What is the difference between Konnected BLAQ and ratgdo?

Chamberlain Group blocked most third-party smart home integrations with myQ in 2023 and 2024. For homeowners with LiftMaster or Chamberlain openers using the Security+ 2.0 protocol, the yellow learn button, two local alternatives emerged: ratgdo and Konnected BLAQ. Both solve the same core problem: connecting your opener to Home Assistant, Apple HomeKit, or other smart home platforms without paying for a myQ subscription and without sending your data to the cloud. They do it differently, and the right choice depends on how comfortable you are with DIY setup.

What ratgdo is and how it works

ratgdo stands for "Rage Against the Garage Door Opener," which tells you something about the frustration that led to its creation. It is an open-source hardware project made by Paul Wieland. The device is a small WiFi board that connects to the data port on a compatible LiftMaster or Chamberlain opener. This is the same set of terminals used by the wall button and the safety sensors.

A basic smart home relay just simulates a button press to open or close the door. ratgdo does more than that. It talks to the opener using the real Security+ 2.0 protocol. That means it can read the true state of the door: open, closed, or still moving. It can also control the opener light, see the obstruction sensor status, and send a lockout command. A simple relay cannot do any of that.

The ratgdo board runs ESPHome or MQTT firmware. If you use Home Assistant, it finds the device on your local network. No cloud account is required. No monthly fee. All control happens inside your home network, not through a company's server.

The catch is that ratgdo is a DIY project. You buy the board for under $50, load the firmware yourself, wire it to your opener, and set up your smart home app. If you know Home Assistant and are okay with a terminal window, it takes an hour or two to get running. If you have never done this kind of project, the steps will feel steep at first. There is a large community forum to help, but you are largely on your own from a support standpoint.

One detail worth knowing: ratgdo does not come pre-assembled as a finished product. You may need to solder or use connectors, depending on which version you buy. The documentation at the project website covers the wiring in detail, but first-timers should budget extra time for troubleshooting the initial setup.

What Konnected BLAQ is and how it differs

Konnected BLAQ is a commercial product built on the same ratgdo protocol. The company Konnected took that open-source project and turned it into a finished product a non-technical homeowner can install. Here is what you get with BLAQ that you do not get with raw ratgdo:

The firmware comes pre-loaded. You plug in the device and it starts working. No flashing a firmware image onto a bare board. A mobile app guides you through connecting it to your Wi-Fi and pairing it with your smart home. The app replaces the command-line steps that ratgdo requires.

Apple HomeKit works out of the box. With ratgdo, you need a separate Homebridge server running on a Raspberry Pi or similar device to bridge into HomeKit. BLAQ does this natively. If HomeKit is your primary smart home platform, that difference alone justifies the higher price for most homeowners.

The device comes in a proper enclosure with mounting hardware. There is a physical warranty and a customer support team you can contact if something does not work. The price is around $90, which is about $40 to $50 more than ratgdo.

The hardware connection to the opener is the same basic approach: wires to the data and power terminals on the motor head. The BLAQ reads full door state the same way ratgdo does, because it is built on the same underlying protocol.

The main difference is really about the target user. ratgdo is for the person who enjoys building things and runs Home Assistant already. BLAQ is for the person who wants local control and HomeKit support but does not want to set up a server or flash firmware.

Side-by-side comparison

Feature	ratgdo	Konnected BLAQ
Price	Under $50	Around $90
Setup	DIY, firmware flashing required	App-guided, plug-and-play
Apple HomeKit	Via Homebridge (separate setup)	Native, built-in
Home Assistant	Yes, MQTT auto-discovery	Yes
Cloud required	No	No
Subscription	None	None
Warranty	Community support only	Consumer warranty
Full door state reading	Yes	Yes
Light control	Yes	Yes
Obstruction sensor reading	Yes	Yes
Security+ 3.0 (white button)	Not compatible	Not compatible

Which openers are compatible?

Both ratgdo and Konnected BLAQ work with LiftMaster and Chamberlain openers that use the Security+ 2.0 protocol. The sign to look for is a yellow learn button on the motor head. This covers most LiftMaster and Chamberlain openers built between about 2011 and 2024.

Neither device works with Security+ 3.0 openers. Security+ 3.0 uses a white learn button and was rolled out on new openers starting in late 2025. Chamberlain Group built Security+ 3.0 around encrypted Bluetooth Low Energy pairing. This design blocks outside local devices from connecting. If you have a white button opener, neither ratgdo nor BLAQ will connect to it in their standard form.

Both devices can also be wired to other opener brands like Genie, Overhead Door, and Wayne Dalton using dry-contact connections. In that mode, you get basic open and close control only. You do not get true door state reading or obstruction sensor data. The full feature set only works with Security+ 2.0 LiftMaster or Chamberlain openers.

If you are not sure which protocol your opener uses, look for the learn button. Yellow = Security+ 2.0 and compatible with both devices. White = Security+ 3.0 and not compatible with either. Purple, red, or orange buttons indicate older Security+ 1.0 units, which also do not work with these devices.

Which one should you choose?

Choose ratgdo if you are already running Home Assistant, are comfortable flashing ESPHome firmware, and want the lowest cost option available in this category. The community support on the Home Assistant forum is active and the documentation at paulwieland.github.io is thorough.

Choose Konnected BLAQ if you want native HomeKit without setting up a Homebridge server, if you prefer a commercial product with warranty support, or if you want an app-guided setup with no firmware configuration. The extra cost over ratgdo is reasonable for the HomeKit integration alone if that is your primary platform.

Neither is a good fit for Security+ 3.0 openers. For those, a contact-closure relay wired to the wall button terminals is the current workaround, with the understanding that it provides only open/close control and cannot read true door state.

G Brothers Garage Doors installs and services garage door openers across the Denver metro and Front Range. If you are considering a smart home upgrade and want advice on which opener and accessory combination fits your setup, we are happy to help with a free consultation alongside any service visit.