🎉 Introducing HomeKit Native Firmware for the GDO blaQ!

Smart Home Integrations Apple Home
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GDO blaQ HomeKit - Email (1)
GDO blaQ HomeKit - Email (1)1920Ă—1080 183 KB

Hey everyone!

I’m excited to share something we’ve been working on for our Apple Home users: native HomeKit firmware for the GDO blaQ! :red_apple:

What is it?

This is an experimental alternative firmware that enables your GDO blaQ to connect directly to Apple Home (HomeKit) without any third-party intermediaries, bridges, or cloud services. That’s right—your garage opener talks straight to HomeKit, giving you full access to the Apple Home ecosystem including Siri, automations, and remote access through your HomePod or Apple TV.

Why is this awesome?

For those of you who are all-in on the Apple ecosystem, this means:

  • :white_check_mark: No additional hubs or bridges needed
  • :white_check_mark: No cloud dependencies beyond Apple Home
  • :white_check_mark: Direct, local communication with your Apple Home setup
  • :white_check_mark: Full Siri integration (“Hey Siri, close the garage door!”)
  • :white_check_mark: Native Apple Home automations and scenes
  • :white_check_mark: Works seamlessly with your other HomeKit accessories

This is all about giving you choice in how you integrate your garage opener. We’re on a mission to make every garage open, accessible, and compliant—and that means supporting the platforms and ecosystems that matter to you!

A Huge Thank You! :folded_hands:

This firmware was originally adapted by @thenewwazoo on GitHub, one of the original authors of the HomeKit firmware for Ratgdo. Their incredible work made this possible, and we’re grateful for their contributions to the community! We’ve now taken over the development of this firmware internally (thanks @Ryan_P) and are maintaining it open-source here: konnected-io/gdo-blaq-homekit

Important Notes :warning:

Since this is an experimental alternative firmware, keep in mind:

  • Not all features and customizations available in our standard GDO blaQ firmware are available yet
  • This is specifically for users who want direct Apple Home integration
  • You can always flash back to the standard firmware if you need full feature support

Get Started!

Ready to try it out? Check out the GitHub repository and our Knowledge Base article for installation instructions:

Setup Code: 251-02-023

We Want to Hear From You! :speech_balloon:

This is an evolving project, and your feedback is invaluable! Please share:

  • Questions about setup or compatibility
  • Feature requests for future updates
  • Your experiences using the firmware
  • Any issues or bugs you encounter
  • Ideas for improvements

Drop your thoughts in this thread—we’re here to help and we’re excited to see how you use this new capability!

Let’s make garage door control better, together! :automobile::sparkles:

So I cannot connect my GDO to HomeKit?
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Thanks for releasing this! Unfortunately this isn’t working for me yet.

I managed to flash the firmware successfully, add the device via the Home App, and can see it, however i get no response for the device in the app after toggling the door switch (sits on closing… or opening…).

Nothing happens when I switch on the light either (switch briefly flicks to all on in the app, then off again).

I should add that I’ve tried resetting the device and have tried the process again, and have restarted multiple times. Both the iOS device and GDO are within a few metres of the router.

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I am trying to add the GDO blaQ to HomeKit.open HK app, I enter the HomeKit code, even get the notice to add the module and the bridge never adds. The connecting message Bridge This may take a few minutes is displayed. Usually with HomeKit devices when this happens I restart HK and the process works.

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Can this be run with both Homekit and Control4 Integration? Or just one or the other?

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No, this is an alternate firmware exclusively for HomeKit.

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Do you have to use Chrome? On a Mac so no Edge browser and I really have no interest in installing Chrome.

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You don’t have to use Chrome, but if you want to use the web-based installer on a Mac, you have to use Chrome.

The other alternative is to download the flashable binary from here: Releases · konnected-io/gdo-blaq-homekit · GitHub

Then flash it with the command line.

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Just curious, what is it about Chrome that allows it to work where others don’t? What about a Chromium based browser like Vivaldi? From what I understand it’s Chrome without all the Google garbage.

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It requires Web Serial API which is not implemented in all browsers.

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Ok. Thanks. Guess I’ll just wait for the final version. Or maybe try with Vivaldi or Brave.

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The version of the firmware or the experimental status has nothing to do with it. The web-based flash tool is only the delivery mechanism that is convenient for most people. You don’t have to use it, you can also flash the firmware with command line tools. Or borrow someone else’s computer to flash the firmware. Once the device is flashed, you don’t need to use Chrome.

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If that’s the case then Vivaldi or Brave must have it. I’ve never used command line to apply anything, but I did have to use the web tool to initially set up both of mine.