I've been using Homelink since I got my Roadster in 2011. Previous cars didn't have it. On the Model 3, I had some hiccups getting it set up, but it works perfectly, though the small buttons on the screen are a bit awkward. I don't use geofencing because I'd rather decide when to open and close. Compared to the remote that came with the house, Homelink is no better except that I don't have to keep the remote in the car.
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Does basically every owner here use HomeLink?
- Thread starter lupend88
- Start date
dgpcolorado
high altitude member
For me, having the door automatically open or close IS what is better than just using a remote. Having to hit a screen button isn't much different from using a remote, as you say. I find Homelink on auto quite reliable and convenient.
HankLloydRight
No Roads
I agree.. I use auto-open and auto-close at our new house and it works 100% of the time to auto-open, and 90% of the time for auto-close. Luckily, I back out of the garage, so I can see when/if the auto-close doesn't trigger. I'm not sure what makes it decide not to auto-close.
If the houses have the same opener manufacturer and technology, you could sync one homelink button to multiple openers. For example, I set up homelink at my house. At my parents house, instead of adding another homelink, I simply pushed the learn button on my parents door opener to learn the existing homelink I have set up. I can't use auto open at both houses, but I don't have to program additional home link buttons. I think the purpose of multiple home link buttons is for multiple garage doors and gates at one location, otherwise one homelink can be started among multiple locations by training the opener to that homelink.
My auto open allows me to change the distance from which it activated. I think it places a GPS location from the spot you programmed the homelink, and then you can specify distance from that spot to activate auto open. You might just need to tweak it so it doesn't auto open as you drive by
HankLloydRight
No Roads
Wow, great idea.. hadn't thought of that.
In terms of adjusting auto-open at that location, it doesn't really matter anymore.
This is exactly the same behavior mine does. Auto-open is 100%, but auto-close doesn't work a small percentage of the time and I can't figure out why.
Maybe it's occasionally sending the Close signal after it's out of range??? This could maybe happen if there's a lag either in the response of the GPS, or the response of the Homelink to the signal from the GPS??? If you're moving toward the garage, the lag would mean a stronger signal to the door opener, but if you're moving away, a lag would result in a weaker signal.
I have no problem stopping the car in my driveway to close the door before pulling out; and when I'm pulling in, I'm going slow enough it's not a problem to reach over to the screen.
The remote for my garage is a nice rattle box. I had it on my visor in a previous car because I hadn’t programmed the home link and spent weeks trying to nail down a dash rattle that turned out to be my remote.
So I love not having it in my car.
Akikiki
A'-Lo-HA ! y'all
Just for the fun of it, I bought a Garmin Speak with Alexa support. It BT's to my iphone and uses the iphone's data plan to send requests. It's fun to use. But it doesn't automatically reconnect the iphone to itself when I go to the car. So, I wired in a remote switch to turn it on and off. Helps. Now, I can turn it on when I wish.
AND, I added a Nexx_Garage device to my GDO. It also has Alexa control. It's secured via a PIN you pass it when you give it the command to open. You can give each garage door different names so, if I have 12, then 12 names.
So, when I want to show off, I make sure the Garmin Speak is turned on and connected to the phone. I test with something like the weather or time or who won today's Cup race. Then when I get close to home, I an give the Garmin Speak/Alexa the Nexx_Garage command to open the garage door. Ta-Daaaaaaaaaaaaa ! Just for fun. (I'm so lazy, that I also bought a Kevo BT enabled deadbolt with Internet gateway and Alexa support.) So, from the garage, I can lock the front door from the garage, open the GDO, before I get in the car, and when I come home, close the GDO as/after I get out of the car, and unlock the front door before I leave the garage. Each device has a PIN to prevent "friends" from getting in ahead of me. All just for fun.
Akikiki
A'-Lo-HA ! y'all
SDKoala, Opens but doesn't shut? Sounds like you have an LED bulb in your GDO light. Try a CFL or an incandesand..., incandes..., old type, and see if that helps. (The light is off when you approach, but its on because the door is open when you go to depart.)
Also, be absolutely you don't touch anything on the touchscreen when you get in the car to depart, - touching the screen could cancel/skip the auto close feature before it has a chance to begin. After you pull away, turn on A/C or whatever.
One more idea: Check out Frank's guide at: HomeLink Analysis and Troubleshooting
HankLloydRight
No Roads
The problem with auto-close not working 10% of the time is not related to signal strength or interference... it's that the car doesn't send the signal at all.. it's like it forgot where it is and has no reason to send the open/close signal.
@Akikiki, it's an interesting thought, but @HankLloydRight has it correct. The car isn't sending a signal. It doesn't pop-up the Auto-Close info on the screen under the Homelink button like it does when it approaches to open.
I think it may have to do with pulling out of the garage before the car establishes a GPS connection. I've noticed there are times where there's a bit of a lag in connecting to LTE after the car left alone overnight, so it could be that it just doesn't know where it is, so it doesn't send the signal. I've have to test it out a bit more.
Is it because it hasn’t picked up GPS signals yet pulling out of the garage? So it doesn’t know where it’s at?
HankLloydRight
No Roads
The car definitely knows where it is, since I can see the exact position in the app. And even without GPS it should use its last known position.
The more I think about it, perhaps it's another symptom of the "Reverse GPS" bug where the dead reckoning doesn't work in reverse and the car's perceived location is wrong.
The more I think about it, perhaps it's another symptom of the "Reverse GPS" bug where the dead reckoning doesn't work in reverse and the car's perceived location is wrong.
dgpcolorado
high altitude member
You are correct and that is an advantage of Homelink, even when used manually. I do prefer and appreciate the convenience of auto.
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