Plus one for the tailwind. I had the MYQ but the API changed and the hey Siri broke. It’s very hard for the average person to setup in Siri Shortcuts. The tailwind on the other hand is as brainless as it can be to use hey siri. It’s way more responsive and reliable than myQ and it’s nice that if you are out working in the yard you can open and close the door any time instead of having a home link in your car.
-
Want to remove ads? Register an account and login to see fewer ads, and become a Supporting Member to remove almost all ads.
Garage Door Opener?
- Thread starter Gellie
- Start date
EVer Hopeful
Active Member
Seems like a lot of work to go to, plus who carries around registration docs anyway?
and they'd have to go there immediately, otherwise you could just unplug the opener, or maybe cycle the door ten times to outdate the codes in the opener (if it used rolling codes) ... and if it uses dipswitches, you could just reset them
Funny(ish) story, but I brought home a dipswitch clicker once from a condo complex, pressed the button and the neighbor's gate opened. Turned out the condo used the default of 01010101 and when the neighbor had his gate installed, the installer was too lazy to change the code and also left it as the default. That was fun!
In most states you are required to keep your registration docs in the car. Yeah, your glovebox is locked on the Tesla but I am not sure most car thieves know that. And having seen one of my glove boxes crowbarred open I now leave them unlocked.
On the topic of duplicate codes, once in a parking garage in a major city I pushed the unlock button on my car and another car unlocked a few rows over, different brand.
EVer Hopeful
Active Member
Dasbooty
Member
+1 for the homelink you can buy from Tesla. Works really great and I love that it will automatically open gates when I get close to them. A real luxury.
kjyam99
Member
I just installed the Tailwind kit today and it works great. I am a previous Model 3 owner that paid $300 for the Homelink installation/module and I wanted to find a lower-cost garage opener solution for my Model Y (Tesla's Homelinke module has since increased to $325!!). Two wires from the Tailwind control module go into your garage opener and then you setup the two sensors on your garage door. It only took half an hour to install and it works on my 25-year old garage opener (note: my garage opener was not listed in the list of supported openers, but I emailed Tailwind Support and they confirmed it was compatible).
You can open the garage door from the app or have it auto-open/auto-close based on set distances (it uses GPS to determine distance). It sends a notification to your phone showing who opened the garage door (if the app or auto open/close feature is used); a generic notification is still sent if the garage door is opened manually outside of the app.
I bought the iPhone kit that comes with a bluetooth puck that you leave in the car (Android phones doing need the puck); the puck is only used to confirm your identity, so if it's stolen/lost there is no risk of someone opening your garage...both your phone and puck are needed to open the garage door. I saved $255 vs. the Tesla Homelink module...highly recommend!!
Some pics of my installation are below..
Tailwind control module on the left (requires connecting to 2.4GHz Wi-Fi and needs to be plugged in for power):
Two sensors (one connecting to the Tailwind control module, the other attached to your garage door):
Tailwind Smart app (touch the garage door to open or close it)...in the screenshot below the door in the process of opening):
Tailwind app notification showing the user who opened the garage door if the app (or auto-open feature) is used:
Tailwind generic notification if garage door is opened without using the app (or auto-open feature):
How does the Tailwind work for the following?
Use Case #1 - Leaving home
Today I get in my Model Y, and press the garage door opener remote control mounted on my sun visor. I put on my seat belt and enter my PIN (I use PIN to drive) while the garage door opens. I back out of the garage and when the front of my Model Y clears the garage I press the garage door remote control and the garage door closes as I back down my driveway.
(I get that Tailwind will automatically close the garage door as I drive away but how would I open the garage door as I leave home?)
Use Case #2 - Arriving home
When I am about 3 houses away from my home I press the garage door remote control and the door opens. I drive onto my driveway as the door finishes opening. Once inside my garage I pull in until I am at the desired distance from the front and back of my garage. I press the garage door remote control and the door closes, else I retrieve things such as the mail, etc. and close the garage door using the wall mounted control as I enter my home from the garage.
(I understand that the Tailwind will automatically open the garage door as I drive up to my house but how do I close my garage door once I am home?)
