For people who has and uses Homelink. How far away from the garage does your auto close activate? Mine doesn't seem to activate the auto close when i'm backing out on my driveway and not when it's farther away either. Since the homelink unit is in the front of the car, it wouldn't even work if my car was pointed away from my garage door (at a certain distance). However I don't even see it try or show me a message like when I'm arriving home "opening garage in 20 feet, 10 feet, etc, etc"
-
Want to remove ads? Register an account and login to see fewer ads, and become a Supporting Member to remove almost all ads.
Homelink Auto Close
- Thread starter Gasaraki
- Start date
TX_M3P+
Member
Do you have your Home location set in the Navigation? And is your home address accurately shown on Google maps?
Without your home location set then it has no idea when to activate the garage door.
Other have posted that they had issues with homelink because when they put their address into Google maps is was not showing up in the correct location. This can prevent it from working correctly.
On mine I do see a notification when I am pulling out of the garage and when I'm approaching my house, and there is an option to skip the auto open/close operation. I have mine set to 20ft and it activates towards the end of my drive way when pulling out, and about 5ft from the garage door when pulling in.
Without your home location set then it has no idea when to activate the garage door.
Other have posted that they had issues with homelink because when they put their address into Google maps is was not showing up in the correct location. This can prevent it from working correctly.
On mine I do see a notification when I am pulling out of the garage and when I'm approaching my house, and there is an option to skip the auto open/close operation. I have mine set to 20ft and it activates towards the end of my drive way when pulling out, and about 5ft from the garage door when pulling in.
When pulling out and the garage doesn't close, check the satellite view map to see if the gps is placing your car in the correct location. If your car isn't near your garage in satellite view, that might explain why it fails. The gps may not have a strong enough signal to locate your car correctly in the garage. That could happen because of your garage construction, a problem with the gps receiver in your car, or because of atmospheric conditions. If your car is where it is supposed to be on the map, you should try resetting your home coordinates.
What?
Homelink has nothing to do with navigation. It's based on proximity from the antenna and there are known issues with interference from many different sources which make antenna reception sketchy. For whatever reason, that mostly manifests itself during auto-close (my best guess is Tesla or Homelink programmed it to err on the side of caution during the close process to avoid any damage or injury). Until they develop an internet or BT alternative to Homelink (assuming people are willing to upgrade their openers), I doubt that Tesla will integrate GPS position into this particular feature since it just isn't necessary.
Don't forget, Homelink can be set for other locations than your home including gates and industrial garages; up to 3 total because that's a Homelink limitation (which makes no sense in a Tesla without physical buttons but there's still a physical transmitter).
Last edited:
Mattopotamus
Member
I have heard rumors of wifi open/close being a possibility. That seems like the best way IMO.
Because somebody disagreed with me, here's the info that clarifies the Tesla installed HomeLink unit is RF based.
Tesla HomeLink
Tesla HomeLink Accessory purchase page (direct link is also on the above page)
HomeLink
Yes, HomeLink makes a cloud based wireless version but, whether or not that's included in the module installed by Tesla is unclear and, regardless, as of now, there's nothing suggesting such capability has been integrated into the Tesla UI. Programming Tesla's HomeLink function is purely an RF process.
That said, if the disagreement is about how I said GPS plays no part, I admit that I may be wrong about how that's handled by Tesla. It seems that GPS location may be used to trigger a particular HomeLink transmission based on set distance from the geo-tagged point where programming was completed. However, it still has nothing to do with the location you set as your "home" since, again, you can program up to 3 openers in different locations and you're not required to set a "home." If you do, you may choose to set a nearby intersection as your "home," in accordance with safety/security recommendations, and HomeLink will still work only when you approach the set distance from that door you want to open.
For the OP, yes, it isn't uncommon for Tesla's HomeLink auto-close to be iffy. Try all the suggestions (including unscrewing an LED bulb from your garage door opener if you want to test it) but, otherwise, be prepared to manually close until they figure out a way to improve it.
Tesla HomeLink
Tesla HomeLink Accessory purchase page (direct link is also on the above page)
HomeLink
Yes, HomeLink makes a cloud based wireless version but, whether or not that's included in the module installed by Tesla is unclear and, regardless, as of now, there's nothing suggesting such capability has been integrated into the Tesla UI. Programming Tesla's HomeLink function is purely an RF process.
That said, if the disagreement is about how I said GPS plays no part, I admit that I may be wrong about how that's handled by Tesla. It seems that GPS location may be used to trigger a particular HomeLink transmission based on set distance from the geo-tagged point where programming was completed. However, it still has nothing to do with the location you set as your "home" since, again, you can program up to 3 openers in different locations and you're not required to set a "home." If you do, you may choose to set a nearby intersection as your "home," in accordance with safety/security recommendations, and HomeLink will still work only when you approach the set distance from that door you want to open.
For the OP, yes, it isn't uncommon for Tesla's HomeLink auto-close to be iffy. Try all the suggestions (including unscrewing an LED bulb from your garage door opener if you want to test it) but, otherwise, be prepared to manually close until they figure out a way to improve it.
Last edited:
TX_M3P+
Member
Yeah. my bad, I was confusing this with the auto fold mirror option. Too many auto features to keep straight in my brain. Sorry about the confusion. I was just re-reading the owner's manual and, yes, the devices location is programmed through the homelink settings.
