The MyQ garage door controller just got harder to control

If you’re a HomeKit user who’s been using Homebridge or Home Assistant to use the MyQ garage door controller with Apple’s smart home ecosystem, get ready for bad news. 

Chamberlain, the maker of the MyQ garage door opener, has announced that it will begin blocking “unauthorized” access to its APIs, a move that will allow it to “improve the performance and reliability of MyQ” for both its users as well as “our authorized partners,” The Verge reports. 

In its statement, Chamberlain characterized the “unauthorized” API access as a potential threat that “at times constituted a substantial DDOS event.”

This news story is part of TechHive’s in-depth coverage of the best smart garage door controllers.

But the move also chokes off access to the open-source Homebridge and Home Assistant software solutions, which allowed MyQ users to integrate the garage door controller with Apple’s HomeKit. 

One of the most popular and affordable garage door controllers on the market, Chamberlain’s MyQ controller has a spotty history when it comes to smart home integrations.  

While it works (sort of) with Ring and Amazon’s in-garage Key delivery service, it (surprisingly) doesn’t offer Alexa support. Chamberlain phased out MyQ’s Google Assistant integration earlier this year, and it has also discontinued the MyQ Home Bridge, a product specifically designed to add HomeKit support to the MyQ controller. There isn’t a SmartThings integration, either.

That left IFTTT, a smart home integration that’s apparently having some issues with MyQ at the moment (Chamberlain says it’s “actively working to resolve” the bug), and–until now–open-source software solutions such as Homebridge and Home Assistant, which relied on Chamberlain’s now-blocked APIs. 

Of course, there are other, “authorized” options, such as Chamberlain’s own MyQ app (the Android version of which is riddled with ads, according to Ars Technica), along with integrations for Walmart+ InHome, Alarm.com, Vivent, Resideo, and a variety of car manufacturers. 

And while Chamberlain no longer manufactures the HomeKit-enabling MyQ Home Bridge, the company says it still supports the device for those lucky enough to still own one. 

Still, it’s disappointing to see Chamberlain making life harder for frustrated MyQ users, whose garage door controllers are slowly but surely getting harder to control.