Can Siri Open Garage Door?

Coming home from a drive and finding the garage door closed is so annoying. Even if your garage door is automated, you’d have to press the button on the remote for it to open. Can’t one just make the task easier by turning it voice command operated? Siri is very handy when it comes to tasks like these but can Siri open a garage door?

Yes, Siri can open your garage door. You will just need a smart garage opener that is compatible with Apple HomeKit.

Turning your garage door into a Siri-controlled entrance would require you to first connect your existing garage door to Apple HomeKit. Once all the bridges, locks, and keys are in place, you can control your HomeKit-connected garage via Apple’s Home App, Siri, and automation.

This article will discuss in detail the prerequisites you need to open your garage door through the multipurpose AI-driven voice assistant Siri.

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Apple HomeKit for garage doors: An additional cost or not?

If you’re an Apple user, you must have heard of Apple HomeKit. This device is a charm at automating your devices and turning your home into a smart home.

But when you start replacing locks, lights, and other accessories with linked equivalents, integrating HomeKit might be a costly process.

Fortunately, you don’t need to replace your current garage door opener to convert it into a Siri-connected entrance. Instead, you can spend anywhere between $70 and $170 to upgrade your existing garage door opener.

You can also automate other aspects of your home with Siri, read about Siri controlling the Nest Thermostat here!

Garage openers with HomeKit support

Here are 4 great garage openers that come with HomeKit support, therefore, allowing you to control the garage door opening using Siri:

All you need to know about the Chamberlain MyQ Home Bridge

Garage door openers that are already MyQ or Wi-Fi-linked can add HomeKit compatibility with MyQ Home Bridge. In contrast, garage door openers without MyQ or Wi-Fi will require an additional add-on to catch up.

Suppose your garage door was made after 1993 and contains Photo Eyes sensors but no MyQ or Wi-Fi connection. In that case, you’ll need a hub like the Chamberlain MyQ Smart Garage Hub that enables smartphone management of your garage door (the vast majority do). You are safe from this option if you have a Chamberlain door.

When is the MyQ Smart Garage Hub needed?

A compact black box called the MyQ Smart Garage Hub contains a sensor you can attach to your garage door and is designed to be mounted conveniently. The MyQ Garage Hub adds smartphone control to your garage door openers. Pairing the MyQ Smart Garage Hub would be the first step in making your garage door openers work with HomeKit.

The MyQ Smart Garage Hub flashes its built-in lights while controlling the garage door remotely. In addition to flashing lights, it also beeps when the garage door is closed remotely.

When do you need the MyQ Home Bridge?

Since the MyQ Smart Garage Hub and MyQ Home Bridge look alike, it cannot be easy to differentiate between them.

However, MyQ Home Bridge is needed when the garage opener does not have MyQ in-built, and you need to pair it with the garage opener after you have paired the garage opener with MyQ Smart Garage Hub. Doing so will make the garage door openers HomeKit compatible.

MyQ Home Bridge is also a black box, but it does not contain the HomeKit code at the bottom that you need to make the garage doors smarter.

The MyQ Home Bridge does not need to be fixed in the garage. It can be maintained inside or outside, wherever a strong Wi-Fi signal exists.

Keep in mind that the setup procedures for both boxes will change depending on the model of your garage door opener before beginning.

Siri, Apple Home App, and Automation to control the garage door

After properly connecting your garage door with the HomeKit, you can control your garage door through Apple’s Home App, Siri, or automation.

Apple Home App

You can check if the door is open or closed using the Home app (excellent for when you’re halfway to work and wondering if you remembered), and of course, you can operate the door from there as well. It will also alert you to any obstructions preventing the door from closing.

Siri

You can open or close the garage door by commanding Siri to do so. You can use the following command/questions to control the garage door through Siri:

Close the garage
Open the garage
Is the garage closed?
Did I leave the garage door open?

Control the garage door through Siri SimpleCommands

SimpleCommands allows Apple customers to manage their garage doors (and any other device) via Siri through our Shortcuts triggers. You can use your voice or a tap of your finger to operate your garage doors (and other devices) by integrating Routines with Siri by following the steps listed below.

Make a SimpleCommand routine and add a Shortcut trigger to the said routine.
You may now use your voice to operate your garage doors! Say “Siri, [routine name]” to activate the routine with your voice! Alternatively, you can just click on the Shortcuts app to start your Routines.

Final thoughts on Siri’s ability to open garage doors

Siri is a multipurpose voice assistant that, in addition to performing many functions on your single command, can also open garage doors for you.

You just need the Apple HomeKit and a compatible smart garage opener to get the job done. You can even upgrade your current garage opener to a HomeKit-compatible one for this purpose!

We hope this article was useful and got your queries cleared.