Tesla's myQ WiFi Garage Door Support, Its Cost, Features and How It Compares to HomeLink

By Nuno Cristovao
The myQ settings menu in a Tesla
The myQ settings menu in a Tesla
Not a Tesla App

In late 2022 Tesla added the ability to control your garage door over WiFi or cellular data through its myQ integration. For vehicles that do not include HomeLink, such as newer Model 3s and Model Ys, this is a great alternative to adding HomeLink to your vehicle, especially if your garage door already supports myQ.

Vehicles Supported

Almost all Teslas support myQ, which includes the Model 3, Model Y and the 2021+ Model S and Model X. Unfortunately, it currently does not support the legacy Model S and Model X, but support could be added at a later point.

Supported Regions

Tesla supports myQ integration in a wide variety of regions, but the feature is not available in every country. The list of supported countries includes the U.S. and Canada, although it leaves out other countries such as Australia and the United Kingdom. It's not clear why it's only available in some regions, but it could be due to where myQ currently supports their devices.

Supported Devices

Tesla's current myQ integration is exclusively for garage doors. Although myQ does support other devices such as gates in their app, Tesla's integration will not work with myQ cameras, lights or gates.

MyQ Hub

Newer garage door openers support myQ natively, but you can also add myQ to older garage door motors. The myQ hub works by connecting your garage door to the internet through the use of a wireless hub. The myQ hub is an affordable device that turns almost any garage door motor into a WiFi-capable garage door opener. The hub can be bought on Amazon for $30 or less.

Chamberlain's myQ hub turns your garage door opener into a Wi-Fi capable one
Chamberlain's myQ hub turns your garage door opener into a Wi-Fi capable one
myQ

Subscription Cost

Although myQ does not charge a fee to remotely open and close garage doors through their mobile app, they do charge to use myQ integration in a Tesla and other vehicles. This is a similar model to how some software it free to use on a computer, but requires a subscription on your mobile phone.

MyQ offers various price points depending on the length of time. They range from $45/year to a 10-year subscription for $299. MyQ also offers a 5-year plan for $179. Although the subscription cost is high, it is still cheaper than Tesla's $350 installation cost for HomeLink.

Unfortunately, for owners who already have a HomeLink module installed, paying for myQ doesn't make a lot of sense. However, there are some advantages to having myQ instead of HomeLink.

MyQ Settings

Tesla's myQ integration is very similar to HomeLink, and better in some ways. On the myQ settings screen, you have a list of supported devices running down the left side. On the right side, you'll see options about the device selected, such as its current state, and options such as auto-open, auto-close and auto-fold mirrors.

You'll be able to set or reset your garage door's location, which uses your vehicle's current GPS location. You'll want to set this when your vehicle is directly in front of your garage. You can also have your vehicle chime when the auto-open or auto-close feature is about to activate.

If you've used HomeLink before, this integration is very similar. Although the UI is slightly different, the features are almost the same as the ones offered through HomeLink.

Differences Between myQ and HomeLink

There are a few differences between myQ integration and HomeLink. Neither system is the clear winner, and the one that is right for you will depend on various factors.

Advantages of myQ

MyQ is a smarter system with additional sensors, so it offers a few advantages over the older HomeLink standard.

MyQ Fixes the Auto-Open Feature

During installation myQ has you add a sensor to each of your garage doors. This sensor lets myQ know whether your garage door is open or closed. Your Tesla will even display the state of the garage door, letting your check whether your garage is open or closed from anywhere in the world. Although myQ also keeps track of how long ago your garage door was opened or closed, this information does not show up in your Tesla.

Since myQ knows the state of your garage door, it can help prevent some issues that are seen in HomeLink. One of the biggest issues with HomeLink is due to it not knowing whether your garage door is already open. With myQ you will no longer arrive home when your garage door is opened, only to have your auto-open feature close the garage door on you. Since myQ knows the state of your garage door, it will only trigger the open and close commands when needed.

MyQ Works From Further Away

Another advantage of myQ is that it leverages your Tesla's internet connectivity. MyQ will send the signal to open or close your garage door over the internet, letting you open your garage door from anywhere in the world. However, the most practical advantage of using the internet to open your garage door is that you set your garage door to auto-open from much further away. This gives your garage door time to fully open before you arrive. MyQ does not require you to have Tesla's Premium Connectivity feature in order to use it.

Additional Devices

HomeLink has a hard limit of three devices. Although this is enough for most people, you may find yourself hitting the limit if you also have gates you may want to open or would like to program your Tesla to open the garage door at your parent's house. MyQ does not have a limit to the number of garage doors you can program, giving you additional flexibility. If your vehicle also supports HomeLink, this could free up some HomeLink presets, letting you use it for devices that myQ doesn't support.

