Notable smart home brand ThirdReality has opened preorders for its new Smart Garage Door Opener, a Matter-over-Wi-Fi controller. The device follows the company’s pattern of creating innovative, retrofit-style gadgets, such as its Matter-enabled Smart Mechanical Keyboard MK1 and “togglebot” Smart Switch MT1.
Smart Mechanical Keyboard MK1
Best Price
Also available at
ThirdReality Smart Switch MT1
Best Price
Instead of requiring complex wiring, the new opener acts as a “fingerbot,” or a mechanical press, for a garage’s existing remote control, solidifying the brand’s unique position in the smart home market.
A simple garage door helper
The product kit includes the main opener unit and a pre-matched wireless tilt sensor. The tilt sensor is mounted on the garage door itself to provide real-time open and close status, while the main unit is powered by a Type-C cable and holds the existing garage remote. When triggered, the device simply presses the button on the remote.
This approach is designed for simple, wire-free installation. The device connects directly to a 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi network and requires a Matter controller – such as a compatible Apple HomePod, Google Home, or Amazon Echo device – to function.
Once set up, it enables remote control from a smartphone, allowing users to grant access to family members or authorize couriers for in-garage deliveries. The included tilt sensor also allows users to check the door’s status from anywhere.
The “light switch” workaround
A key technical detail is how the device works with the current Matter standard. The Matter spec does not yet officially support garage door openers as a device type.
To solve this, the Smart Garage Door Opener uses a common workaround by identifying itself to the Matter platform as an On/Off Light Switch, under Matter 1.3 spec. This means that in apps like Apple Home or Google Home, the opener will likely appear as a simple light toggle. While this enables basic open and close control, it is a temporary solution until the specification is updated.
As we’ve previously reported, the upcoming Matter 1.5 spec is expected to introduce a new category for Closures, which would allow for native, fully-featured garage door support in the future.
The ThirdReality Smart Garage Door Opener is available for preorder now from the company’s website for $49.99. ThirdReality told Matter Alpha that it would be available on Amazon later.
If you are looking for wired options with Matter support, SwitchBot has a similar offering.
Switchbot Smart Garage Door Opener
(Source: ThirdReality, CSA; Image Source: ThirdReality)
