Having the garage door open when you arrive home in your Tesla Model Y is a great feature. It saves you time and makes it much easier to park inside, where your car is safe from criminals and the weather.
HomeLink can connect your Model Y directly to your garage door. Here’s how.
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What HomeLink transmit modes are there?
There are three available ways you can connect to a garage door using HomeLink in a Model Y. These are:
- Standard Mode
- D-Mode
- UR-Mode
Most people will only need to use Standard Mode. Standard Mode is for Radio Frequency devices that you can control remotely (that is, using a remote control).
D-Mode and UR-Mode work similarly to each other. They both connect with the device itself rather than a remote control. The RF receiver will have a ‘Learn’, ‘Program’, or ‘Smart’ feature for connecting.
You usually find D-Mode in North America and UR-Mode in Model Y cars across the rest of the world.
Choose the correct mode based on the device. If you select the wrong one, it won’t work.
Finally, you can select a different mode for each of your three devices. In newer Model Y EVs, you’ll be able to alter each without affecting the others. However, in older models, changing the transmit mode for one might automatically change it for all devices. Be aware of this when you’re fiddling with the settings.
Things to watch out for before programming HomeLink
Before you program HomeLink on your Model Y, watch out for the following:
- The garage door might open and close during the programming process. Keep your car, all people, animals, and any other objects well clear for safety and damage reasons.
- When using Standard Mode, ensure that the door’s remote control has a healthy, charged battery. It might be sensible to replace it before you start programming.
- You might see an instruction to ‘Train the receiver’ during D-Mode programming. You will have 30 seconds to press Continue on the Tesla’s touchscreen after pressing the ‘Learn’ (or similar) button on the garage door. You then have to tap the HomeLink device name twice. Having someone with you to operate the door can make things much more manageable.
- When connecting using Standard Mode, the remote control should be no more than two inches away from the Tesla emblem.
How to program HomeLink and connect it to your Tesla Model Y
Here’s a quick overview of how to connect your Model Y to the garage door using HomeLink.
- Park your Tesla Model Y with the front bumper next to the garage door’s remote control.
- Go to the Controls screen.
- Tap the HomeLink icon (you’ll find it at the top of the screen).
- Press Create HomeLink.
- Choose the mode you want to use (as detailed previously).
- In most cases, this will be Standard.
- Type a name for the garage door you’re connecting to, and then press Create HomeLink.
- Press Start.
- Follow the instructions on the screen.
- In Standard Mode, you’ll need to take the door’s remote control within two inches of the Tesla emblem. Press and hold it until the Model Y’s headlights flash.
- In D-Mode or UR-Mode, park the Model Y as close as possible to the garage door. Press the ‘Learn’ button on the door and follow the instructions on the touchscreen.
- After you finish programming your garage door, press Save.
- Before leaving, check it works as you’d expect. If it doesn’t, try repeating steps 1 to 9.
How to use HomeLink to open your garage door from your Tesla Model Y
Now that you’ve connected your car to the remote-controlled garage door, here’s how to use it.
- The Tesla stores the geographical location of your garage door.
- The HomeLink icon should pop up at the top of the touchscreen as you drive toward it.
- It won’t if you’re already on the HomeLink screen.
- Press this icon. Your Model Y should connect to the garage door’s remote control and open it for you.
- As you drive away from your garage door, the popup should disappear.
You can also set your garage door to open automatically as you approach or leave.
- Go to the Controls screen.
- Tap the HomeLink icon.
- Select the garage door you’ve already connected to.
- Check the Auto-open when arriving and Auto-close when leaving boxes.
- You could choose just one or the other.
- Adjust the distance you want your car to be from the door when it opens using the arrows.
If any of these steps don’t happen, there may be a fault with the programming. Try it again a few times, changing things slightly. For example, consider bringing the remote control closer or repeatedly tapping the button instead of holding it. Also, it can sometimes take up to five minutes to connect – be patient.
Here’s a quick look at the Model Y’s owner’s manual for your consideration:
