Does anyone know if it is possible to connect the Iro to my garage door opener to open and close it. I have 4 open zones that I was trying to figure something they may be able to do for me from my smart phone. I don’t want to do damage to my Iro or my garage door opener. I saw some people were using it for there landscape lighting.
Hi @bharmsen, thanks for reaching out. Great question!
I’ve heard of others using it for garage doors…they would run the wires from the switch by door into the Iro, and connect similar to a zone valve with one wire going to the common and another going to the “valve”.
Besides landscape lighting, maybe low voltage xmas lights in the winter 
If you think of any other uses, please share them with us.
Best, Emil
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For controlling a garage door opener, how would Iro know if the door was already open or closed? You could send a signal manually (only) through the Iro that’s not included on a schedule. A relay would need to be installed between the Iro and the door button. Also, the zone controlling the door would need to be ON for no more than a second, but Iro’s minimum ON period is 1 minute. Any ON signal longer (beyond) than necessary to begin the door operating would cause the door operator to not respond to any other buttons being pressed (either via the remotes or the button at the door) during that ON period if someone needed to stop or reverse the door’s operation. Unless a circuit could be built to cause only a momentary circuit closure or pulse to be sent to the garage door opener (or the Iro could be programmed to cause a zone to be ON for only 1 second), this type of control would not be recommended.
For landscape lighting, it is possible to use a relay such as this: http://www.amazon.com/Functional-Devices-Ribu1C-Relay-Enclosed/dp/B000LESCI2/ref=pd_sim_sbs_328_1?ie=UTF8&refRID=0BTARXNX98PXNWMK7FSG The white-blue and white-yellow wires would connect to the Iro and the yellow and orange wires would be the switch to your lighting. This relay is good for up to 10 amps of load. Of course, relays suitable for larger loads are available, too. Consult an electrician for proper installation.
John
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@jmkord, great post and I appreciate you bringing this to everyone’s attention. We have not tested the Iro to be used on anything other than irrigation valves and cannot confirm nor deny it’s ability to be used in other applications. I was just passing along feedback I’ve heard from other users 
We agree! If in doubt, ask a pro. It’s worth the cost.
I stumbled on this thread with the same issue but found the part which is basically a one shot relay that can be used to open gates or garage doors. We have a camera on the doors so we can see in case there is a car or person in the way. Here it is (confirmed working):
https://m.grainger.com/mobile/product/AIROTRONICS-%20-21EW98?cm_mmc=EMT--OrderConfirmStandard--GuestOrderConfirm-_-sku&RIID=313013655&GID=&mid=OrderConfirmation&orderNumber=1269758333&rfe=5034dbf1c4e3d6ae26bc95319b928b964aea9e159c3c5aee37bbf0d7b45e5020&origin=prod