Hi - I’ve got a Chamberlain wall mounted opener, model 3800PC (built in 2011). It has a 398LMC so-called “smart panel”. This vintage was not MyQ enabled. I was hoping that I’d be able to tell door-state, count opens and closes, and other sundry information. My wall-panel does show some info, but the actual functionality under ESPhome / HA / the on-device website seems very limited. Weirdness includes the door status always being set to “Closed” even though it will show (in the logs) that it is opening or closing. The only button that works in the interface is the up button which is working like a toggle.
Is there any way that I can get better information/control from this? Would connecting to the GDO itself rather than wiring in parallel to the control make any difference? Would a newer wall-panel make any difference? Turning smart panel on or off seems to make no difference.
I’m pretty sure that the root of your problem is the 398LM wall panel. We’ve had nothing but trouble with that one, and at this point I’m deeming it “incompatible” with the GDO blaQ.
The quick and easy solution is to replace the 398LM with the 889LM. This should fix the problems and inconsistencies you’re seeing.
After you connect the 889LM, set the Security+ Protocol setting (on the device’s built-in web page) to Security+1.0 with smart panel.
EDIT: You can test the functionality before spending $65 on the 889LM by simply removing the 398LM from the circuit temporarily, and setting the Security+ protocol to Security+1.0. This should make the door open/closed states and commands accurate and consistent in the GDO blaQ.
Unfortunately you will not get the counter of door cycles with a Security+1.0 opener … this is only available on the newer openers.
Have disconnected the 398LM and so far there are MUCH fewer messages spamming in the ESPHome logs. As well, the up/down arrows are displaying/working as I’d expect as is the lock toggle. What I don’t see is any sensor status for the motor, counters (though you mentioned I won’t get that - fair!) or the ability to set the door to a % open (perhaps this is just a 2.0 feature as well).
Looks like you’re indeed right that the 398LM is a problem. What additional functionality would I get by putting a 889LM in place? Is it just the button control? Would a cheaper button do the trick?
On Security+1.0 you won’t get the motor or cycle count sensors at all. The older protocol doesn’t report that.
Most Security+1.0 openers should support the partial open/close. It doesn’t always work perfectly. This has to be done via Home Assistant or API (there’s no control for it on the web page). In HA, tap on the cover entity that represents the garage door and you should have a slider UI to set the level.
The 889LM is the best compatible wall button with the GDO blaQ and Security+ 1.0 openers. It has motion sensing capability, as well as light, lock and timer-to-close buttons, and works well with the GDO blaQ when set to Security+1.0 with smart panel setting.
The cheaper option is the 78LM or a generic equivalent. These are just analog push buttons. They have a light and lock button, but those will NOT work when the blaQ is on the circuit (the open/close button works fine though). An even cheaper option is a generic push button. These still work fine with the Security+1.0 but will NOT work on Security+2.0 openers.