Think of a situation where your garage door opens automatically as you approach it in your Tesla.
Fascinating!
Can a Model 3 do that? If yes, then how to set it up?
After watching a lot of YouTube videos and going through several forum discussions, I have come up with everything you need to know about Tesla’s garage door opener and Homelink.
So without further ado, let’s hop into it.
HomeLink: Your Tesla Will Open Your Garage Door
HomeLink is about controlling your home from your vehicle.
It is a wireless control system that enables a compatible vehicle to open or close your garage door automatically from the vehicle’s interior.
Just press that HomeLink button in your car’s interior and “Welcome home!”
You can operate up to three RF devices, including doors, lights, and security systems, using HomeLink.
Now we all expect a revolutionary automotive brand like Tesla to include this feature in its cars—and some Teslas do have this feature.
Like if you own a Model X or a Model S, then you already have that privilege.
But in case of other Teslas, they have the necessary hardware support for this feature, but not all of them are equipped with HomeLink modules in their stock versions.
Specifically, the Model 3 or Model Y were able to open garage doors automatically until spring 2019.
Later, this feature was discarded from the stock version and was made optional. Now owners can buy it only after the delivery of their electric car. It was done mainly to cut costs and make the vehicle more budget-friendly.
Tesla offers an automatic garage opener retrofit for $325 that can be purchased at the Tesla shop and later get installed from any Tesla service center.
Another cool feature that comes specifically with Tesla is Summon, which is part of the FSD (Full Self-Driving Capability) feature of Autopilot.
If you have that feature, you can integrate Summon with HomeLink, and your garage door will open and close during the Summon session.
Automatic Garage Door Opener: Does Your Model 3 Have It?
To check if your Model 3 has the automatic garage opening feature, go to your car’s touch screen.
Tap Controls > Software > Additional Vehicle Information.
Next to the Garage Door Opener, if the display shows “Not Installed,” then you don’t have the HomeLink module installed in your car.
If it shows “Homelink5,” then your car has the module installed. The HomeLink number may vary depending on the installed version, but it will mean that your car can automatically open garage doors.
How to Purchase This Feature—and Is It Worth It?
If you own a Model 3, chances are you don’t have this feature unless you own a 2019 or pre-2019 model.
To equip your Tesla with a garage door opener, you’ll have to first purchase it from the Tesla shop. It’s noteworthy that this feature can only be bought and installed after the delivery of the vehicle.
Also, it’s not recommended to get it installed from a random body shop. Instead, Tesla encourages you to visit the Tesla service center or call the Tesla mobile workshop. They’ll get the work done for you.
Now the question is, should you spend extra bucks on it—or not? Here is what the community says:
When I bought the Homelink Module for my MRLR back in May, it was only $300. It has since gone up by $50 bucks. I would still buy it again if needed on another Tesla. The unit works great and can do automatic opening and closing based on GPS location and distance. You Park outside your garage door and teach the unit that that is “Home”. You can then set an auto-opening or closing distance(in feet) it warns you just before it does any automatic action and gives you a chance to “skip” that action say for instance if your door was already open.
I’ve been using this since my car was delivered. (they installed it at delivery for me in about 10 minutes)and it has worked flawlessly. it has a much better range than any garage door remote that I have ever owned. I think this is because the module is located just behind the nose of the car.
anyway, it’s well worth the $$
LCS67
I, too, balked at spending the extra money on a silly garage door opener. Then I said screw it, ordered it, and never looked back. It is simply just another totally awesome, seamless, excellent Tesla product that I won’t ever go back to using my clicker. Why do they not include this with the car? Because they don’t have to, they know they’ll make a ridiculous profit margin from a control box that prob costs $.13 cents to make. Buy it or don’t buy it, Tesla could give a rats a$$.
Jacopa
It’s really nice to have the automatic feature that closes the door as you leave and opens it when you come home. Aside from that, a minor benefit is a security. If your car is in the driveway, people can steal the garage door opener and/or use it to gain entry into the garage. Homelink is inactive unless the car is turned on.
sleepydoc
Okay, so the above-stated quotes are in favor of this feature. Actually, these quotes perfectly depict the thoughts of all the Tesla owners that I found in favor of this product.
