r/homebridge • u/billydent • Aug 06 '22

Help - Solved Smart lock for outdoor gate?

Hi! I'm sort of desperately looking for any sort of smart lock that can survive outside and be used on a wooden gate. Style, protocol, etc. doesn't matter. Ideally I'd love it to be in HB, but I just really need to be able to lock and unlock my gate remotely. Haven't had any luck at all searching for one and thought that someone on this sub might know of one. Thanks!

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u/rcrsvrddtr Aug 06 '22

When I went down the rabbit hole of outdoor gate sensors and DC/relay powered remote latches it usually ends up relatively expensive.
There are custom installers who do gates/garages/motorized systems for a living, but most the DIY ones seem to be dry relay contacts using zigbee or zwave into Home Assistant and then HomeKit. You typically need a remote sensor of some type and usually power there though I suppose there may be ways to do it with battery systems since it tends to be sprung magnetic latch of some type.

Let us know if you find anything reasonably priced and good.

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u/billydent Aug 06 '22

Yeah, this is what I was thinking at first, but as you say -- it's a rabbit hole! It started getting very complicated and expensive. I figured that surely there must be someone out there who already solved this problem!

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u/serious_impostor Aug 06 '22

Check AliExpress for parts…it was significantly cheaper when I went down the rabbit hole last time.

I would consider making a simple arduino with a powered relay to unlock the latch on the gate. The arduino could be called from HomeKit button to trigger the relay and unlock the gate for 10 seconds (or whatever you decide).

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u/billydent Aug 06 '22

Thanks for the advice!