Up until now, my garage floor was dusty, oil-stained bare cement, with the garage fit only for cars and stuff, not bikes.

As a result, my house has bikes scattered all about, and most closets have cycling gear. I'd depart and return from my rides through the front door, carrying a front door key.

This is going to change. Even as I write, my garage floor is being painted with an epoxy, and I am going to turn one bay into a cycling haven. I'll store my bikes and cycling gear in the garage, and start/end my rides (which include daily commuting) through the garage door.

I don't want to carry a garage door opener with me, however. Nor do I want to hide the opener somewhere.

I carry an iPhone, so I want to use my iPhone as a garage door opener.

With searches, I see there are some apps for that, as well as products sold. There are lots of DIY methods. But I don't see any surefire, proven method.

Can anyone help out with some experience, advice or suggestions?

I just carry a spare garage door opener with me, never been a problem. If you have an alarm system, some of the head end controls can control other devices via X10 powerline. Our alarm has wireless fobs to arm/disarm the system, so if I were clever and cared I could get it to open the garage door.

Another way to skin that cat - I just use the keypad I have mounted on the door jamb. Works for bike rides, kids, dog sitters, etc. And I never have to worry about losing it - it's screwed to the wall of the house. Got it for about $20 at Lowe's.

Have a key pad installed outside your garage so you do not have to carry the opener...

Edit-Jeff beat me to it by a minute.

Yup, keypads are the key to keyless entry!

Maybe not a problem, but neither is it ideal. I don't want to have something else to carry, or forget, or leave somewhere. It wouldn't fit in my saddle bag, and I don't want anything extra in my pocket, especially rectangular. It weighs something. It is neither weather nor sweatproof, and would not likely withstand the vicissitudes of cycling. I'm already carrying an iPhone, so I want to use that.

When I was commuting a lot, I had an opener like that pictured above in my seat bag... it was pretty slick; I could just tap it through the seat bag fabric to activate it.

Sounds like the key pad is the way to go...

Yes, I could see where this would be helpful.



However, I think it might be awkward to have to bring my bike right up to the door jamb, lift the cover and then press the buttons, often at night. I might well get one of these anyway, but I want my iPhone to have this capability as well.

I could then open the door from the end of the driveway, or even as I am riding on my street, and ride it straight on in the open door.

You can buy door openers that are smaller than a matchbox and weigh next to nothing, I have one and I've accidentally put it in the washing machine a couple of times and it still works fine.
If the key pad outside the door is too much trouble and you don't want to carry something that weighs about three ounces I think you are as they say, stuffed!

Yeah, they're pretty awkward. I have to stop, lean over, and fumble with it for 2.637 seconds after my ride. Then, I have to wait for almost 4 seconds for the door to fully open. I don't really have that much time to waste in my busy life, but what's a guy to do?

If I had an iPhone app, I could take it out of its ziplock bag, then out of its protective case, and then punch in the passcode before finally opening the app to open my garage door. That would probably take more time, but it would be much cooler than the key pad.

Just messin with ya. The key pad is a no-brainer.

Let me know how the epoxy floor turns out. I've been thinking about sprucing up my garage as well.

Use the keypad on your IPhone and you can get the door to open.... call someone inside the house and ask them to open the door

+1 yep; same here very cheap and easy...plus u don't have to carry anything with you.

Are these keypads wireless?

I also use a keypad mounted to the door. Great for the kids as well. Yes... they are wireless.

If keypads were so great, then no one in cars would have garage door openers. They would stop their car, get out, and walk over to the keypad to open and close. But, admit it, when you are driving you don't use your keypad, you use your garage door opener, attached to your sun visor.

I want the same thing, only on my bike. I fiddle with my iPhone all the time while riding, so its no problem. I just want to ride on in, and ride on out, without stopping or getting off my bike.

I'm already carrying an iPhone with me, so there is nothing else to carry.

If you are serious about iPhone communication then check out the iRule application for home remote control. You'll need to install X10 or a similar option w. IP control hardware onto your garage door (and connect it to your router). Basically you're looking for an IP controlled low voltage relay switch. Be careful when you punch a hole in your firewall so you can control the door remotely; you don't want someone to hack it and gain access to your home. Total cost if you do your own work is going to be over $100. Alternatively, get the $30 keypad and call it a day.

edit: there may be a bluetooth controlled relay option available which would eliminate the IP issues but you'd have to be within 25 feet, wait for bluetooth pairing, and then hit the open/close button.

Keypad. They're wireless and communicate with the opener just like the little remote does, except you program in and then use a code to activate the door. There are a number of frequencies and protocols in use so you need to be sure the keypad you get is compatible with your opener.

great. THanks,

You can also go cheap and run a wired button to the outside and mount it.

You could always leave the garage door open while you ride. Then when you return go straight in and close it behind you. Problem solved.

As an added bonus you'd soon find that anything worth having in the garage had mysteriously been removed, making it much easier to figure out what to keep and what to get rid of. So you get an uncluttered garage as an extra benefit.

"If keypads were so great, then no one in cars would have garage door openers. They would stop their car, get out, and walk over to the keypad to open and close. But, admit it, when you are driving you don't use your keypad, you use your garage door opener, attached to your sun visor."

Ryanf is that you?

Thanks very much for a post that relates to the request of the original post.

I've seen where the iRule can be used to control a garage door, but this is a DIY project. At the iRule site, the word 'garage' is not mentioned. I am not looking for a project, I've enough of these, but rather a product.

We had a new belt-drive super-duper garage door opener installed last year. It's really powerful and quiet. We had the wireless keypad installed on the door jam and it works well for my wife to take the kid to the pool, getting the mail, etc. But because this garage door opener uses some new-to-us wireless system (our previous opener was 13 years old) we just bought $15 key-fob openers from Lowe's and I carry one of those with a single key to our house on it. It's about as big as my thumbnail and works awesome!

I use telepathy, I stare deeply at the door as I approach, softly willing it to open. Nothing to carry, no batteries, nothing to remember. Try it, once you tap the inner potential of your mind, you can achieve anything. Perhaps though adding an app to a phone is better.

I don't think iPhones operate on the same frequency as a garage door opener.