Let’s move on to the negative ones:
There are people who want everything integrated into the car. I personally don’t want to spend $325 on it. I’m using an old-school garage door opener. That’s a button I press twice a day most of the time.
I also don’t want my garage door to open automatically. I only want it to open when I press a button. Our Model 3 has the home link but we turned off the auto-open feature. All personal preference.
eCharcoal
I just double-sided taped mine to the lower back of the screen. I don’t see a reason to pay 300 for the door to open without my input.
I also don’t always park in the garage, so I don’t want it to open the door when I’m not using it.
Mourron
To summarize, it all comes down to your personal preferences. If you don’t mind spending extra bucks on a feature that might make your life easier, I’d say it’s totally worth it.
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Programming HomeLink: Integrate Your Model 3 With Garage Door Opener
You can program the HomeLink link module by yourself once the module is installed in your Model 3.
How to Program HomeLink
- Park the Model 3 so that the front bumper is in front of the garage door, gate, or light you want to program.
- Get the device’s remote and ensure a healthy battery. Tesla recommends changing the battery before programming HomeLink.
- Tap the HomeLink icon on top of the touch screen.
- Tap “Create HomeLink” and then select which mode you want to use: Standard, D-mode, or UR-mode.
- Use the touch screen to enter the name of your device and then tap “Enter” or “Create HomeLink.”
- Tap “Start” to follow the on-screen instructions.
- Once your device is programmed, tap “Save” to complete the HomeLink program routine.
- Ensure HomeLink works as expected. Sometimes the program process may require multiple attempts before succeeding.
HomeLink saves the location of your devices. Once you’re near that device, the HomeLink icon drops down automatically on your touch screen.
You can operate your corresponding device by pressing the HomeLink icon on your touch screen’s status bar.
Check out this YouTube video for a better demo of programming HomeLink from Tesla Tips by MTN ranger YouTube channel:
Things to Note
- Your device might open and close during programming. Make sure that the device is clear of any people or objects while programming.
- If you see a screen called “Train the receiver” while programming the device, remember that this is a time-sensitive setup.
After pressing the Learn/Program/Smart button on the device’s remote, you only have approximately 30 seconds to return to your vehicle, press “Continue,” and then press the trained HomeLink device name twice.
Consider having an assistant help with that step for more convenience.
Supported Modes
HomeLink communicates with your RF device in different modes. Let’s discuss them in detail:
Standard Mode
Standard Mode is the most commonly used transmit mode for HomeLink functions.
The major requirement for Standard Mode is that your device should be equipped with a remote control.
If you’re unsure of which mode to use, opt for this one as it is the simplest of all.
D-Mode or UR-Mode
D-Mode or UR-Mode are the same and are used for devices that don’t have a remote control option.
D-Mode is usually used in North America, and UR-Mode is the standard mode for Europe, the Middle East, and Asia.
It requires the “Learn” button (may also be called “Smart” or ”Program”) on your receiver for your Model 3 to communicate directly with your device.
You can also set different devices on different modes. Like if your garage door is set to Standard Mode, you can set your front door to D-Mode.
Do the following if you want to switch between the modes:
- Go to Controls > HomeLink and select the device you want to change.
- Select Programs and select the desired mode for your device.
- Touch Set Mode and follow the on-screen instructions.
Auto Opening and Closing
You can also open or close garage doors without even using your Model 3’s touch screen.
The doors will open as you approach and close as you leave. Magnificent!
To automate, do the following:
- Touch the HomeLink icon at the top of the Controls screen and choose the device you want to automate.
- Select the Auto-open when arriving checkbox if you want the device to open your garage door as you approach it.
- Touch the arrows to specify the distance you want your Model 3 to be from the device before it opens the garage door.
- Select the Auto-close when leaving checkbox if you want the device to close the garage door as you drive away.
The HomeLink icon shows a countdown message to let you know the device automatically opens or closes as you approach or leave the location.
If you don’t want the device to open or close automatically, tap Skip Auto-Open or Skip Auto-Close during the countdown to cancel the operation.
Resetting the Location
In a situation where the HomeLink device doesn’t open or the touch screen doesn’t show an icon as you approach the programmed device location, you may have to reset the location.
How to Reset
- Park as close as possible to the HomeLink device.
