Automating the gate controller with Raspberry Pi - How could I start to engineer this

Forums › Home Workshop DIY › Automating the gate controller with Raspberry Pi - How could I start to engineer this

turtleattacks

1008 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 305

Trusted

#322680 11-Sep-2025 17:27

Hi guys,

I am thinking about the possibility of engineering a way to automate the gate controller, with simple buttons with some sort of internet connected Raspberry Pi.

Maybe take apart the controller and see if I can run a current to simulate the button, which would send the signal to open the gate?

Anyone thought about doing this and is it possible?

----

Creator of whatsthesalary.com and whatstheincometax.com

RunningMan

9184 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 4833

#3413863 11-Sep-2025 17:42

Do you specifically want to DIY something, or would off the shelf gate/door controllers work?

turtleattacks

1008 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 305

Trusted

#3413864 11-Sep-2025 17:43

RunningMan:

Do you specifically want to DIY something, or would off the shelf gate/door controllers work?

Are there off the shelf controllers from a Sommer gate? Would be neat if so.

----

Creator of whatsthesalary.com and whatstheincometax.com

rscole86

4999 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 462

Moderator

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#3413869 11-Sep-2025 18:13

Can't you do this awith a Shelly?

turtleattacks

1008 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 305

Trusted

#3413915 11-Sep-2025 20:37

rscole86:

Can't you do this awith a Shelly?

I'll take a look! Thanks!

----

Creator of whatsthesalary.com and whatstheincometax.com

johno1234

3348 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 2842

#3413918 11-Sep-2025 20:41

The controllers usually have relays to switch the dc gate motors on in forward and reverse so could easily be done with a pi or probably better an esp32 with motor shield. The other thing the controller does is sense motor current to detect the motors pushing against the fully open or closed gates.
Personally I would look for an off the aliexpress shelf gate controller and hook it up to an esp32 to allow remote smarts with HA or similar. The controller will offer inputs for push buttons and break beam sensors so easy. There’s probably an HA library for ESP32

frankv

5705 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 3666

Lifetime subscriber

#3414533 13-Sep-2025 14:40

I'd say that a RPi is overkill for this. [A Brain the size of a planet, and all I do is open gates]

I second the idea of an ESP32 and motor shield... a tenth the price, uses a fraction of the power, and is WiFi ready. Program it using the Arduino IDE.

Dyson

Shop now for Dyson appliances (affiliate link).

Tinkerisk

4798 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 3660

#3414539 13-Sep-2025 15:19

An Arduino or Pico should be enough effort.

- NET: FTTH & VDSL, OPNsense, 10G backbone, GWN APs
- SRV: 12 RU HA server cluster, 0.1 PB storage on premise
- IoT: thread, zigbee, tasmota, BidCoS, LoRa, WX suite, IR
- 3D: two 3D printers, 3D scanner, CNC router, laser cutter

FailedWOF

48 posts

Geek
+1 received by user: 28

#3416522 20-Sep-2025 00:37

Your gate controller board will have terminals for the open/close trigger. All you’re doing is shorting that terminal with a relay, which you can drive from whatever logic/device you want. I had a quick look at the Sommer manuals and you'd be referencing the section on connecting a button to find the appropriate terminal numbers depending on your model.

A Pi is probably overkill for just "push a button" but I went down that exact path for both my gate and garage because I wanted full integration with HomeKit and Home Assistant, as well as ultimate flexibility for other functions. All of the logic is in Node-RED, with HomeKit as the main interface and Home Assistant linked in via MQTT so the states stay synchronised regardless of which platform or mechanism initiates the command (even manual/legacy control is recognised in both platforms)

For the gate (double swing), I have two 5v relays wired to GPIO outputs. One for pedestrian mode and one for full open/close. The garage only needs one relay. I still left all the legacy controls (remotes/keypads) in place so I can use them if the Pi ever dies. The relays pulse for 500ms to simulate a button press.

I added reed switches on the full open and full closed positions for both, wired into GPIO inputs. That way Node-RED can tell whether the gate/garage is open, closed, or stopped somewhere in between (timers based on normal open/close durations determine whether it's travelling between positions or stopped).

The Node-RED flows for both are based on this Garage Door example (https://github.com/NRCHKB/node-red-contrib-homekit-bridged/wiki/Garage-Door) but tweaked heavily. There are also non-HomeKit examples as well as palettes that will provide Alexa or Google Home integration instead.

The gate Pi just has the single flow, but the garage is where I've taken advantage of the flexibility. It also monitors the side access door via another reed switch, tracks garage temperature (via SNMP from a server intake sensor), tracks my rack power draw via the UPS, and exposes extra HomeKit switches for automations to partially open the garage door if it gets too warm (with different heights and temperature thresholds depending on whether I’m home or not). As I did the garage setup first, using a Pi for the gate as well made sense for me as I could effectively copy/paste the garage door flow with some minor tweaks.

On top of that, HomeKit automations handle opening the gate and garage when I arrive home and turning on path lighting. The gate closes automatically via the controller board logic after the obstruction sensors are broken or a timer, whichever is first. The garage I still close manually with the wall remote, but I also have automations that will close it at sunset or if the driveway camera detects a person while I’m away (for when it's partially open for cooling). I have a Home Assistant dashboard on an old tablet in the living area that shows gate and garage states and provides control (among other things, although it gets locked out if no one is home).

The Pi at the gate lives in one of these https://www.jaycar.co.nz/sealed-polycarbonate-enclosure-222-x-146-x-55mm/p/HB6220 (I think, can't remember exactly which size) with conduit between it and the gate controller box for the wiring. It's powered through a Dynamix USB charging mech which lives in a smaller version of the same box fed from the 230v switch at gate.

One tip if you go down the Pi path: relays are either active high or active low, and some Pi GPIO pins default high or low at boot before they're initialised. If your relay happens to match that state it might trigger as the Pi boots. Choose your GPIOs carefully so you don’t end up with the gate opening every time the Pi restarts. There are tables available which show each pin state at boot.

gregmcc

2173 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 836

ID Verified

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#3416528 20-Sep-2025 06:28

turtleattacks:

Hi guys,

I am thinking about the possibility of engineering a way to automate the gate controller, with simple buttons with some sort of internet connected Raspberry Pi.

Maybe take apart the controller and see if I can run a current to simulate the button, which would send the signal to open the gate?

Anyone thought about doing this and is it possible?

Done this a while back, with out gate, the gate motor boxes usually have input terminals for open close and stop,, I used a module fro Aliexpress, runs of 12-24V or usb which is usually available at the gate controller and has built in wifi, the one I got was a 4 channel and came with a remote, super easy to setup with google home and should work with others. No point re-inventing the wheel when off the shelf solutions exist.