Our Favorite Garage Openers
Most, if not all garage door openers have small remotes so you can open and close the door from your car. However, you can take things a step further by adding smarts to your garage door opener. Doing so will not only let you monitor and control it from your smartphone, but also link it to other smart home devices, so that your house lights will turn on when you arrive home.
Based on our extensive research, which included evaluating both product reviews across the web and user reviews, the top product in this category is the Chamberlain MYQ-G0301. It works with a large number of smart home devices and garage doors and is easy to set up. However, if you want to use it with Google Assistant or IFTTT, you'll need to sign up for a subscription plan.
Latest News and Updates (September 2018)
- Senclo's Fi Garage Door Opener ($399) is much pricier than most other models, but also comes with a touchscreen controller, and has other features such as Alexa and Google Assistant compatibility, geofencing, notifications, and guest access. The Fi Mini ($139) has all the same features, but does not include the touchscreen.
- The
Momentum Niro Wi-Fi Garage Door Controller ($99 on Walmart)
is now available. This controller also has a 720p security camera, so you can see who is entering or leaving your garage. However, it's not a universal device; here is a list of garage door openers the Niro will work with.
- It's not a garage door opener per se, but Roost, the company behind the smart battery for smoke detectors, is launching a garage door sensor ($29; available through Indiegogo) that lets you know if your garage door is open or closed. It will send you notifications if it's open and you're about to go to bed, or if you left for work and forgot to close it. However, you'll still need a way to close it remotely.
What to Look For
Before you buy a smart garage door opener, you should make sure it will work with your existing garage door. Usually, you can find out which doors an opener is compatible with on the manufacturer's site.
Also, some smart garage door openers have Wi-Fi, while others use Bluetooth to connect to your phone. We recommend sticking with Wi-Fi models, as they'll allow you to remotely monitor your garage door; Bluetooth models will work only when you're within about 20 feet of the garage.
You also want to find out how many smart home systems each garage door opener is compatible with — the more, the better, because you'll have more options when building out your smart home.
If you're buying a completely new garage door opener, there are many models from Chamberlain and Genie with this technology built in. For example, the Chamberlain B550 ($193) comes with MyQ baked in, so you don't need to purchase a third-party accessory.
Chamberlain MyQ-G0301
Chamberlain MyQ-G0301
Best Overall
Chamberlain's MyQ device includes a sensor for your garage door as well as a hub that connects to your Wi-Fi network. When you send a command using your smartphone, it is relayed to the hub, which then goes to the sensor that activates your garage door. The MyQ app, available for Android and iOS devices, lets you check to see if your door is open, and then close — or open — it remotely.
Currently, MyQ works with Wink, Nest, SmartThings and Xfinity Home smart home systems. Apple HomeKit compatibility requires the purchase of a $49 adapter. This will let you control your garage doors using Siri, and create scenes so that the lights come on when the door goes up.
Chamberlain also works with Google Assistant and IFTTT, so now you can use Google Home to control your garage door, too. However, in order to use MyQ with Google Assistant or IFTTT, you have to sign up for a $1/month or $10/year plan with MyQ. That's a bummer.
User Reviews: What owners are saying
Chamberlain's MyQ G0301 has an average rating of 3.5 out of 5 stars on Amazon. However, its nearly 340 reviews get a rating of D by Fakespot, a site that looks to see if reviews are legitimate. However, the reviews of the previous version, the G0201, have a much better Fakespot rating of A.
"It's really a simple device and easy to install. I installed it and got it up and running in less than an hour," wrote one customer. "No hubs or anything else is needed -- other that a wi-fi signal. Works as expected and I will buy the second sensor, soon."
However, others complained about the extra fee to use it with Google Assistant. "I haven't heard of any other company to have subscription fee for connecting to Google or Amazon," wrote one person.
GogoGate2
Unlike most other smart garage door controllers, Gogogate has an app that lets you create additional users, so that you don't have to share a single account among family members; it's also helpful for providing temporary access to guests.
While it isn't natively compatible with as many smart home systems as MyQ and GoControl, GoGogate does work with IFTTT, which means you can have it automatically open or close your door using geofencing. Also through IFTTT, you can link it to Alexa, as well as other smart home systems.
User Reviews: What owners are saying
GoGogate has been reviewed by more than 160 customers on Amazon, who give it an average of 4 stars. (Fakespot gives these reviews an A, with more than 90 percent being high-quality.) However, many reviewers, even those who liked the product, said that installation was less than intuitive. "The documentation for setting up and troubleshooting this device could definitely be improved," wrote one person.
NEXX GARAGE
NEXX GARAGE Remote Garage Door Opener
Best for DIYers
The Nexx Garage door opener works not only with Alexa, but with Google Home, too, so you can open or close the door using voice commands.
Similar to with GoGogate, Nexx owners can give permission to multiple users, and a calendar in the app lets you see when the door was opened, and by whom.
Nexx has a list on its site of garage door openers that won't work with its system, though it acknowledges that the list is incomplete.
User Reviews: What owners are saying
The Nexx Garage is highly regarded by Amazon users, who gave it an average review of 4.5 stars. (Fakespot says that more than 90 percent of these are high-quality, too.) Customers praised Nexx's customer support, but more than one reviewer noted that a little DIY know-how is needed to install the device. "You will need to build a custom bracket to mount the sensor flat and really close between the door and the wall," was a typical response.
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About the author
When I was setting up my new Google Home Minis, and saw that Chamberlain was available, I got SO EXCITED, and was even more disappointed that they'd gone back on their "safety concerns" BS in favor of trying to swindle users for subscriptions for each. individual. service. Wanna pair with Google Assistant, which would let you voice operate your door? That'll be $10/year (at the discounted bulk rate). Double that if you also want to pair it with IFTTT. I'd love to find the person responsible for this and punch them in the throat, twice a month. But I'll do it at a discounted rate so they only get 20 punches per year instead of 24. Jerks.