# Garage Door Opener



## Stray Dog (4 mo ago)

Can anyone explain to me how in the world they don’t have one built into the car? I just got my model three today and I think I want to set it on fire. I feel like someone’s laughing at me somewhere at Tesla headquarters.


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## Power Surge (Jan 6, 2022)

Stray Dog said:


> Can anyone explain to me how in the world they don’t have one built into the car? I just got my model three today and I think I want to set it on fire. I feel like someone’s laughing at me somewhere at Tesla headquarters.


The early cars (like mine) have it built in. Later cars you have to buy the $300 add in kit. Typical Tesla.


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## FRC (Aug 4, 2018)

As a cost-cutting (profit-increasing) measure, Tesla ceased including garage door openers as standard in 2019. There are many similar cuts that Tesla has made over the years ostensibly to hold down the MSRP of these cars. The homelink option is now just that, an option. After you receive a vin you can order your homelink and have it installed by Tesla mobile service at your location.

The Homelink opener is no longer standard, and Tesla does not even offer it as a pre-installed option. You were not misled by Tesla. You were misled by your pre-conceived notion that all cars in this price range SHOULD have this feature. Tesla disagrees.

The fact is, Tesla automobiles are a different animal, sold by a different company, using different business practices. All potential buyers are well-advised to do their research extensively before embarking upon a Tesla purchase. While many of the differences in these automobiles will delight you, some can disappoint you if you're uninformed.


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## vijay66 (10 mo ago)

FRC said:


> As a cost-cutting (profit-increasing) measure, Tesla ceased including garage door openers as standard in 2019. There are many similar cuts that Tesla has made over the years ostensibly to hold down the MSRP of these cars. The homelink option is now just that, an option. After you receive a vin you can order your homelink and have it installed by Tesla mobile service at your location.
> 
> The Homelink opener is no longer standard, and Tesla does not even offer it as a pre-installed option. You were not misled by Tesla. You were misled by your pre-conceived notion that all cars in this price range SHOULD have this feature. Tesla disagrees.
> 
> The fact is, Tesla automobiles are a different animal, sold by a different company, using different business practices. All potential buyers are well-advised to do their research extensively before embarking upon a Tesla purchase. While many of the differences in these automobiles will delight you, some can disappoint you if you're uninformed.


You do not really need to spend money with Tesla for this feature. If you have WiFi in your garage door opener you can use your phone to open and close your garage door. Example Aladdin for genie openers. Then you can add another app like Yonomi that can control Aladdin. Yonomi had geofencing. So your door will automatically close when you leave and open when you arrive.


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## TomT (Apr 1, 2019)

FRC said:


> While many of the differences in these automobiles will delight you, some can disappoint you if you're uninformed.


And some will disappoint you regardless!
Love the car! Hate the company!


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## JasonF (Oct 26, 2018)

Think of Tesla more like a tech company like Apple - a company well known for dropping tech they don't see a future for before its time is past. 

So it's likely either Elon Musk or someone else at Tesla sees the end coming for Homelink and radio based garage door openers, and doesn't want to have dead technology in their cars when its time is past. In this case that's probably an accurate assessment because the cost of bluetooth transmitters with just enough range for a garage door opener, and with much better security, are already getting cheaper than radio transmitters. 

It's all about cutting costs - so whenever some of the higher end garage door openers come up for redesign (a lot of them likely still use radio because of the R&D cost of switching to Bluetooth), you'll see some of them with Bluetooth and maybe supplied only with one tiny keychain remote, if any at all, because they're not necessary if you have a smartphone and app.


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## Klaus-rf (Mar 6, 2019)

What's wring with the tiny opener clicker boxes that we've used for the past 60+ years? They still work and all openers come with them. And they're tiny these days - smaller than the button boxes that come with cars.


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## SalisburySam (Jun 6, 2018)

JasonF said:


> So it's likely either Elon Musk or someone else at Tesla sees the end coming for Homelink and radio based garage door openers, and doesn't want to have dead technology in their cars when its time is past. In this case that's probably an accurate assessment because the cost of bluetooth transmitters with just enough range for a garage door opener, and with much better security, are already getting cheaper than radio transmitters.


I agree, to a point. But garage door openers are not today considered disposable like smartphones, tablets, ear buds, most computers, and built-for-purpose cameras where a new chip or case or form factor makes them must-have purchases rendering the year-older version totally obsolete. These new garage door technologies will make it into new builds and retrofits, possibly, but fortunately a garage door opener can easily last for decades and they continue to perform a very basic and desirable function today. The key mechanism is a way to lift and lower a door and that is typically a chain, screw, tape, driven by an electric motor and power take off for the pinion or other requisite gearing. Yes, today’s electric motors are likely smaller, and more efficient but certainly not a big enough differentiator to compel replacements. 

