Go Home and Open The Garage
Well, I’m back and after too many miles, neither me nor my iPad are any worse for wear. It’s time to put the car away and I’m the kind of guy who can never find the garage door opener, but the iPad can help here as well.
My iPad can now open a garage door by tapping on its screen, thanks to the Sears Craftsman AssureLink system (opens in new tab). The key is that in addition to getting a pair of remote controls, which I’ll immediately put some place and forget it, I’ve linked the device to an iPad, iPhone or Android device
It costs $250 with the opener mechanism, but its installation is a little trickier than the typical door opener. After physically mounting the drive on the ceiling of the garage, connecting it to the door and wiring it up, you’ll need to plug the included gateway device into your home data router. The gateway connects wirelessly with the door opener over a 900MHz link that should have enough range for all but the largest mansions.
You’ll also need to download and install the app on your iPad, but that’s a freebee. After registering the door opener, it’s a matter of logging in and trying it out.