Locks and doorbells protect your front door, but many of us use our garage doors just as much. Here are the best smart garage door openers to protect them.
Updated Jan. 1, 2024 12:00 p.m. PT Pocket Kitchen Doors
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Most of us welcome visitors and accept packages at our front doors, but in a lot of cases, the garage is the much more common point of entry into our homes. Even so, while smart locks and doorbell cameras for our front doors remain popular, smart garage door technology often goes overlooked.
That means that plenty of people are missing out on an opportunity to monitor and automate their comings and goings. That's what you get with a smart garage door opener, complete with the added convenience and peace of mind of being able to check whether or not the garage is open right from your phone. Most models support voice controls, too, which'll let you close the door just by asking Alexa, Siri or Google Assistant.
Shop around, and you'll find a number of options on the market, all of which promise to transform your existing garage door opener into a smart garage door opener with all of the bells and whistles mentioned above. Our top picks available now are listed below to help you find the best smart garage opener for your home -- we'll update this list periodically as we continue to test new models.
Editor's note: As of Oct. 25, MyQ smart garage controllers are no longer compatible with smart home platforms Homebridge and Home Assistant. Currently, the only open smart home platform MyQ is compatible with is IFTTT. We will update this page as we reevaluate smart garage door controllers.
Available for less than $50, the newest version of Chamberlain's MyQ Smart Garage Hub promises to add smarts to a wide variety of garage door openers. With MyQ installed, you can check your garage door's status and open or close the door remotely from the MyQ app on your iOS or Android smartphone. The system is easy to install, with no wires to attach to your existing door opener, though it does require bolting a bracket onto your ceiling rather than the more common adhesive tape approach used by other manufacturers.
Chamberlain is no longer compatible with SmartThings, Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant but there is still IFTTT compatibility, and it supports Amazon Key, which lets the company's delivery drivers open the door to drop off your packages inside the garage (before closing the door behind them).
The $80 Tailwind iQ3 is reliable thanks to a wired setup, and with a vehicle sensor in your car, it'll automatically open whenever you pull up. Those auto-opening and closing smarts worked well in our tests -- on top of that The iQ3 can control up to three garage doors at once and works with Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa. You won't get HomeKit compatibility, though, and installing wires can be a bit of a hassle.
Overall, this garage door controller checks all the boxes for basic smarts and convenient automation if you don't need HomeKit compatibility.
Available for about $99, the Garadget adds voice control and remote access to your existing garage door. The Garadget's sensor system is made up of a reflective tag placed on the top panel of a garage door and a laser built into the Garadget device. When the laser hits the reflective tag, Garadget knows your garage door is closed. Easy, right? Like many a garage controller we tested, the Garadget does require some wiring to make the door controller work.
The Garadget has its own Amazon Alexa skill, and IFTTT integration means you can create custom commands for Google Assistant. The Garadget app for smartphone (iOS and Android) doesn't include scheduling, but if you're just looking for simple commands and mobile app garage remote access, the Garadget will get the job done for a reasonable price.
By far one of the more eye-catching and interesting garage devices we've tested, the Garager 2 is a two-in-one camera and easy door control. This surveillance camera attaches to the bottom of your garage door opener via a magnet and controls your garage door from the Alcidae app for smartphone (Android and iOS). The camera includes 1080p color and night vision video and two-way audio, all of which is great for a device that costs less than $50, though clip storage does require a $5-per-month subscription.
The control works with Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa, via your Wi-Fi connection, for commands to open and close your garage. An upgrade over the previous model adds a magnetic base to stabilize the camera feed when you open or close the garage. If you want to add video monitoring and be able to watch and talk to your garage space, this device is for you. You can also set it up to send you notifications, and you can control it remotely or via voice assistants.
The Nexx Garage is a smart garage controller that adds skills to your normal garage door open and close with ease. You'll get voice commands, remote access and auto opening through the Nexx Garage app for smartphone (iOS and Android) without involving IFTTT applets. Though Nexx Garage isn't as widely integratable as Chamberlain's MyQ system, there aren't any fees for the Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa voice compatibility.
The Nexx Garage's biggest negative is the sensors you'll need to detect the door's status. Two sensors attach to your garage door and the wall above it and must be placed within a quarter-inch of each other for best results. The top sensor in this pair is wired, and adding more wires to any room is something I don't prefer. Though it isn't cheap at $100, the Nexx Garage is great for anyone wanting simple, fuss-free smarts and compatibility with the voice-activated assistants Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant.
If you already own a motorized garage opener, even one with a belt drive opener or a chain drive, you can use one of the easy add-on accessories above for smart garage door control. If you're in the market for a whole new opener mechanism and you want a smart device, you can find smart opener and door sensor options from makers such as Chamberlain, LiftMaster and Ryobi.
Smart garage door controllers come in a few variations. In general, a control attaches to your existing opener with a double-sided adhesive strip. In most cases, you'll need to attach two small wires to the open and close command nodes on your existing garage door opener.
Smart garage kits also typically include some type of sensor to attach to your garage door. This sensor detects and transmits your garage door status, so the control accurately knows whether the door is open, closed or somewhere in between, and with the garage door opener app, can send you a push notification if your garage is open when it shouldn't be. It also usually serves as a safety sensor.
The ability to connect to a Wi-Fi signal is key to ensuring your new smart garage door and remote control work the way you want them to. On the smart side, an add-on controller connects to your Wi-Fi network , which is easy enough. You'll need a strong 2.4GHz internet connection that reaches your garage. Typically, a corresponding app will walk you through adding your device to the network, as well as the general installation.
Garage door opener app features and smarts differ from brand to brand. One app may offer geofencing, scheduling, remote access and voice control, while another app may just make your smartphone a duplicate of your garage door controller.
Deciding which controller is the best smart garage door opener for you comes down to what control features you want most and what smart home platforms you use in your home (such as Amazon Alexa, Google Home or Apple HomeKit). No matter your requirements, there's likely a smart garage door opener and app out there to meet your needs.
Smart garage door openers come with the same risks as any smart home device, including potential hacks if someone gains access to your network. Fortunately, smart garage doors also come with many of the same protections as other smart home devices, including data encryption and password-protected access and settings. Further, a smart garage door opener may improve home security by enabling homeowners to check if their garage door is open and close it remotely if needed.
Garage door openers, smart or not, run on electricity, which means it will not work in the case of a power outage. You may still be able to manually open and close your garage door, but try to avoid doing this unless absolutely necessary, like if you need to get your car out. It can be hazardous to force a garage door up or down with an opener attached.
Auto Door Opener Many smart garage door openers are compatible with other smart home devices, such as Amazon Echo or your smartphone. By integrating your smart garage door opener with compatible devices, you could open the door for guests while sticking a roast in the oven by saying "Alexa, open the garage door," or even close the garage door behind you while your hands are full of groceries with a simple "Siri, close the garage door."