So most of the sizzle is in the controls. Do you want the garage door opener to be able to be operated from your smartphone? Home alarm system? Locally only or remotely as well? By others (Amazon deliveries?) on a one-time or temporary basis? These and other desired uses, coupled with uneconomical-to-repair failures, are what trigger replacement to newer technologies. The openers are appliances just like washers and stoves and stand mixers and toasters, objects that are usually replaced at their failure, not because of newer technology in their operating bowels.

TL;DR - despite Tesla’s crystal-balling the incipient demise of Homelink and reacting to that by eliminating the feature from its vehicle builds, that death would appear to be quite far away in time. And the crazy cheap, totally reliable clickers that accompany every garage door opener do everything necessary with the exception of geocoding responses.


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## Joe90 (7 mo ago)

I've seen this several times recently.

New forum users posting negative comments about their Tesla ownership experience in the form of questions or statements, without further response or comment after helpful postings from the community.

It looks legitimate but I wonder sometimes if it's part of a larger operation to discredit Tesla.


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## TomT (Apr 1, 2019)

JasonF said:


> So it's likely either Elon Musk or someone else at Tesla sees the end coming for Homelink and radio based garage door openers, and doesn't want to have dead technology in their cars when its time is past. In this case that's probably an accurate assessment because the cost of bluetooth transmitters with just enough range for a garage door opener, and with much better security, are already getting cheaper than radio transmitters.


Just a note that Bluetooth is also radio based and uses a radio transmitter as well... And both are encrypted.


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## francoisp (Sep 28, 2018)

Joe90 said:


> I've seen this several times recently.
> 
> New forum users posting negative comments about their Tesla ownership experience in the form of questions or statements, without further response or comment after helpful postings from the community.
> 
> It looks legitimate but I wonder sometimes if it's part of a larger operation to discredit Tesla.


Lol, who knows. Similar recent posting


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## Klaus-rf (Mar 6, 2019)

Joe90 said:


> It looks legitimate but I wonder sometimes if it's part of a larger operation to discredit Tesla.


 Tesla does a pretty good job discrediting themselves. They don't need outside help.


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## JasonF (Oct 26, 2018)

TomT said:


> Just a note that Bluetooth is also radio based and uses a radio transmitter as well... And both are encrypted.


I didn't say the focus would be more security - just lower production cost. It would be cheaper to buy mass-market Bluetooth transceivers and supply fewer remotes with the opener because you can use your phone. 

Also, the RF for garage openers currently is extremely prone to interference, but it's left that way because it's "good enough" and too expensive to re-engineer and re-license. They could solve that problem by letting someone else solve it for them.


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## Vector (Jul 5, 2019)

I have a very free solution for this using my old garage door clicker. My Model 3 now has one built in (courtesy of double-sided tape) out of site and out of mind.


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## vijay66 (10 mo ago)

If your garage door opener is WiFi enabled, then you can pair it with a corresponding app. For example, Genie garage door openers can be paired with Aladdin connect app. After you have done that, you can create events via an app like Yonomi to automatically close the garage door when you leave and open the door when you arrive. Yonomi does this through geofencing. Works quite well.


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## JasonB (5 mo ago)

Vector said:


> I have a very free solution for this using my old garage door clicker. My Model 3 now has one built in (courtesy of double-sided tape) out of site and out of mind.
> View attachment 45052


^ this.... Or you link your WiFi app on your phone or buy this from Amazon meross Smart Wi-Fi Garage Door Opener Remote, APP Control, Compatible with Alexa, Google Assistant and SmartThings, No Hub Needed


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## Dundoleo (Mar 29, 2021)

I road tested my MyQ Chamberlain garage door opener today. It was pretty legit. The geofencing worked flawlessly.
I won't mind paying the $50 annual subscription to have my garage experience 100% hands free.


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## garsh (Apr 4, 2016)

Dundoleo said:


> I won't mind paying the $50 annual subscription to have my garage experience 100% hands free.


You have to decide how long you will keep your car.
Should you pay $50/yr for MyQ, or a one-time $350 payment for Homelink?



https://shop.tesla.com/product/model-3_y-automatic-garage-opener


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## jbequer (4 mo ago)

I just installed MYQ but have not connected it to the car yet. I'm trying out how it works with Siri first. I have to say, it is working great. Just say "Hey Siri, open or close garage door", and it works on point. I still need to set up the Geofencing on the Livekey app to see how that works. There are youtube videos on how to do that, pretty easy.

With Siri and Geofencing, there is no way i would pay $50 a year when you can do it for free using certain apps.

I did remove the speaker from the MYQ device as it was driving me nuts. I leave around 4 am to work and it was so loud, it would wake up my wife upstairs, i think even my neighbors could hear it. Now it's silent, as it should be.


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## JasonF (Oct 26, 2018)

I abandoned the MyQ activation. Partly because the car already has homelink for free, but also because I already have a MyQ all that will open and close the doors for free. Paying $50/year for one more button to do what I can already do isn't appealing.


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