The Best Smart Garage Door Opener Picks for 2024

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Best Smart Garage Door Opener on Amazon

Chamberlain B1381T Garage Door Opener

This whisper-quiet smart garage door opener from Chamberlain features Corner to Corner Lighting—a 100 LED diode system that outputs 3,100 lumens to illuminate every area of your garage. You can also connect to other smart lights in your house so that your entire home is lit up with a welcoming glow when you open your garage door. If you’re worried about waking sleeping kids, the Chamberlain has a super quiet belt drive and a 1-1/4-horsepower (HP) motor, so your garage door—even a heavy insulated steel door—will be super smooth as it lifts and closes.

Beyond how quiet and bright the system is, my favorite feature is that it can open and close your garage door from anywhere with your smartphone through the myQ app. It will also send you real-time notifications if the garage door is left open, providing an extra sense of security. Another key feature is the battery backup, which means you can control your garage door even during power outages.

Pros

• Bright LED Corner to Corner Lighting
• Ultra quiet belt drive
• Easy installation
• Battery back-up
• Works with Google Assistant, Wink and Amazon Key for in-garage Amazon deliveries

Cons

• Does not work directly with Alexa (but does work via IFTTT or the SimpleCommands app)

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What to Look for When Buying a Smart Garage Door Opener

There are a few factors to consider when deciding on the right smart garage door controller for your home.

• Compatibility: Not all smart garage controllers work with all door openers, especially garage door openers manufactured before 1993. You may need to replace the entire unit with a new one in order to use the smart opener. Most brands offer an online tool to confirm compatibility of the smart garage hub with the non-smart opener before purchasing.
• Features: Some smart controllers include cameras that provide live video or saved motion clips. Other models offer wired or wireless sensors that run off of batteries. Wired units are more reliable and less prone to interference but more difficult to install.
• Integration: Consider the integration options with other smart home platforms like Apple HomeKit, Google Assistant, Amazon Alexa or smart home hubs like SmartThings. Some models allow you to link to other smart home devices, such as indoor lighting, so that if you open the garage door at night, the interior smart lights will turn on.
• Security Features: Look for security features such as local data storage vs. cloud storage, rolling code technology and encryption to protect against hacking and unauthorized access to your garage.
• Installation: Some smart garage door openers are DIY-friendly, while others may require professional installation.
• Battery Back-up: Consider a garage door opener with a battery back-up system in case of power outages. This ensures you can still operate the door during emergencies.
• Ease of Use: The smart controller should have a user-friendly app with straightforward navigation. It should allow you to open and close the garage door with a single tap or voice command. Most controllers are designed for DIY installation, so clear instructions can make the process easier. If you have other smart home devices, verify that the controller is compatible with platforms like Apple HomeKit, Google Assistant, or Amazon Alexa. Check out our guide on smart home automation.

How We Chose the Best Smart Garage Door Openers

When choosing the best smart garage door openers, I looked for products with glowing customer reviews and examined things like price, compatibility, ease of installation and reliability. The smart garage kits needed to offer scheduling, family sharing and compatibility with more than one smart-home platform. On top of that, they had to feature auto-open and close, simple DIY installation and accurate performance with minimal errors and false alerts. I researched reviews on each smart controller’s responsiveness when opening and closing, as well as the user interface of the app.

FAQ

Does MyQ have a monthly fee?

MyQ is free for their standard features, such as opening and closing the garage door via the app, checking the status of the garage door and automation scheduling. Other free features include smart-home integration with Amazon’s Key in-garage delivery, Apple HomeKit and Ring doorbell camera integration. There is a charge for “premium integration”, which covers connecting to a Tesla, support for multiple cameras, people detection or saved video history of motion events. The premium level pairs myQ with IFTTT, opening up possibilities like controlling a garage door with Alexa or turning off/on a Wyze camera.

Can you make an existing garage door opener smart?

Most garage openers can be easily turned into a smart garage door with an add-on controller that connects to your Wi-Fi network so you can secure your garage from thieves. If your garage opener is older, you may need to replace it with a smart opener and door sensors from makers such as Chamberlain or LiftMaster. The manufacturer’s app will walk you through the steps to add the device to your Wi-Fi and perform a DIY installation.

Are smart home garage door openers safe?

Smart garage door openers come with protections to prevent potential hacks including data encryption and password-protected access. There are also units that save data locally rather than on the cloud. Looking for more privacy tips? Read our guide to prevent your smart home from being hacked.

Will my smart garage door opener work if the power goes out?

Garage door openers run on electricity and will not work in the case of a power outage unless you have a model like the Chamberlain B1381 Garage Door Opener, which has a battery back-up.