Have you tried parking in front of your garage and resetting the location in Homelink settings? Also, how long have you had it installed. After I had mine installed it took a few trips before the auto close worked. After that, as soon as I put my car in reverse I see Homelink pop-up with "Auto Close in 20 ft" or something like that.
Ah, completely understand. Lot of fancy stuff in the OM and it keeps updating along with the car but they don't include a change guide so hard to keep up.
my auto open works 98%
my auto close works 18%
I back into garage, when
leaving I either see it ready
to signal once I select drive,
or know I need to manuallly
select the event???
been that way for going on
2 yrs, factory installed homelink!
on occasion, living between 3 navy
facilities, I need to have tesla homelink
and/or other remotes re learn via manual?
if this was just the car or my opener I’d
think something was amiss however 30
years in same place tells me it’s outside
influence.
my auto close works 18%
I back into garage, when
leaving I either see it ready
to signal once I select drive,
or know I need to manuallly
select the event???
been that way for going on
2 yrs, factory installed homelink!
on occasion, living between 3 navy
facilities, I need to have tesla homelink
and/or other remotes re learn via manual?
if this was just the car or my opener I’d
think something was amiss however 30
years in same place tells me it’s outside
influence.
Yes. It opens for me so the GPS works. I was just wondering about auto closing when leaving. I'm just going to manually close it like a caveman for now.
TX_M3P+
Member
Auto close when leaving is a lot worse that when arriving. I'd say it's about 70% when leaving and about 99% when arriving.
Have you tried taking out the opener light bulbs to see if there's a difference? The LED lightbulbs I had in my opener interfere and cut down the range on the remotes significantly. Usually when the door is open the lights are on so it has a harder time closing vs opening.
For those that are having a failure, does it ATTEMPT to close? e.g., you see the countdown, hear the "bing", and the animation of the transmission of the signal, but your opener doesn't respond? Or is this where it doesn't appear to attempt to close at all? If its the latter, I have the same problem occasionally when I leave my garage as well. HOWEVER, I've noticed that when it fails to try to close the door, I've been messing with the screen first, or sat in the car for awhile (e.g., waiting for the family to get in the car).
Just about every time I get in the car, put it in drive and drive away without touching the screen or adjusting the radio, it seems to work. But if I'm sitting in the car inputting a destination, or playing with the radio or something, then I'm far more likely to have it not work as I leave.
If the car is sending the command and your door isn't responding, then you have a signal issue which you should try to fix via re-pairing the homelink, taking out the lightbulbs (as an experiment if you use LED or CFLs), etc...
FWIW, my house was built in 2017 and I found all my factory garage remotes had pretty crappy range. I added an extra 3 foot of wire to the end of the antenna wires on my openers and stapled them to the ceiling, now I have no problem opening from 3-4 houses away.
Just about every time I get in the car, put it in drive and drive away without touching the screen or adjusting the radio, it seems to work. But if I'm sitting in the car inputting a destination, or playing with the radio or something, then I'm far more likely to have it not work as I leave.
If the car is sending the command and your door isn't responding, then you have a signal issue which you should try to fix via re-pairing the homelink, taking out the lightbulbs (as an experiment if you use LED or CFLs), etc...
FWIW, my house was built in 2017 and I found all my factory garage remotes had pretty crappy range. I added an extra 3 foot of wire to the end of the antenna wires on my openers and stapled them to the ceiling, now I have no problem opening from 3-4 houses away.
I believe when you pair a homelink, it saves the GPS location. The pairing procedure wants you very close to the garage. Failures to close on departure are probably due to a delay in GPS lock after leaving a garage. My homelink is working 90% on departure and 99% on arrival with a 24 year old opener.
Yes, I’ve noticed the correlation between touching the screen and auto-close not even appearing. Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem consistent so can’t say it’s causation.
Good point that interference (e.g., LED bulbs) would seem to require the system at least attempting to auto-close. Only way interference might still be a factor is if HomeLink sends some kind of wake up signal and, if it doesn’t get a response, won’t even try sending the close command.
Good point that interference (e.g., LED bulbs) would seem to require the system at least attempting to auto-close. Only way interference might still be a factor is if HomeLink sends some kind of wake up signal and, if it doesn’t get a response, won’t even try sending the close command.
Quick question. Does anyone else find the home link drop-down options annoying when you are in reverse since they cover up a decent amount of your rearview camera screen? I don’t remember having the same issue in my model S or my model X. But the model three I guess has a smaller screen and is oriented differently, and that drop down telling me that it’s going to be closing my door in so many seconds blocks a decent chunk of my back up camera on my screen All the while I’m continuing to try to back down my driveway to the road with part of my screen obscured by homelink.
TX_M3P+
Member
When mine fails, it doesn't try at all. I have to press the HomeLink button on the screen then select my HomeLink device and close it manually, which always works. I know for sure, today when I backed out of my garage I wasn't messing with the screen at all. Prior to backing out I did put the screen in clean mode to wipe off the finger prints before putting the car in reverse. I'll be paying more attention to my usage of the screen prior to pulling out of the garage and see if this is a factor or not for me.
