The best smart garage door openers are an often overlooked part of the smart home makeover. Lighting, televisions, refrigerators, and even thermostats come with “smart” capabilities to control and optimize them fully directly from a phone, tablet, or PC. Now, even the “ol’ clicker” is available in smart offerings, with features you didn’t even know you wanted. Ever left the house and wondered if you left the garage door open halfway to the freeway? A smart garage door opener can make this common worry a thing of the past. Here’s a thorough roundup of the best smart garage door openers and what they can bring to your smart home.
— Best Overall: Chamberlain myQ Smart Garage with HD Camera
— Best for Alexa: Nexx Smart WiFi NXG-300 Garage Door Opener
— Best for Advanced Smart Homes: Remootio 2 Smart Garage Door Opener
— Best With Camera: Alcidae Garager 2 Smart WiFi Garage Control with Security Camera
— Best Budget: meross Smart Garage Door Opener
How We Picked the Best Smart Garage Door Openers
In general, a smart garage door opener is a device that you connect to your garage door opener to open and close it from anywhere in the world using a smartphone, tablet, or PC app. Of course, there are plenty more features. You can schedule doors to open and close at given times, offer friends makeshift keys to visit over text, or even allow delivery drivers to enter your garage to drop off precious packages to keep them safe from porch pilferers. Throw an optional camera into the mix, and the possibilities are endless for security and ease of access.
It’s a simple enough idea, but simplicity usually means there’s more room for small flaws to turn into big ones. Here are some of the things we considered when choosing the best smart garage door openers.
Setup: Hooking up your new smart device shouldn’t take an afternoon. In fact, it shouldn’t even take an hour. Connecting your garage door to the new smart opener should be a one-person task and one that doesn’t require you to even break a sweat. No smart device is worth the headache of constantly consulting a manual, breaking excessive power tools, or worse, contacting a contractor.
Usability and Responsiveness: Most garage door openers work using simple buttons that live near the dashboard near the driver’s seat of a vehicle. Once you’re nearby, a simple press usually opens the door. Usually. Anyone with a garage door opener knows it can occasionally be finicky. That said, the “smart” upgrade should render this problem extinct, whether you’ve connected it via WiFi or Bluetooth. Apps should be equally user-friendly, with minimal bugs, crashes, or less-than-optimized user interfaces.
Security: Adding your garage door to your smart home shouldn’t make getting into your house easier for those you’re trying to keep out. Analog as they may be, standard garage door openers aren’t exactly known to be “hackable.” That’s not always the case with apps or anything to do with the internet. Of course, safety in the other direction can be equally annoying, with two-factor authentication and other extra steps.
Best Smart Garage Door Openers: Reviews and Recommendations
Best Overall: Chamberlain myQ Smart Garage with HD Camera
Why it Made The Cut: A smart garage door opener that makes everything simple while looking great too.
Specs:
— Dimensions: 2.6 inches L x 2.6 inches W x 0.8 inches D
— Weight: 13.4 ounces
Pros:
— Keeps tabs on garage happenings
— Send control to up to three people
— Compatible with tons of models
Cons:
— App requires a subscription
— Requires close proximity to home router 50 feet
Putting a camera inside your garage seems like a dicey proposition, but once the Chamberlain myQ Smart Garage with HD Camera is installed, you’ll wonder how you lived without it.
Setting the camera and the smart garage door opener up is simple, especially the camera with its easy-to-mount magnetic strip. From the myQ app (available on App Store and Google Play) you can do everything from close doors to take a quick peek at garage activity. If you hear a noise at night you’re too lazy to get out of bed to investigate, the HD camera will provide reassurance because it can see in the dark. Chamberlain myQ Smart Garage works with a wide array of garage door openers, including some really old models, so you won’t need to buy a new one for your smart home makeover. You can even let up to three people access the app on one subscription, for folks who like to come and go at different times of day and night. Sadly, the app does require a meager subscription which isn’t a total deal-breaker, but it is a little annoying. Also, ensure that your router is at least somewhat close to the device (no further than 50 feet) for optimal performance.
Best for Alexa: Nexx Smart Wi-Fi NXG-300 Garage Door Opener
Why it Made The Cut: For an Alexa-powered smart home, the Nexx Smart Garage Door Opener comes highly recommended.
