Reddit mentions: The best gate openers

Short version- it's probably cheaper to buy a 2nd robot vacuum, unless you go total DIY route.

Medium version- Unless the hallway is an outside hallway (IE one of the hallway walls is on the outside of the house) you probably aren't wasting any money heating it. If the hallway is surrounded by heated rooms, then the hallway itself won't bleed much heat except maybe through the ceiling and that's probably to another apartment.

Long version: Locking and unlocking doors is fairly easy. Unlatching doors is a bit harder- motorized doorknobs aren't really a common thing so you'd need an electric security strike plate. That would probably require cutting out a lot of the door frame to mount it. Then you have the issue of actually opening and closing the door. It has to open and close with enough force that it pushes the latch through the strike plate, but also should have some safety mechanism so it can't cause any harm to a human or pet. That's one reason why automatic door openers (like you see at the supermarket) are quite expensive- you need a powerful motor but you also need a bunch of sensors to stop the motor before it does any damage. Those things are quite expensive and require custom mounting. They're also fugly- this is the smallest most attractive one I could find and it's $530. You could use something more like an automatic gate opener but that's still $289.

If you were to do this, the DIY route is probably the way to go. The strike plate is easy enough, you can get that on Amazon for $23. That just needs 12vdc to unlock it. The opener is the harder part. You'd probably want something like a long stroke linear actuator. Alternatively you could make something using some gears and stuff- there are a few ways to do that.

But when you put all this together, you are still spending a good amount of money. Even if it's just $100 (which I'd put as the absolute bare minimum for this) how long will it take you to realize $100 worth of energy savings vs just leaving the hallway doors open?

How do you if it’s compatible with MyQ or not? I also have MyQ, but for garage door. I recently bought a gate motor and am almost done installing it, but have been searching for a way for it to work with Apple HomeKit. I came across Gatecrafters’ solution a while ago and they explained to me how it would work, yours is the first I’ve seen in a video working. I was hesitant to buy and try without knowing how reliable it would be. Are you satisfied with it and is it reliable? Do you happen to know if it would it be compatible with this gate motor?

CO-Z Automatic Sliding Gate Opener Hardware Sliding Driveway Security Kit (Sliding Gate Opener) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0197V3OD2/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_iRRRBb3Y3HEXQ

Sorry for all the bombarding questions haha. Very cool you got it working.

Use direct burial ethernet, and seal the NAS in an underground enclosure. For power, chop off the end of the DC power supply and extend it with this. Voltage drop may become an issue, so an AC outlet may need to be installed in the box using this cable.

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Sure, online backup sites are pretty cheap compared to doing this. I use OneDrive myself. But if you want both privacy and physical security; This is the way to go.

door openers are not cheap.

if you want to open doors that have knobs, you also need to add an electric strike, or electrify the trim... which i've recently learned is what locksmiths call door knobs.

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here's an opener on amazon, that is about 1/3 the price of a commercial unit.

https://www.amazon.com/Olide-SW100-Electric-Automatic-Operator/dp/B00VJXBCIG/

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and an electric strike to release w/standard interior knob, this is about 1/3 the price of a commercial unit.

https://www.amazon.com/UHPPOTE-Electric-Strike-Fail-Secure-Control/dp/B00V45GWTI/

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you will need to provide power for the opener.

depending on the complexity of the controller for the door opener, it may be able to directly control the strike.

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once you have the opener and the strike, you just need any smart relay to use your phone.

such as, https://www.amazon.com/dp/B078GDFYTY/.

i don't know anything about the different ecosystems, i'm sure apple homekit has a relay as well.

Thanks for the advice. I'm actually thinking of buying these CO-Z Automatic Sliding Gate Opener Hardware Sliding Driveway Security Kit (Sliding Gate Opener) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0197V3OD2/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_f7dXAbG2G81FT
for now, if and when they break, I'll invest in something more heavy duty.

ALEKO® AC1400 Electric Sliding Gate Opener for Sliding Gates Up to 40-Feet Long and 1400-Pounds https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004Z8JBFS/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awd_ZKXGwbXWNZBYK

Do it yourself.

Have you looked into solar?

Mighty Mule EZGO-SOLAR Gate Opener Solar Kit https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00GWFT2AQ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_FOJEAbXVETYT1

Mighty Mule Automatic Gate Opener for Light Duty Single Swing Gates Up to 12 Feet Long or 300 Pounds (MM260) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01IYB3G0W/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_HoyvDbQZCP7CT

Take a look at the iSmartGate: https://www.amazon.com/ISMARTGATE-Gogogate2-Compatible-Controller-Smartphone/dp/B07Q2CTKCY/ref=sr_1_9?keywords=ismartgate&qid=1569363337&sr=8-9