NodeMCU (ESP8266) Raspberry Pi - Garage Door Control

This project controls your garage door opener using MQTT as the messaging service, ESPHome to configure the ESP8266 module, and a Raspberry Pi to serve the web app shown in the demo video. The Raspberry Pi web server is not mandatory. You can trigger the Garage Door with any app that can publish an MQTT message (garageDoor/trigger - configurable in garage.yaml as explained in the ESPHome section below). Read more about this project at https://www.easyprogramming.net/raspberrypi/nodemcu_garage_door_control.php.

Demo

Check out the demo on YouTube by clicking on the following gif:

Hardware Requirements

1. Raspberry Pi - any version will work since this will just host the web server
2. ESPHome set up (Hassio set up will work)
3. NodeMCU Board (can use any ESP8266 module including D1 Mini)
4. 5v Relay Module
5. DHT11 sensor - for Temperature & Humidity
6. Jumper cables
7. Box for your stuff

Software Requirements

1. ESPHome - perhaps through Hassio
2. MQTT Broker - any will work. I use Mosquitto installed on my Hassio (which is in turn installed on a Raspberry Pi 4)
3. Apache for the web server - can be installed anywhere but I have it on a RPi Zero W that I use to serve other web content

Wiring Diagram:

The following diagram is for connecting your NodeMCU to your relay and DHT11 sensor:

Connections explained

Color	Pin	Connects to
Red (relay)	VU	VIN on Relay
Black (relay)	Any Ground Pin	GND on Relay
Green	D1	Data pin on Relay
Blue	Normally Open and Common pins on relay	To garage door controller
Red (DHT)	any 3v Pin On NodeMCU	Power on DHT Module
Black (DHT)	Any Ground Pin on NodeMCU	GND on DHT Module
Yellow	D2	Data Pin on DHT

The blue wires represent the connections going into the Garage Door control. As you'll see in my demo, The door triggers (open/close/stop) when the two left-most terminals are connected in any way. When you put the two wires on the normally open connection on your Relay module, they are not connected. When the connect closes, the door controller then knows to do something.

ESPHome

Upload the contents of esphome/garage.yaml to your ESP module using ESPHome. I use Hassio but if you have another method of doing so, it should be fine.

MQTT

The following MQTT configurations are set and are configurable. If you configure the message, you must configure the subscription in script.js as shown below. The MQTT setup in the YAML is as follows:

mqtt:
  broker: {{Broker IP}}
  discovery: True
  username: "your mqtt username"
  password: "your mqtt password"
  topic_prefix: "garage"
  on_message:
    topic: "garageDoor/trigger"
    then:
      - switch.turn_on: garageDoorTemplate

If you configure the topic above and if you are using the included web app, you must configure line 40 of script.js and publish to the new trigger:

client.publish("garageDoor/trigger");

Celsius v. Fahrenheit v. Kelvin

My YAML converts the default unit of measurement to Fahrenheit. To go back to Celsius, just remove this blcok:

filters:
      - lambda: return x * (9.0/5.0) + 32.0;
      unit_of_measurement: "°F"

And if you like Kelvin, change the block to this:

filters:
      - lambda: return x + 273.15;
      unit_of_measurement: "°K"

(Optional) Raspberry Pi - Apache Web Server

To learn how to install Apache and run a simple app, check out my tutorial on How to Turn your Pi into an Apache Web Server here.

Author

Nazmus Nasir - Easy Programming

Notes

There's no way to tell if the door is open or closed. This is on my to-do list.

Questions?

If you have questions, there are many ways to get in touch with me!

1. Ask in the comments section of the YouTube video, I am generally very good at responding to questions.
2. Ask in the comments section of EasyProgramming.net. Every tutorial comes with a Disqus section to allow a meaninful discussion
3. If a repository exists on Github, open an issue!
4. This should be used as a last resort because I check this email every once in a while and don't guarantee a response, but if you must, you can use the contact form found here: https://www.easyprogramming.net/contact.php