Specs:
— Dimensions: 6.85 inches L x 5.51 inches W x 1.54 inches D
— Weight: 7.4 ounces
Pros:
— Alexa voice command ready
— Fantastic encryption
— Easy app access
Cons:
— Tech support isn’t great
What’s better than being able to open and close your garage door from anywhere? Being able to open and close your garage door using Alexa voice commands, as you can with the Nexx Smart Wi-Fi NXG-300 Garage Door Opener.
Amazon Alexa is one of the biggest names in smart home connectivity, and the best smart home devices come with at least a little Alexa integration. Instead of logging into an app, simply say “Alexa, open the garage.” It truly couldn’t be more simple. The Nexx Home App (available on App Store and iOS) comes with excellent encryption, to keep you and your family safe. You can set the app to get instant notifications anytime anyone comes or goes, and the app even keeps a full activity log. There are even alerts for when anyone forgets to shut the door, so there’s no second-guessing when you’re five miles out and panicking about an open door. Just make sure that you take extra care when installing because Nexx Smart technical support isn’t great.
Best for Advanced Smart Homes: Remootio 2 Smart Garage Door Opener
Why it Made The Cut: The Remootio 2 and its wide compatibility make it great for truly smart homes.
Specs:
— Dimensions: 2.13 inches L x 2.13 inches W x 0.79 inches D
— Weight: 6.7 ounces
Pros:
— Wide compatibility with different smart home platforms
— Big on privacy, no connection required
— Share access with up to 20 people
Cons:
— Obtuse install directions
Truly advanced smart homes require truly advanced smart garage door openers and the Remootio 2 Smart Garage Door Opener certainly qualifies.
For one, it’s incredibly safe, with 256-bit end-to-end encryption. Unlike other smart garage door openers, virtual keys for this device aren’t stored in any sort of cloud, but on your Remootio device. This also means that Remootio works even when your internet is down. Safety aside, access to the opener can be granted to up to 20 users. You can even send QR codes to guests to open the door on the fly, in case you’re not home. And no worries, access can be revoked at any time. It even works with plenty of popular smart home hubs including Amazon Alexa, Google Home, and Samsung SmartThings. Just make sure you take extra care when installing it because the instructions are a little difficult to comprehend at times. Smart garage door openers occasionally live and die by whether or not they’re installed correctly.
Best With Camera: Alcidae Garager 2 Smart WiFi Garage Control with Security Camera
Why it Made The Cut: Alcidae Garager 2 is a good smart garage door opener, and perhaps a little too good as a security camera.
Specs:
— Dimensions: 2.3 inches L x 2.3 inches W x 3.3 inches D
— Weight: 1.13 pounds
Pros:
— Door opener and surveillance system
— Night-vision ready
— Videos saved to the cloud
Cons:
— A little too vigilant
For an all-in-one smart garage door opener and camera at a reasonable price, look no further than the Alcidae Garager 2 Smart WiFi Garage Control with Security Camera.
This device is truly universal, which is one of the reasons it’s so very popular. The Alcidae app (available on App Store and Google Play) lets you keep track of all garage activity, including the door. It installs quickly, and somewhat easily, complete with automatic WiFi pairing with other smart home devices. Unlike other smart garage door openers, its build quality looks impressive and has a small footprint no matter where you install it. The camera inside the device is stronger than it needs to be. It records in full 1080p, is motion-sensitive, and even has night-vision capabilities. The Alcidae will even save videos to a cloud, in case you want to get extra vigilant. Speaking of vigilance, this camera is perhaps a little too sensitive to motion. Some users reported the motion sensors being set off by house flies. Whether or not you consider this a bug or a feature depends on how close an eye you plan on keeping on your garage.
Best Budget: meross Smart Garage Door Opener
Why it Made The Cut: The meross Smart Garage Door Opener Remote simple and pretty inexpensive smart garage door opening solution.
Specs:
— Dimensions: 3.7 inches L x 1.57 inches W x 0.91 inches D
— Weight: 11 ounces
Pros:
— Easy app with voice controls
— Automatic closing for security
— Affordable
Cons:
— Occasionally unresponsive
Adding a simple smart home upgrade doesn’t always require a big investment, especially if you opt for the meross Smart Garage Door Opener.