Use Case #1 - Leaving home - you can just do what you do already. But if you forget, the Tailwind auto-close feature will detect your departure and close the door.
Use Case #2 - Arriving home - as you arrive home Tailwind will detect that your phone and your authorized vehicle are approaching the house together, and will open whatever door has been configured to open at whatever distance you set it for. Once inside your garage you can close your garage door by whatever means you wish. Tailwind won't automatically close the door immediately after entering the garage because it doesn't know if you might want to get groceries or other items out of the back of the car. You could use a voice command, the app, the widget, watch, remote, wall control to close the door at that point.
Use Case #2 - Arriving home - as you arrive home Tailwind will detect that your phone and your authorized vehicle are approaching the house together, and will open whatever door has been configured to open at whatever distance you set it for. Once inside your garage you can close your garage door by whatever means you wish. Tailwind won't automatically close the door immediately after entering the garage because it doesn't know if you might want to get groceries or other items out of the back of the car. You could use a voice command, the app, the widget, watch, remote, wall control to close the door at that point.
First opening before leaving and closing after arriving are manual - you can use phone app, remote control or the controller on the wall in your garage. That shouldnt be an issue
So all that Tailwind is doing is a) closing the garage door after I leave, b) opening the garage door as I arrive home. (I still need to use either the app or the garage door opener remote to 1) open the garage door so I can exit the garage to leave, 2) close the garage door after I arrive home (How long does Tailwind wait, how far away my does my vehicle need to be before Tailwind automatically closes the garage door after I leave.)
When I use the Liftmaster myQ app to close the garage door it makes a huge production of this action; flashes the garage door lights On and Off several times before initiating closing the door. (Does the Tailwind do this too if you use the Tailwind app to close the garage door?)
EVer Hopeful
Active Member
Funnily enough, (and I have a rolling gate, not a garage door) when I leave I always wait to verify that the gate has actually closed.
I told my brother this once and he replied "How many times has it actually not closed?" - lol
...then again, there have been a few times, but either because the track gets too much mud on it, or it's a windy day so the gate sways when closing and ends up hitting the retainer. In each case the child-squash-detector kicks in and reverses the operation, hence me staying to verify
That’s the main feature: auto-open and auto-close - which you can’t do with just the basic remote.
You can also open/close garage via internet, at home or away from home.
Sound and flashing lights before closing are there because of compliance - for safety.
It seems, at least to me, that Homelink is the better option if you have a gate that you want to control. Tailwind seems worthwhile, especially if you have multiple vehicles, drivers and two or three separate garage doors. In my case I have a double-wide garage door and one vehicle. I'm content to use the garage door opener remote control and the Liftmaster myQ app on my phone (I can check the status of the garage door from the app; there is also a package delivery feature available for myQ that I don't use.) There have been times when I leave the garage door opener remote control at home (so it can't be stolen) and use the myQ app on my phone to open and close the garage. (I also have a keypad located by the garage that I can use.)
Last edited:
What has to be done to get the Siri voice command functions to work with Tailwind?
SDM44
.
I had Homelink on my Model 3 last year, and I loved the features and how it worked, and I could easily and multiple garages into the car (like my mother-in-law's security gate to her complex, and my brother's garage when we needed to pick up the kids). Before that, having multiple garage door openers wasn't cutting it.
I just had Tesla mobile service install it for me earlier this past week (3 days after taking delivery of my Model Y), and works exactly the same and it's great to use again. It's convenient to have it auto open & close the smaller garage door that I park in.
I personally wouldn't want to use an app because there's just too much delay and effort involved to open your garage, especially when you're driving up to the house and turning into the driveway and making sure the neighborhood kids aren't running around nearby.
I just had Tesla mobile service install it for me earlier this past week (3 days after taking delivery of my Model Y), and works exactly the same and it's great to use again. It's convenient to have it auto open & close the smaller garage door that I park in.
I personally wouldn't want to use an app because there's just too much delay and effort involved to open your garage, especially when you're driving up to the house and turning into the driveway and making sure the neighborhood kids aren't running around nearby.
Similar threads
