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Open the garage door or gate from your phone

Open the garage door or gate from your phone

How it works

Almost every gate and garage motor has a pushbutton input on its control board, the terminals a wired wall button connects to. Bridge them for a moment and the motor runs its own open, stop or close cycle. That is all a remote or keypad does.

A Shelly 1 Gen4 sits inside the motor housing and does the same thing on command. Its output is a dry contact, so the motor's board just sees a button press. Set the relay to a one-second pulse, pair it with your phone over Matter, and the gate opens from the couch, the car, or the other side of the country.

  1. Shelly app timer screen for a device named Gate, with auto off set to one second. 01

    Your phone

    Tap the gate in your home app, ask your voice assistant, or open it as you pull in.

  2. 1 Gen4 Smart Relay 02

    Shelly relay

    Presses the motor's button input for one second, the same as the wall button.

  3. 03

    Your gate or garage door

    The motor runs its own open, stop or close cycle, as it does for the remote.

Check your motor first

The relay connects to the pushbutton input on the motor's control board, the terminals a wired wall button uses. The manual names them; look for one of these.

  • PB
  • SBS
  • Start
  • Open

In Australia

Most gate and garage motors run from 240 V mains, and connecting anything to fixed wiring is licensed electrical work. Budget for a licensed electrician to fit the relay.

What it looks like on your phone

  • Timer. Auto off turns every tap into a one-second press.

  • One button. Tap it and the gate opens.

  • Schedules. Open the gate at set times, like 7:30 on weekdays.

  • Activity log. Every open is time-stamped.

Step by step

How you'll set it up

Add the device to Wi-Fi from your phone, or straight from a browser.

Download Shelly Smart Control on the App Store Get Shelly Smart Control on Google Play

  1. Find the pushbutton input on your motor

    Open the motor's manual and look for terminals marked PB, SBS, Start or Open on the control board. It is the same input a wired wall button uses, and nearly every gate and garage motor sold in Australia has one.

  2. Fit the Shelly to the motor

    The relay's output connects across the pushbutton terminals, and the relay itself takes power from the mains circuit that feeds the motor rather than from the control board. It usually fits inside the motor housing. If the housing is cramped, the smaller 1 Mini Gen4 does the same job, or the relay can sit in a weatherproof enclosure beside the motor.

    Wire map 1 Gen4
    • Active (supply) L
    • Neutral N
    • Opener trigger O
    • Opener trigger, other side I
    • Push button (optional) SW
    Circuit overview
    LN230 V~ 50 HzGarage openerTrigger input1Push buttonOISWLNShelly 1 Gen4
    1Push button
    Active (supply)Neutral / 0 VSwitch signal / dry contact

    In Australia, fixed 230 V wiring is licensed-electrician work. Use these diagrams to plan the job and brief your electrician.

    Showing the whole circuit

    Shelly 1 Gen4

    100%
    LN230 V~ 50 HzGarage openerTrigger input1Push buttonOISWLNShelly 1 Gen4
    1Push button

    Select a terminal to follow its wiring.

  3. Set the output to a one-second pulse

    In the Shelly app, open Timer, tick Auto off, set it to 00:00:01 and tap Save. In the web interface, open the output's Timers, tick Enable under Auto OFF, enter 1 and click Save. Every on now behaves like a quick button press instead of a held switch.

  4. Check it pulses

    Tap Turn on in the Shelly app. The Activity log shows each press as an on, then an off a second later, the same as a quick press of a wired button.

  5. Add it to your home app over Matter

    Matter is on by default on the Gen4, so scan the QR code on the device label with Apple Home, Google Home or SmartThings and name it Gate.

  6. Open it from anywhere

    Tap the tile, ask your voice assistant, or let the gate open as you arrive home.

Optional: know whether it's shut

The relay only presses the button, so on its own it can't tell you where the gate is. A Shelly BLU Door/Window sensor on the gate can, and the Shelly app will tell you if the gate has been left open.

  1. Put the sensor in pairing mode

    Press the button on the sensor four times quickly. Its light flashes once every two seconds while it waits to pair. Five presses starts Zigbee pairing instead, which isn't what you want here.

  2. Add it in the Shelly app

    Add the sensor in the Shelly app, in the same room as the gate, and choose the Shelly 1 Gen4 as its Bluetooth gateway. The relay passes the sensor's signal on, so you don't need a separate hub.

  3. Fit it to the gate

    Fix the sensor to the post or frame that doesn't move, and the magnet to the gate or door, so the two sit side by side when it's shut.

  4. Get told if it's left open

    In the Shelly app, add a scene: when the sensor is open, trigger once, with the condition valid for 10 minutes. For the action, choose a phone notification.

  • Closed. The sensor reports the gate is shut, relayed by the Shelly 1 Gen4.

  • Open. The app shows it the moment the gate opens.

  • The 10-minute rule. A scene sends a notification if the gate stays open for 10 minutes.

Frequently asked questions

Should I use the Shelly app or Home Assistant?

If you don't run Home Assistant, use the Shelly app: it needs no hub, and Matter adds the gate to Apple Home, Google Home or SmartThings. If Home Assistant already runs your home, put the gate there, so it sits on your dashboards and in your automations.

Do I need an electrician?

Yes. Most gate motors run from 240 V mains, and connecting anything to fixed wiring is licensed electrical work in Australia.

Will my remotes and wall button still work?

Yes. The relay connects to the same terminals as the wall button, alongside it, so the remotes, keypad and button all keep working as before.

Can I see whether the door is open or shut?

The relay only sends the button press, so on its own it can't tell you where the door is. Add a Shelly BLU Door/Window sensor to the door and frame, and your phone shows open or closed.

My gate is a long way from the house. Will Wi-Fi reach?

Stand at the motor and see whether your phone holds a 2.4 GHz connection, because that is the band the Shelly uses. If it is marginal, a mesh node in the garage or an outdoor access point fixes it.

Can it close the gate automatically?

Auto-close is the motor's own feature; most control boards have a timer that closes the gate a fixed time after it opens. The Shelly only sends the trigger.

Does it work while Home Assistant is down?

The remotes and the wall button do: they're wired to the motor, not to Home Assistant. Opening it from Home Assistant waits until it's back.

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