I've been wanting to get into home automation too. My biggest fear is vendor lock-in. I'd like to hear more about how he gave his garage door a REST API, because that's something I could build my own interface for.
Looks like its been discontinued but I'm sure something like it still exists. I probably payed the $20 retail for it. Thus my judgement that it cost less than a new clicker from Sears.
The garage door has a sensor that's part of the security system, which was replaced by a beaglebone. Between the two systems, I can use the main server to program a small app to GET the state of the door and PUT the door into the open and closed state.
I've been wanting to get into home automation too. My biggest fear is vendor lock-in. I'd like to hear more about how he gave his garage door a REST API, because that's something I could build my own interface for.