Your garage door opener just got smarter — these are our top 5 picks
Overview
meross Smart Garage Door Opener Remote
Lomota Smart Wi-Fi Garage Door Opener
Table of Contents
The front door is how we invite people into our lives. We welcome guests, accept packages, and turn down solicitors. But, for many of us, the garage door is a much more regularly used entryway into our homes when we bring in gardening tools, more packages, groceries, and more.
While front doors have smart doorbells, like an Echo or Ring, why not get a smart garage door opener for an entrance that's used just as much?
Garage door openers used to be a pretty basic set-up. They raised or lowered the garage door with the press of a button. Now, smart garage door openers take things to a whole new level. Instead of constantly worrying about losing your garage door opener, smart garage door openers use your smartphone as the button. Installing a great smart garage door opener is an inexpensive way to make your garage easier and safer to use.
If you’ve ever arrived home after a long day of work only to discover you left the garage door open all day, then you should look into a smart garage door opener. Smart upgrades to your garage are useful and practical, considering how often the garage door is our main entrance into our houses. Easily let in people (like kids coming home from school) and create a secure dropoff location for packages, so no more porch pirates. Keep your home and deliveries safe from anywhere with the touch of a button.
So, what is a smart garage door opener?
There are four types of garage door openers. First, you got the manual where you pull a string or chain to bring down and pull up the garage door. This old-school option will be super reliable, it can be annoying to continuously get out of the car and bring up the garage door.
Then you have the physical button that is in the garage and right outside. There’s also a garage door remote that you can leave in your car so you won’t have to get out to open the door.
Finally, a smart garage door opener connects to your existing garage door, and then links to your Wi-Fi network so you can open and close it from anywhere. And, you can link it to other smart home devices. For example, if you open your garage door at night, you can set your smart lights to turn on with it.
What should you look for in a smart garage door opener?
When considering whether a smart garage door opener is right for you, consider the following features:
Security: Will it work with the safety features in your garage door opener? Can it be hacked?
Connection: Can you use it from your phone? Do you have to be connected to the home Wi-Fi to use it?
Integration: Can you integrate it with your smart home tools?
Power outage: Will it still work in a power outage?
Setup: Is it easy to set up? Will it work with a garage door already installed?
What are the best smart garage door openers?
Ready to invest in a smart garage door opener that’ll survive the next unexpected power outage? We’ve rounded up some of the best-rated smart garage door openers on the market that’ll ensure security for you, your car, and your home.
Chamberlain MyQ-G0401
Best Overall
The Good & The Bad
- Lets you set a schedule
- Gives you notifications for garage door activity
- You can let people, and Amazon packages and groceries in from your phone
- Compatible with all major branded openers
- Wi-Fi and Bluetooth supportive
- Must have sectional garage door
- Doesn’t work with Alexa or Siri
- Connectivity issues
Why We Like It
Open or close your garage from anywhere with Chamberlain MyQ-G0401. The free myQ app for iPhone or Android lets you receive real-time notifications for your garage door. You can also give access to family or friends and invite up to three people to control your devices with myQ Guest.
Most notably, you can conveniently have your Amazon packages and groceries delivered inside your garage with Amazon Key In-Garage Delivery. While it’s free for Prime members, it is available in select cities and surrounding areas. You must have a sectional garage door for it to work.
Details
meross Smart Garage Door Opener Remote
Best For Garage Door Compatibility
The Good & The Bad
- Voice control
- Compatible with over 200 garage door brands
- Works with Apple HomeKit, Siri, Amazon Alexa, and Google Assistant
- Easy to install
- Uses the meross app
- Not the best security
- Connectivity issues
Why We Like It
If you’re worried that your garage door won’t be compatible with any smart garage door opener, the meross Smart Garage Door Opener Remote is compatible with over 200 brands of garage doors. It also works with Apple HomeKit, Siri, Amazon Alexa, and Google Assistant.
To see if your garage door model is compatible with the meross garage door opener, you can check the "Product guides and documents-User Guide". Even if it is not compatible, you can see if your garage door needs accessories to solve any issues.
You can check the records and stay alert on the garage door status through the app. To let in your family, guests, or couriers through the garage door, you can turn the door on/off from anywhere with internet access via the meross app.
Details
Genie ALKT1-R Aladdin Connect
Best For Multiple Garage Doors
The Good & The Bad
- Monitor, open, and close the garage door from any smart device from anywhere
- Compatible with Amazon Alexa, Siri, and Google Assistant
- Control up to three garage doors
- Set up virtual keys for friends, family, and neighbors
- Hard to set up
- 15-30 second delay to actually open and close the door
Why We Like It
The Genie ALKT1-R Aladdin Connect controller lets you monitor, open, and close your garage door from anywhere with a smart device. It works with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant. You can also use voice control.
You can schedule times to close your garage door and close after a certain length of time. The Aladdin Connect also lets you create virtual keys for friends, neighbors, workers, and relatives. You can provide up to 19 virtual keys. This smart garage door opener is perfect for AirBnB owners.
You can monitor up to three garage doors with additional door position sensors sold separately.
Details
Lomota Smart Wi-Fi Garage Door Opener
Best For Smart Device Connectivity
The Good & The Bad
- Compatible with most major garage door opener brands
- Works with Alexa and Google Assistant
- Check the status of your garage door from anywhere
- Set a schedule to automatically open and close your garage
- Glitchy notification system
- Sometimes inaccurate reporting
Why We Like It
With the Lomota Smart Wi-Fi Garage Door Opener, you can control traditional garage doors by the eWiseHome APP, TuyaSmart APP, Smart Life APP, Alexa, and Google Assistant. It also works with voice control.
You can get timely notifications for your garage door. It will give you an open, close, and overtime warning. And, you can set your own schedules to automatically turn on and off your garage door.
The Lomota garage door opener lets you check the status of the garage door anytime anywhere with internet access from your smartphone or tablet with the free eWiseHome, TuyaSmart or Smart Life APP. Most importantly, it’s compatible with most major garage door openers on the market.
Details
Refoss Smart Wi-Fi Garage Door Opener
Easiest To Use
The Good & The Bad
- Easy to connect with the Wi-Fi
- Works great with smart devices
- Voice control
- Records history
- Easy to use app
- The stickers included for installation are not effective
- Google Assistant and Alexa require that you provide a PIN when opening
Why We Like It
If you’re looking for a smart garage door opener that you can wire once and forget about it, you should look into the Refoss Smart Wi-Fi Garage Door Opener. It’s hardwired, with only the receiver that needs power. Wire it once and forget it forever.
The Refoss gives you notifications when the door is open and automatically closing, if desired, through the eHomeLife iOS/Android app. There are different notification modes that remind you to close the garage door for example, overnight. It works with Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa.
Google Assistant and Alexa require that you provide a PIN when opening, so you have to set a PIN in the Refoss app. Some might find that tedious but it also provides extra security. And, while you might not have to worry about Refoss after you set up, the stickers included in the package are not very strong so we recommend you use extra Command Strips to keep the garage door opener from falling.
Details
Topics Gadgets
Georgia Dodd is a Shopping Fellow.