Meross is a fairly reliable smart home brand, and its Smart Garage Door opener is no outlier. Like any great smart garage door opener, you can open and close using the meross app. You can set the door to close automatically once night falls, for maximum security in case you’re the forgetful type. Simply tapping the meross app (available on App Store and Google Play) will open or close your garage door, so there’s no need to fumble around with an app as you’re arriving home after a busy workday. You can even sync it up to other meross smart home devices, like LED lights that will flash anytime the doors open or close. It’s one of the most affordable smart garage door openers, and even has a fair amount of voice controls. Sadly, you may want to keep your old clicker handy, because this device is occasionally unresponsive, even with a really stable internet connection. Still, it’s incredibly affordable if you want to dip your toes into the world of smart garage door openers.
Things to Consider Before Buying a Smart Garage Door Opener
Necessity
We live in an era of smart-this, and smart-that, and if we’re being honest, sometimes making a device “smart” is totally unnecessary. Did the world truly need a smart toaster? A smart blow dryer? We’ll leave those questions up to the philosophers, but the concept of a smart garage door opener isn’t wholly a terrible idea. As stated previously, even the most careful amongst us will panic once we’re on the road, wondering if we actually remembered to close the door. With a smart garage door opener, there’s no need to wonder if your garage door is open or closed.
It’s also great if you have a lot of people coming and going, especially since most companion apps allow you to give everyone in your home easy access like the Chamberlain myQ Smart Garage with HD Camera. Some even have capabilities to grant quick access to delivery drivers dropping off packages or groceries. Awesome.
Installation
If you go on any website that sells these smart garage door openers, reviews will be polarizing, even on popular devices. Why? Because if you don’t install devices correctly, they will be buggy, unresponsive, and on occasion, outright useless. Installation of smart garage door openers runs into three common problems that we’ll address quickly.
— Garage Door Opener Compatibility: Really old garage door openers simply cannot be used with smart garage door openers. In general, models made after 1998 should work, but some smart openers will work with slightly older models. Always make sure that the smart opener is compatible with your garage door opener before buying.
— Clean Everything: Garages, even the really organized ones, aren’t exactly known for their cleanliness. That’s fine, it’s not exactly a room anyone lingers too long in unless they’re getting out of a car or grabbing Christmas decorations. Still, cleanliness is next to godliness when it comes to installing a smart garage door opener. Wipe your garage door opener down before mounting your device, and try and keep it clean and free of dust once it’s mounted.
— Check Your Connection: If your home has spotty WiFi, you have two options: one, fix it, or two, give up on getting a smart garage door opener. There’s really no maneuvering between those two options. Fixing an unstable internet connection is easier than you may think, and consulting your ISP for tips and hardware may help close any gaps. It helps if your router is closer to your garage. Some devices work even when your internet is down like the Remootio 2 Smart Garage Door Opener, but even great devices will fail in the long-term if your connection sucks.
FAQs
Q: How much does a smart garage door opener cost?
A smart garage door opener costs anywhere from around $50 to a couple of hundred dollars. Our overall best pick, the Chamberlain myQ Smart Garage with HD Camera is also the priciest, though it does come with a camera. Our budget pick, the meross Smart Garage Door Opener is far more affordable and within almost every budget.
Q: Are smart garage door openers worth it?
Whether or not a smart garage door opener is worth it to you depends on if you want your garage door opener integrated into your smart home.
Q: Can smart garage door openers be hacked?
Unfortunately, anything that connects to the internet can also be hacked from there, and that includes smart garage door openers. This sort of hacking is rare, but certainly not impossible.
Q: Can you make an old garage door opener smart?
Some older smart garage door openers are compatible with garage door opener models going back to 1998. Always consult to see if your garage door opener is compatible with a smart device before buying.
Final Thoughts on Smart Garage Door Openers
Making your garage door smart is the final frontier of bringing your home into the 21st century. For the best of the best, the Chamberlain myQ Smart Garage with HD Camera is an all-in-one smart garage door opener and even doubles as a security camera. For the best in Alexa integration, the Nexx Smart Wi-Fi NXG-300 Garage Door Opener works in sync with Amazon’s concierge, as well as other smart home hubs like Google Home and Samsung SmartThings. For a smart garage door opener that won’t break the bank, the meross Smart Garage Door Opener is surprisingly simple and easy to set up.
This post was created by a non-news editorial team at Recurrent Media, Futurism’s owner. Futurism may receive a portion of sales on products linked within this post.
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