Disadvantages of myQ

Although myQ is certainly the smarter garage door system, HomeLink does have some advantages over myQ as well, mainly around reliability and setup.

MyQ Subscription

HomeLink is free to use, so if your vehicle already has HomeLink integration, it could be the obvious choice. Nowadays many of us already have more monthly subscriptions than we'd like to, so myQ's subscription cost will certainly be a turnoff for some owners.

Requires Internet

Since myQ uses the internet to control your garage door, it could be less reliable than HomeLink. Not only is myQ relying on your vehicle's cellular connection, but it's also relying on your home's internet connection and the hub's connection to WiFi. If you live in an area with poor cellular reception, have a weak WiFi signal in your garage, or have frequent internet outages, HomeLink may be the more reliable system.

Hub Setup

If your garage door doesn't support myQ already, then you'll need to add a myQ hub. This requires an additional device and setup, whereas the HomeLink module works directly with your garage door. HomeLink is essentially an additional remote for your garage door that is built into your Tesla.

If you're adding a hub, myQ also requires you to mount a wireless sensor on your garage door. This sensor lets myQ know whether your garage door is opened or closed. MyQ also requires you to set up a myQ hub that will communicate with your home's network, your garage door and the wireless sensor.

The hub needs to be placed in your garage, although it does not require you to wire anything to your garage door motor or buttons. The hub only requires access to WiFi and a power outlet.

The myQ hub does various things. First, it's the device that will receive the signal over the internet to open your garage door. It will also communicate wirelessly with your myQ garage door sensor and your garage door motor. Although myQ's setup is painless, it does introduce additional points of failure that HomeLink simply doesn't have.

MyQ Signal Delay

MyQ will often introduce a delay when closing your garage door for additional safety. When you close your garage door you may often hear beeping and see the light on your myQ hub flash, alerting any bystanders that the garage door is about to close.

The delay between when you tap to close your garage door and when it starts to close is about 8 seconds. If you're leaving home and close the garage door from your car, it can often leave you wondering if the system is working. There is never a delay when opening your garage door using myQ.

Although myQ integration is well executed and provides some advantages over HomeLink, it does have a few drawbacks of its own. For owners who don't have a HomeLink module installed in their vehicles, it offers a more affordable and easier solution than adding HomeLink to their cars.

Tesla’s Robotaxis Have a Strange New Rear Bar — Here’s What We Know

By Karan Singh
@DirtyTesLa on X

We’ve already seen that Tesla’s Project Halo has some hardware modifications not found on consumer cars. While some of these upgrades, like the second communications unit, have a clear purpose, another change is a bit more confounding.

Early-access testers in Austin spotted a simple, flat, likely metal bar under the rear trunk of the Robotaxi Model Ys. While we’re still not sure what exactly this new bar is for, we do have some speculative ideas.

The community has also floated some fantastic theories, but Tesla clearly put it here, and on these Robotaxi vehicles, for a specific purpose. Grab your notepads, we’re about to do some theorycrafting.

Could Be Wireless Charging

By and far, the most plausible and exciting theory is that this bar is related to future wireless charging capabilities and testing.

For a Robotaxi network to scale efficiently, the entire process, from cleaning to charging, must be autonomous. Relying on a human to plug in each vehicle, or even a complex robot arm, introduces a logistical bottleneck and a potential point of failure.

The logical endpoint here is that wireless inductive charging is a game-changer. A vehicle simply parks over a designated pad at the depot to begin charging, without any interaction.

The metal bar is in the exact spot where Tesla could potentially mount testing gear, or even the vehicle-side receiver for more informal testing, without needing to commit to a wholly new underbody design.

Tesla previously acquired Wiferion, a German inductive charging technology company, and demoed the wireless charging solution at We, Robot. With a series of patents on beam steering and wireless charging circuits, Tesla has been hard at work building up their tech base to support wireless charging for Robotaxi.

@DirtyTesLa on X

What It Probably Isn’t

We’ve seen several other theories discussed, but they really begin to fall apart under closer scrutiny. 

The first is additional underbody protection. While it is potentially practical, the bar’s position is far too rearward to offer any additional protection to the high-voltage battery pack or the rear drive units. Additionally, Tesla prefers to integrate this type of protection directly into the vehicle’s Gigacasting. Tesla has already made significant improvements to the structural rigidity of the new Model Y’s Rear Casting, so this makes no sense.

Next up is a potential camera spray shield for the rearview camera. The centralized placement of the bar means it doesn’t actually protect from the rear wheels pushing road spray out and upwards. It simply won’t have an impact on the rear camera that we can see. 