- Go to Controls > Homelink icon and open Homelink Settings.
- Touch the name of the device you want to reset and touch Reset Location.
Deleting a Device
How to delete a device from HomeLink,
- Go to Controls > Homelink icon and open Homelink Settings.
- Tap the name of the device you want to delete and tap Delete.
Things to Note
- You can perform a factory reset to erase your HomeLink setting along with your other personal data (saved addresses, music favorites, imported contacts, etc.).
(Source: Tesla) - For security reasons, make sure to delete your HomeLink devices if you sell your Model 3.
(Source: Tesla)
HomeLink Alternatives Per Model 3 Owners
If you’re one of the owners who would prefer an alternative to the OEM garage door opening kit, I have just the products for you.
I dove deep into forum discussions to figure out the most popular and cheaper alternatives that worked for Model 3 owners and might work for you too.
Let’s discuss them.
1. MyQ Smart Garage Door Opener Chamberlain MYQ-G031
This kit has a whopping 70,000+ reviews, with an overall rating of 4.4 out of 5 stars, which is quite impressive.
Basically, MyQ is a Wi-Fi-enabled garage hub with smartphone control that allows it to open or close doors while notifying you via the MyQ app.
The “Guest Access” feature allows you to invite up to three people to control your garage, which can be helpful in certain situations.
You can also link your MyQ account to Google Assistant and IFTTT.
All of this would cost you just $27—nothing compared with the cost of the OEM kit.
2. Meross Smart Wi-Fi Garage Door Opener Remote
The best selling point of Meross is that it doesn’t need any hub. It is compatible with Alexa, Google Assistant, and IFTTT.
Tap on the Meross app and use voice control to open or close your garage door even if you’re not at home.
All you need is to provide your garage door with a strong Wi-Fi signal to make it work properly.
Also, it has all the features of MyQ for just $45 (as of this writing). Incredibly economical and worth a shot!
3. Tailwind iQ3 Premium Featured Smart WiFi Garage Door Opener
Tailwind is known for its compatibility with most garage door openers. It can automatically open or close your garage door by pairing up with your car’s Bluetooth ID.
Also, its “Night Mode” feature ensures that your garage door is closed all night (Bonus point: You’ve got a digital security guard).
In Guest Mode, you can also grant or restrict access to guests based on a set time and date (Won’t let that irritating relative enter too!).
Tailwind comes at the price of $61.63 (as of this writing), and it’s compatible with Google Assistant, Alexa, Siri Shortcuts, and IFTTT.
Although it’s not so popular in the Tesla community, owners who did use it testified for it. Might not be a bad experience for you too! Give it a shot.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Why does my Model 3 not recognize the garage door openers?
The major reasons include range, connectivity, or at the receiver’s end. Your first instinct should be to check if the “Automatic Garage Door Opener” module is installed or not.
If it’s installed, then the above-stated reasons might be causing this problem. Try troubleshooting your HomeLink, and if the problem doesn’t go away, your last resort will be consulting a Tesla service center.
Can Summon be linked to HomeLink?
If your Model 3 is equipped with Auto HomeLink, then you can pair Summon to HomeLink, and your garage door will automatically open and close during a Summon session.
Is Summon available without FSD?
For Summon, a Tesla has to have Autopilot or Enhanced Autopilot. There’s no compromise on that.
Conclusion
I have summed up everything you need to know about the Tesla Model 3 automatic garage door opener.
You can either go for HomeLink or the cheaper alternatives depending on your utility and budget.
HomeLink is costly, but it works smoother, and you can control it through your touch screen.
For other alternatives, you need to have a mobile phone device in the range, powerful Wi-Fi connectivity, and other requirements depending on the one you buy.
Whichever one you chose, do let me know in the comment section.
Zac Ludicrous
Mechanical engineer by profession. TSLA shareholder before the hype. EV enthusiast all day long. Zac enjoys learning about the future of battery technology, autonomy, and EVs. He considers Tesla Model 3 the most important vehicle of the 21st century -- and is in a quest to improve the ownership experience of every Model 3 owner he possibly can.These 5 rare tips can save you so much time and stress – and few owners know about them (even after years of ownership). Sign up below to learn more. It's free!
