Garage camera that sees the door, the car and people, no subscription
Software: Basic alerts included · optional plans up to $2 per month (optional cloud clip backup)
Concept, not for sale yet. Tell us if you want it; that decides what we build.
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How it fits together
Scroll or tap a part. Press “See the 3D CAD design” to watch the model, built from our CAD, light each part up and show how it connects.
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01
The whole GarageEye AI
A ceiling camera watches up to four bay doors and alerts you when one is left open; a door node can close it once clear.
02Brain
ESP32-S3 (camera)
The brain: it runs the garageeye-cam program
03
OV5640 camera + lens
Sees every bay door from one ceiling spot
ESP32-S3 (camera) · DVP camera bus · Camera frames
04
IR LEDs (x4)
Light the doors at night without visible glare
ESP32-S3 (camera) · GPIO 2 PWM and MOSFET · IR LED dimming
05
Ethernet chip
Keeps the camera online when garage Wi-Fi is weak
ESP32-S3 (camera) · SPI · Network packets
06
PoE power module
Powers the camera from the same Ethernet cable
ESP32-S3 (camera) · 5 V power rail · 5 V power
07
Door node
Warns, then pulses the opener's CLOSE contact
ESP32-C6-MINI-1 (node) · LAN or Wi-Fi: UDP, MQTT · Bay-clear heartbeat, close commands
08
Strobe and buzzer
Warns anyone in the bay for 10 s before a close
ESP32-C6-MINI-1 (node) · Relay, 24 V · Warning power
09
All connected
7 key parts, one program, and your phone
What it is
A small ceiling camera box that watches your garage and controls your existing opener.
What it does
Who it's for
Homeowners with attached or detached garages and automatic openers.
How the parts connect
Every part, what links it to the brain, and how the data reaches your phone. A solid line is a cable; a dashed line is a radio link.
The program
for (;;) {
fb = camera_fb_get(); // OV5640, DVP
for (int d = 0; d < n_doors; d++) {
door[d] = door_state(fb, roi[d], door[d]); // closed / open / moving
bay[d] = bay_occupied(fb, bay_poly[d]); // ESP-DL detector
}
camera_fb_return(fb);
if (door_changed() || rule_fires())
mqtt_publish(topic_event, event_json(door, bay));
if (every_ms(1000))
udp_send_ccm(node_addr, heartbeat(bay)); // bay clear / occupied
vTaskDelay(motion ? 200 : 1000);
}To your phone
Owner's phone or laptop browser
One screen for each job GarageEye AI does.
Door left openAt closing time the camera sees door 3 of the body shop still open with nobody in the bay. The manager can close it from the board.
Safe closeBefore the door comes down, the node checks the bay is clear and runs the strobe and buzzer, then confirms it shut.
Bay doorsIn the middle of a busy day, the board shows every overhead door and which bays have someone working in them.
Monthly reportAt month end the owner sees how long each door stood open, to find the one wasting heat.
App screens with sample data. The interface is in development.
| Door state | Door 3 open 20 min | On change |
|---|---|---|
| Bay occupancy | Bay clear | With each door event |
| Snapshot | JPEG of door 3 | On demand |
| Close result | Closed in 14 s | Each close |
| Monthly report | Door 2 open 41 h | Monthly |
Snapshots stay on the camera's microSD unless you ask for one. Remote open is not possible, only close.
CAD design · Design complete (stages 1–6, rev A), not built, not validated
| AI processor | ESP32-S3-WROOM-1 (N16R8) |
|---|---|
| Camera | OV2640 wide-angle camera (~160°), pointing down |
| Sensors | ST VL53L1X time-of-flight sensor (door path) · HLK-LD2410C mmWave presence radar · Omron G5V-1 dry-contact relay for the opener |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi 4 (2.4 GHz) · Matter over Wi-Fi (planned) · BLE for setup · Two-wire dry-contact relay lead to the opener |
| Power | 5 V USB-C from the opener's outlet or a plug-in adapter, ~2 W (target) |
| Enclosure | Graphite ceiling box with a downward wide-angle camera, a ToF sensor window and a green status LED, on a ceiling bracket, with a two-wire relay lead to the opener's wall-button terminals |
| Dimensions | 10 × 8 × 4 cm |
| Weight | ~150 g (est.) |
| Field of view | ~160° wide-angle |
|---|---|
| Detects | Door state, car present, people |
| Processing | On-device, no cloud video needed |
| Low light | Works with garage lighting; night mode under evaluation |
| Opener | Dry-contact relay on wall-button terminals |
|---|---|
| Door path | ToF check before remote or scheduled close |
| Auto-close | Only with warning, where the opener and local rules allow |
| Smart home | Matter over Wi-Fi (planned), app |
| Supply | 5 V USB-C, ~2 W |
|---|---|
| Size | 10 × 8 × 4 cm |
| Mounting | Ceiling bracket |
| Storage | Local event snapshots; optional cloud backup |
Targets for production units; they may change during development.
Hardware: $59 per garage
Software: Basic alerts included · optional plans up to $2 per month (optional cloud clip backup)
Target pricing. All detection and control work without a subscription.
$59
Door, car and person detection with opener control.
$59 + $2/mo
Adds cloud backup of event clips.
2 units (price TBC)
For two-door or two-car garages.
Indicative launch pricing in USD, excluding taxes and shipping. Final pricing is confirmed before any balance is charged.
Community
GarageEye AI is in development. Rate the idea, tell us what to change about the features, specs or price, and we'll build it with your feedback.
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Questions
Tell us what this would save you, or ask anything. We reply within two business days.
A member of the IEMI Labs team will reply within two business days.
From the product lab · ideation phase
No, not by default. Detection runs on the device and snapshots are stored locally. Only states and alerts go to the app unless you choose optional cloud backup. It does not use facial recognition. Avoid pointing it at shared or public areas.
It is not certified yet; FCC Part 15 and CE testing are planned, not completed. Unattended closing of garage doors is covered by UL 325, which requires a warning before the door closes. GarageEye will only offer auto-close with an alert and where your opener and local rules allow. Your opener's own safety reversing sensors must stay installed and working.
Fix the ceiling bracket, plug in USB-C power, and connect the two-wire relay lead to the opener's wall-button terminals. Most installs take about 20 minutes. Some openers with encrypted wall buttons may need an adapter; a compatibility list will be published.
Home 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi for the app and remote control. Matter over Wi-Fi is planned. Local detection keeps working if the internet drops.
No. It is a new concept in development. Specifications are target specifications. It is a concept: we are not taking orders, reservations or deposits, and it has no ship date yet.
We are planning a 2-year limited hardware warranty covering manufacturing defects. Final terms will be published before shipping begins.
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Concept · target $59