We’re excited to announce the first release of our ESPHome-based OpenGarage firmware! It brings native, local Home Assistant integration to OpenGarage—making it easier to control your garage door and monitor your vehicle alongside your other smart-home devices.
This is an alternative to the stock OpenGarage firmware, not a replacement for it. The stock firmware remains the default option for users who prefer its standalone interface and existing integrations.
What’s Included?
This is a single, unified firmware that supports all OpenGarage v2.0-v2.2 and v2.3+ boards. Its features include:
- Native Home Assistant (HA) integration—no cloud service or MQTT broker required.
- Garage door controls, door status, and distance-based vehicle detection with adjustable thresholds.
- Security+ 1.0 and 2.0 support on v2.3+, including opener light and remote-lock controls.
- A built-in web interface for controls, configuration, and firmware updates.
- Buzzer warnings, audible IP reporting, and physical-button Wi-Fi and factory reset.
Optional dashboard templates provide neatly ordered Controls and Sensors cards. You can also use the device’s built-in web interface.
How Does It Compare with the Existing HA Integration?
Home Assistant already has an OpenGarage integration for the stock firmware, so using OpenGarage with HA isn’t new. This ESPHome-based alternative brings a more complete set of OpenGarage features directly into HA—including Security+ 1.0 and 2.0 support on v2.3+ hardware, opener light and remote-lock controls, obstruction status, vehicle sensing, and editable configuration settings.
Developed with AI, Tested on Real Hardware
This project also marks a new development approach for us: the firmware code was primarily written by OpenAI’s Codex, with me directing the development, critiquing the UI, and performing hands-on bench tests, and debugging against real garage door openers. Claude Code provided independent code reviews along the way.
Testing included both Security+ 1.0 and 2.0 openers, smart wall-panel interactions, and everyday operation on my own garage door. Those real-world tests were essential—several issues only became apparent when the code met actual hardware. We’re now excited to invite the OpenGarage users to help test it across a wider range of installations.
Get Started and Share Your Feedback
You don’t need to compile the firmware yourself. Simply download the prebuilt binary file, upload it through your stock OpenGarage Firmware Update page, and follow the Installation and HA Pairing instructions. Then add the discovered ESPHome device in HA using its generated encryption key. The hardware wiring and mounting instructions remain the same as for stock OpenGarage. You can also return to the stock firmware through a firmware update in ESPHome.
Please note that this first release is experimental, and we welcome early users who want to help test it across more garage door openers. Please read the known issues and safety limits before installing, supervise your initial tests, and keep your opener’s original controls and safety devices operational.
If you encounter a problem, please report it through GitHub Issues, including your OpenGarage hardware version, opener model, firmware version, and what happened. We’re excited to offer this new option and look forward to your feedback!
For additional information, refer to the OpenGarage-ESPHome Github repository.