Rounding up the theory crafting is a new aerodynamic part. However, the bar is flat and seems more like a mounting point than anything aero-related, such as the new rear diffusers spotted on the Model Y Performance. The bar likely makes more drag than it reduces.

Small Part, Lots of Ideas

When considering the logistical requirements of a large-scale autonomous vehicle fleet, wireless charging is a natural choice, especially given the mounting point. This simple metal bar is likely a preparatory step for Tesla to mount engineering samples for wireless charging in the near future.

If you’ve got any other ideas on what this could be, we’d love to hear what you think on social media.

Tesla’s ‘Project Halo’ Revealed: The Upgraded Model Ys Behind the Robotaxi Network

By Karan Singh
@DirtyTesLa on X

While the performance of FSD has been the star of the Robotaxi Network, new details are emerging about Tesla using modified Model Ys for the service. According to a report from Business Insider, the program to modify some vehicles for Robotaxi is known internally as “Project Halo”, and it involves more than just a newer FSD version.

These details help connect the dots between the subtle physical changes that have been spotted on the Robotaxi Model Ys.

Physical Clue: Expanded Rear Housing

Eagle-eyed observers in Austin were quick to spot a key physical difference on the Robotaxi fleet vehicles: a larger-than-normal housing on the rear window. This immediately sparked speculation that Tesla had integrated new components to support the Robotaxi rollout. We initially expected that these may have been minor changes like Tesla is known to roll out, but now we have a better idea of what exactly is under that new housing.

Halo Communications Unit

According to the insider source, Tesla’s Halo vehicles are equipped with a second telecommunications unit. That’s a significant change from customer vehicles, which are equipped with just a single unit near the roof of the vehicle.

According to the report, this unit serves a dual purpose. It provides redundant, high-precision GPS data, and most importantly, allows the vehicle to maintain a constant, reliable connection with Tesla’s Robotaxi support team. That includes connectivity for teleoperation, if necessary. This hardware may be the physical backbone for the human assistance portion of the pilot phases of Robotaxi.

As we saw in the command center image shared by Ashok Elluswamy, these vehicles are streaming video from six cameras, potentially putting too much of a strain on the vehicle’s single cellular modem.

Not a Tesla App

Probably Not Starlink

While we initially mused that this could be holding a Starlink Mini dish, the space taken up by the housing is far too small to permit the installation of a Mini. Instead, it is approximately the same size as the telematics control unit that Tesla installs in the ceiling of its newer vehicles, which include a 5G modem.

Tesla is likely using the second connection for redundancy or to increase data throughput.

Quickly Iterating on FSD

All that data throughput likely serves a third purpose as well - providing live data streaming for Tesla’s Robotaxi Operations Hub back at Gigafactory Texas. That isn’t necessarily for support teleoperations, as we previously mentioned.

It is likely that Tesla is pulling video data from the Robotaxis to quickly improve the current version of Unsupervised FSD. Early-access testers noticed that in just a day, Tesla was issuing improvements, which means data is moving from vehicle to training in a snap.

But Elon Said!

Well before the launch, Elon said that the vehicles used for Robotaxi would be unmodified vehicles coming straight from the factory. It seems that isn’t exactly true, but it could be in the future.

So, how can we reconcile the unmodified statement with the clear evidence of Project Halo hardware? The key here lies in the difference between a stock Tesla’s FSD capabilities, versus the operational hardware required to run a commercial Robotaxi service.

Elon’s entire point is that the fundamental FSD hardware — the cameras, sensors, and FSD computer — is standard on every car coming off the line. From a capability standpoint, a consumer car can perform Unsupervised FSD.

The second communications unit is best understood as service hardware. They don’t make the car drive better, but they provide the redundant connectivity needed for operational oversight, remote assistance, and the massive data uploads required for a pilot program.

This hardware may also be necessary for Tesla to meet regulatory compliance requirements for a commercial autonomous vehicle service for the foreseeable future.

Camera Cleaning

The Business Insider report also mentioned that Halo vehicles would have self-cleaning cameras. That isn’t a new hardware feature; in fact, it appears to refer to the software feature where Robotaxis can thoroughly clean its front-facing cameras [video and details], which will eventually make its way to owner vehicles.

Wrapping Up

The insider confirmation of Project Halo and its specialized hardware helps to provide a clearer picture of exactly what Tesla is doing with Robotaxi. It seems that for now, it’s not simply just consumer cars running advanced hardware, it’s a fleet of very lightly purpose-modified vehicles meant to support the pilot rollout.

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