My garage automations, which grow with your experience and owned devices.
The first stage is lighting automation - to start, all you need is a simple door opening sensor and a light control option (smart lamp/bulb or relay in a switch):
turn on the light after opening the garage door if it’s after sunset (or fixed hour),
turn off the light after X minutes after closing the garage door.
The second stage requires adding a module to control the garage door:
close the door after X minutes if it’s nighttime (based on sunset/sunrise or fixed hours).
This automation will of course benefit from the previous lighting automation.
Adding a motion sensor will allow to expand both of these automations with the exception of not turning off the lights/closing the door if someone is inside.
The next stage, which I’m currently working on, is automatic garage door opening when I approach the garage/start the car – I plan to test several solutions (camera from a videodoorbell, vibration sensor).
@pz.pl Nice progression—this is exactly how most “real” garage setups evolve: start with simple safety/convenience, then add control, then add presence/intent so it feels natural.
A couple small ideas that can make each stage more robust:
Lighting stage: consider adding a “manual override” (e.g., if you toggle the switch off/on, pause automations for X minutes) so you don’t fight the system when you’re working in the garage. Also, using an illuminance condition (if you have a sensor) can be more accurate than sunset for garages with windows or in bright summer evenings.
Auto-close stage: it’s worth adding a safety check like “door is still open for the whole X minutes” (not just “open happened X minutes ago”), plus a notification before closing (“Garage will close in 60s”) if you use push alerts/sirens—helps avoid surprises.
Motion sensor expansion: totally agree—motion (or even better, presence via mmWave if available in your setup) is the key to preventing unwanted shutoff/close. A common pattern is: only close/turn off if no motion for Y minutes AND door is closed/open state matches your intent.
For your auto-open when approaching stage, your planned tests make sense. I’d just be cautious about false positives with vibration/camera triggers—if you can, keep it as a two-step logic (approach signal + a confirming condition like “it’s my phone arriving” or “car ignition detected”) before opening the door.
If you share what Aqara hub/devices you’re using (and whether this is in Aqara Home only or bridged to Home Assistant/HomeKit), people can suggest the cleanest trigger options for that final stage.