For the process of opening and closing the doors, you can choose between two methods: wireless and wired. If you have a fixed code wireless remote, it will surely be compatible with HomyHub, and the app will show you step by step how to memorize your code using the original remote. If not, or if you just prefer to use the cable, it includes two open and close cables (remember you can control two doors). Doing the wired installation is easier than you might imagine, and the app even offers you manuals for major gate motor manufacturers.
Finished this configuration you can install the open and close sensor (not required), recommended to know the status of the door from the application itself. It has a very long cable to be able to install it anywhere, it is connected to the HomyHub garage and there is only one, if you want another for the other door you will have to buy it separately.
Functioning
The operation is quite simple, as if you were using the usual remote control but with your iPhone. To open and close the door, press the button that appears on the screen, which you have to press and hold for a few seconds, a safe way to avoid accidental presses. The same button is used to open and close. In the app, you can see a full record of all openings and closings, along with the time and day they took place.
One of the coolest utilities is the ability to add other users to the app. You can add “owners”, who will have access to all functions, and “guests”, who will only have access to opening and closing. You can even set the duration of this access, ideal when visitors come or rent your property. The maximum number of “virtual controllers” you can create is five, more than enough for a house in most cases. If you need more virtual checks (communities of neighbors, for example), you can get them for prices ranging from $4 to $8 per year, depending on how many checks you need.
In addition to using the iPhone app we have the option to use the Apple Watch app, whose operation is very similar to that of the iPhone. What does not exist is an application for CarPlay, which would be perfect to activate the opening and closing directly from our car. This limitation is the fault of Apple, which does not allow this type of application in CarPlay. But this is compensated by the use of Siri to be able to activate it without having to touch either the iPhone or the Apple Watch, using only our voice. Since it is not compatible with HomeKit, it does we can use this feature by using Shortcuts app. Creating the shortcut is very simple from the HomyHub app itself, and you can customize the phrase that activates opening or closing.
Another possibility is automatic opening using your location. When you are close to your house, it will detect it and the door will open automatically. To do this, you need to set up two geofences, one that detects that you are away from home and another that detects that you have returned home. Auto-open will only be enabled if you change to “Away From Home” state and then back to “Home” state. There are two ways to configure it, whether the opening is completely automatic or a Door open suggestion notification you need to tap to open
as I said it is not compatible with HomeKit, but it is via Alexa or Google, so that we can use your smart speakers to activate the opening or closing of the door by means of a simple command with our voice. Of course, we will be asked for a security code so that anyone passing in the street cannot open the door. It also allows to add some TP-Link camera models to start recording when the door opens automatically. I couldn’t test this feature because we don’t have a compatible model.
Whichever control method you use, operation is very reliable, just like using the conventional control knob. Using the iPhone app and Apple Watch works perfectly, without any type of failure, and also the opening or closing sensor allows you to confirm that everything is fine. With the Shortcuts app and Siri it generally works fine, although on occasion it will tell you something went wrong and you need to repeat the command. This is something that, more than an app crash, seems to me to be a shortcut crash, which usually causes this type of problem from time to time, especially when activated from the hands-free car.
Editor’s review
HomyHub offers you a perfect starter kit to automate the opening of your garage. For a fairly affordable price, it allows you to control up to two garage doors, with maximum compatibility of any model and wireless or wired operation that allows you to place the devices where it suits you best. The installation process is very simple thanks to the instructions in the application itself, and the operation is very reliable, which is essential when it comes to opening the door of our house. The price of this starter kit is 149$ on its official website (link), y If you use the discount code “migaraje7” (without the quotes) you will get a discount of $7.
- Editor Rating
- 4.5 star rating
- Exceptional
$149
- HomeHub
- Review of: louis padille
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Posted on:
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Last modification:
Advantages
- very simple installation
- Intuitive and complete application
- Control up to two doors
- Compatible with Siri, Alexa and Google
Versus
- Not compatible with HomeKit
- It only includes an open/close sensor
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