Adding a smart garage door opener to your home can add a lot of convenience, and piece of mind to know that the door is closed after you leave, or when you’re heading to bed for the night. There are a few options on the market that are compatible with Apple HomeKit, but for the price, I decided to go with the Meross MSG100HK Smart Wi-Fi Garage Door Opener.
Why do I need a smart garage door? What are the benefits?
This garage door opener ties in with Apple’s HomeKit ecosystem, giving you some benefits (and drawbacks, more on that later). For me, the ability to monitor the state of the garage door is important. We’ve all left the house and started down the road then had the thought, “Did I close the door before I left?”. With a smart garage door, you can either ask Siri, or check the Home app to see if the door is closed.
If you’re the type of person who uses their garage as the primary entry to the home, this will open up some possibilities for you as well (see what I did there?). For example, if you wanted to go for a walk, you really only need to take your phone or watch with you, no keys needed. Exit from the garage, close the door with Siri, and when you return, just ask Siri to open the door for you.
What’s in the Box?
Unpacking the MSG100, you will find the unit itself, which measures 3.7″ x 1.57″ x 0.91″ and weighs 11 ounces, a USB power brick, a door sensor cable, and some mounting hardware.
Compatibility and App Setup
Before you buy, you should check to make sure that your existing garage door lift is compatible with the Meross opener. You can find the compatibility list from Meross below. As a general rule, if your wired door remote in the garage connects with two wires and opens the door when shorted, this unit should work. You can test this by using a wire or pair of pliers to short the screws on your garage door opener and see if the door opens.
To get started, download the Meross App for iOS and create an account (See QR code below). It is possible to install the HomeKit version of this unit without the use of the Meross App, however you won’t receive any firmware updates. There have been reports of false obstructions detected and connectivity issues before the latest firmware update, so it’s important to make sure you update before you install.
I recommend adding the device to the Meross App and HomeKit before installing the unit in the garage, just to test that it actually connects and verify that there are no issues before running cabling.
Connect the device to power and allow it to start up. The LED status light show blink green and amber after about 5 seconds.
Make sure your phone is connected to Wi-Fi. In some cases, you may need to connect to a dedicated 2.4Ghz wireless network, but in my case, I was able to use my main wireless SSID which combines 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz without issue.
In the Meross App, navigate to the Home Screen, then click the + in the top right corner to add a device. Choose Smart Garage Door Opener, then 100 series. The app will recommend running through a compatibility check to make sure your door is compatible with Meross. I referenced the compatibility guide above and tested before purchase, and if you did too, then you can skip the compatibility check.
Verify that the light status is blinking green and amber, then click Next.
Choose the version you purchased, in this case it’s the HomeKit version.
Scan the HomeKit code on the top of the device. You can then finish the setup, give the door and name and place it in the correct room.
Lastly, navigate to Account > Firmware Update in the Meross App, then check for any firmware updates.
Connect the sensor wire to the unit and verify that the door shows “Open” when the magnet is away from the sensor, and “Closed” when they are touching.
Physical Installation
Now that you’ve verified that the unit works and is connected to your network and HomeKit, you can physically install the unit. Installation is straight forward, and the longest part is running the sensor wire cable and making sure that it’s not in the way of the track or door.
Installation will depend on your particular garage door opener, but for me it was pretty simple. I placed the unit on top of the lift and made sure it was secure so it would not rattle off from the door opening and closing.
Next, locate the wires for your on-wall remote. Connect the blue and black wires from the Meross to each of the contacts for the on-wall remote.
Connect the sensor cable, and run the wire to the door itself in the most logical path. For me, this was along the bar that contains the chain as that’s where my on-wall remote and safety sensor wires were already running. Be sure to secure the wire so it does not droop or sag in the way of the chain or the door.
My garage doors are metal, and I did not want to screw into the door to mount the magnet part of the sensor. Because it’s just a magnetic sensor, you can use any magnet to trigger the sensor. I snagged a couple of fridge magnets and stuck them to each garage door, checked the spacing between the wired part of the sensor and the magnet to verify that the door was still recognizing the state, then mounted the sensor on the door frame. Use a staple gun to tack down the wire on your wall and make it look nice and neat.
Connect the unit to near-by power, and you’re all set! Below you will find the installation guide from Meross as well.
How does it work? Any drawbacks?
After installation, everything seemed to just.. work. I tested by opening the door with the wall remote and verifying that the door status was showing as “open” in HomeKit. You can open and close the door with the app, with Siri on either your iPhone or Apple Watch with no trouble.
Connectivity has been pretty stable, even with poor signal. The closest wireless access point to my garage is 4 rooms over, and the units do have a pretty poor connection, but they have always been online and responsive since installation. If you do have connectivity issues, you may need to place a wireless range extender in the garage as a relay, or if you’re using a mesh wireless system, place an access point closer to the garage.
One of the more frustrating parts of HomeKit garage door openers is related to security. While this makes sense, it also seems a bit limiting, but you cannot ask a HomePod to open the door for you. When asking a HomePod to open or close the door, you have to verify your identity on your iPhone before it will complete the request. This is so someone can’t yell through a window to your HomePod to have the door open, granting them access to your home. This isn’t an issue with Meross or their products, but is just a limitation and feature of HomeKit.
Understanding the opening/closing security issue, another annoyance I had was related to Automations. I have a “Good Night” scene that turns of many lights, TV’s, etc when going to bed. I wanted to include the doors in this scene to verify that they are shut when I go to sleep at night, however you get the same “continue on your iPhone” prompt from a HomePod when triggering the scene. It would be nice if you could at least check the state of the door without confirmation, then if the door is open, receive a prompt to continue on your iPhone.
There is a workaround for this if you don’t mind giving up some security. If you have a spare smart plug, or if you’re using HomeBridge, you can create automations that link the two devices together, allowing you to control the plug (or in the case of HomeBridge, Dummy Switch) to allow you to control the door on a HomePod. Simply create a dummy switch or dedicate a plug for this use, create four automations as follows:
When Garage Door Opens > Turn on Smart Plug
When Garage Door Closes > Turn off Smart Plug
When Smart Plug turns on > Open Garage Door
When Smart Plug turns off > Close Garage Door
You can then say “Hey Siri, turn on (Smart Plug Name)” and the door will open. Of course, turning off will then close the door. With this, you can place the plug in an automation that can run without the added security. Again, do this at your own risk. There’s a reason Apple configures doors this way, even if it does seem inconvenient.
Conclusion and Cost
Overall, the Meross MSG100HK is a super affordable and functional HomeKit device. The connection and responsiveness have been stable for about 3 weeks now, and it works without issue. The compatibility is pretty broad, and their support is available to help if you’re unsure about your particular garage door opener. The HomeKit version of this product is about $50, but I have seen coupons on Amazon as well. When I bought mine, I was able to get 2 of them for $45/ea. You can find an affiliate link below to purchase, which adds no cost to you, but helps keep this site running.
Purchase Meross MSG100HK on Amazon US
Feel free to comment below with any questions or thoughts. I am slowly working to build a smart home using Apple HomeKit, so any feedback is welcomed.
Interested in what products I am using in my Home Assistant and HomeKit setup? Check out recommended products here: https://technogecko.net/products/
