I’ve been using the OpenGarage integration in Home Assistant for a while now, and it’s been a fantastic addition to my smart home setup. However, I recently encountered a minor issue that made me dive deeper into how the integration works. I thought I’d share my findings and some tips in case others are experiencing similar things!
The Situation: I noticed that my garage door automation sometimes didn’t behave as expected. Specifically, when I opened the garage door manually with the remote, HA’s automation would sometimes close it back after a short while. This happened because the state update interval wasn’t frequent enough to catch the door’s open status immediately after I opened it. It was a bit frustrating, but it led me to explore some solutions!
What I Found:
- Polling Interval Adjustment: I discovered that OpenGarage allows you to set a polling interval. I changed it from the default 30 seconds to 10 seconds, which has made a significant difference. The state updates are now much more timely!
- MQTT Integration: I also looked into using MQTT for more real-time updates. While I haven’t fully switched yet, it seems like a promising option for those who need instantaneous state changes.
- Automation Workaround: I added a check in my automation to ensure the door is closed before attempting to open it again. This prevents the toggle issue I was experiencing.
Why I Love OpenGarage: Despite the minor hiccup, OpenGarage has been a reliable and flexible solution. Its integration with HA is seamless, and the ability to customize polling intervals and use MQTT makes it a great choice for both basic and advanced users.
If anyone else has tips or tricks for optimizing OpenGarage integration, I’d love to hear them! Let’s keep the discussion going and help each other make the most of this awesome integration! 
