If you have an older automatic garage door, one of the best smart garage door openers is an inexpensive way to control it from your smartphone and let you know when it opens and closes.
Smart garage door openers connect to your existing garage door and then connect to your Wi-Fi network so you can control it from anywhere. Plus, you can pair it with other smart home devices, so if you turn it on at night, you can turn on the smart lights. Additionally, you can set your smart lock to lock when you close the door.
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The best smart garage door openers we recommend here are designed to connect to existing non-smart garage door openers and cost less than $100. If you’re shopping for a new garage door opener, Chamberlain, Genie, Skylink and Ryobi make Wi-Fi-connected models ranging from $169 to $300, so you don’t have to buy additional accessories to control them with your smartphone.
Update (April 2023). Security researchers have discovered a dangerous vulnerability in the Nexx smart garage door opener. We have removed it from the list and advise anyone who purchased a Nexx garage door opener to disconnect the device immediately.
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The updated Chamberlain myQ-G0401 smart garage door opener is a more refined version of its predecessor, with a white rather than black body and multiple buttons that allow you to manually operate your garage door. As before, setting up myQ is easy, and its mobile app (available for Android and iOS) is equally intuitive.
myQ works with a variety of smart home systems—IFTTT, Vivint Smart Home, XFINITY Home, Alpine Audio Connect, Eve for Tesla, Resideo Total Connect, and Amazon’s Key—but not Alexa, Google Assistant, HomeKit, or SmartThings, Four Big smart home platform . It really hurt. If you can ignore this problem, this is the best smart garage door opener. Even better: It usually sells for under $30.
The Tailwind iQ3 smart garage door opener has a unique feature: If you have an Android phone, it can use your car’s Bluetooth connection to automatically open and close your garage door when you arrive or leave your home. (iPhone users need to use a separate adapter). It’s smart and works well, but you can’t customize its activation range.
Like many smart garage door openers, installing the iQ3 wasn’t as intuitive as we thought, but once it was set up, it worked almost flawlessly. We love its simple apps, notifications, and compatibility with Alexa, Google Assistant, SmartThings, and IFTTT. You can also buy versions for one, two or three garage doors.
The Chamberlain MyQ G0301 is the company’s older smart garage door opener, but it’s still just as effective as newer models. It includes a garage door sensor and a hub that connects to your Wi-Fi network. When you send a command using your smartphone, it is forwarded to the hub, which then sends it to a sensor that activates the garage door. The MyQ app, available for Android and iOS devices, allows you to check whether a door is open and then close or open it remotely. MyQ is also one of the best Google Home compatible devices, which means you can connect it to Google Assistant and control it with your voice.
MyQ will work with most brands of garage door openers made after 1993 that have standard safety sensors, Chamberlain said. MyQ currently works with smart home systems like Ring and Xfinity Home, but it doesn’t work with Alexa, Google Assistant, HomeKit or SmartThings, which is really an oversight on Chamberlain’s part.
While many smart garage door openers use motion-sensing sensors to determine whether the garage door is open or closed, the Garadget smart garage door opener uses a laser that shines a light on a reflective tag mounted on the door. This means there’s one less piece of equipment with potentially dead batteries, but it also makes setup a little trickier than other smart garage door openers since you need to precisely aim the laser.
The Garagdet app alerts you in real time if a door is open or the door remains open for too long. However, from time to time we receive false positive results. However, we also like the fact that the Garadget is compatible with Alexa, Google Assistant, SmartThings, and IFTTT, so you have no shortage of options if you want to connect it to other assistants and smart home devices.
If you don’t already have one, you can buy a garage door opener that already has smart home compatibility built into it. However, if you have an old garage door opener, you can make it smart by purchasing a kit that allows you to connect it to the Internet and control it remotely using your smartphone.
Before purchasing a smart garage door opener, you should make sure that it will work with the garage door you have. You can usually find out which doors a door mechanism is compatible with on the manufacturer’s website. However, the vast majority of smart garage door openers will work with most garage door openers made after 1993.
Some smart garage door openers can only control one garage door, while others can control two or three garage doors. Be sure to test the product to make sure it supports the features you need.
The best smart garage door openers have Wi-Fi, while others use Bluetooth to connect to your phone. We recommend using Wi-Fi models as they allow you to control your garage door remotely; Bluetooth models only work when you’re within 20 feet of the garage.
You’ll also want to know how many smart home systems each garage door opener is compatible with—the more, the better, as you’ll have more options when building your smart home. For example, our favorite model, the Chamberlain MyQ, doesn’t work with Alexa.
If you’re shopping for a new garage door opener, many Chamberlain and Genie models have this technology built into them. For example, the Chamberlain B550 ($193) has MyQ built-in, so you don’t have to buy third-party accessories.
Yes! In fact, all the options on this page allow you to do just that. Most smart garage door openers come in two parts: one that attaches to the garage door and the other that connects to the garage door opener. When you send a command to the device from your smartphone, it forwards it to the module connected to the garage door opener. The module also communicates with the sensor installed on the garage door to know whether the garage door is open or closed.
The vast majority of these optional smart garage door openers will work with any garage door opener made after 1993. We’d be impressed if the garage door opener was older than 1993, but that also means you’ll need a new device to make it smart if you need one.
To determine the best smart garage door openers, we installed them over the existing non-smart garage door openers in the garage. We wanted to test how easy it was to physically install the components and how easy it was to connect to our home Wi-Fi network.
Like any other smart home product, the best smart garage door opener should have an intuitive app that makes it easy to operate, receive notifications, and resolve problems. A good smart garage door opener should also be compatible with and easily connect to leading virtual assistants (Alexa, Google Assistant, and HomeKit).
And while most smart garage door openers are very close in price, we also consider their cost when determining our final rating.
To determine the best smart garage door openers, we installed them over the existing non-smart garage door openers in the garage. We wanted to test how easy it was to physically install the components and how easy it was to connect to our home Wi-Fi network.
Like any other smart home product, the best smart garage door opener should have an intuitive app that makes it easy to operate, receive notifications, and resolve problems. A good smart garage door opener should also be compatible with and easily connect to leading virtual assistants (Alexa, Google Assistant, and HomeKit).
And while most smart garage door openers are very close in price, we also consider their cost when determining our final rating.
Michael A. Prospero is the American editor-in-chief of Tom’s Guide. He oversees all constantly updated content and is responsible for the site categories: Home, Smart Home, Fitness/Wearables. In his spare time, he also tests the latest drones, electric scooters and smart home gadgets such as video doorbells. Before joining Tom’s Guide, he worked as a reviews editor for Laptop Magazine, a reporter for Fast Company, the Times of Trenton and, many years ago, an intern at George Magazine. He received a bachelor’s degree from Boston College, worked for the university newspaper, The Heights, and then enrolled in the journalism department at Columbia University. When he’s not testing the latest running watch, electric scooter, ski or marathon training, he’s probably using the latest sous vide cooker, smoker or pizza oven, much to the delight and chagrin of his family.
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Post time: Sep-19-2023