In the market for a new smart garage door opener? You’ve come to the right place. There are a lot of options out there, and it seems like the list is constantly growing. You wouldn’t be wrong, there are many choices on the market today.
How Much Will Smart Garage Door Openers Cost You? If you are buying a new smart garage door opener, it will cost you between $180 all the way up to $500 for the top line model. If you already have a opener, and just want to add a controller, the cost ranges from $40 up to $180.
Alright, lets get to the actual garage openers and their cost. This list is going to contain two sections. One for smart garage door openers and a second section for smart garage door controllers, which attach to your current opener. I’ve found that most people looking into smart garage doors do not differentiate between the two, and I want to make sure you know all of your options as well as the difference it makes in price.
Smart Garage Door Openers
If you are looking to install a new opener or are just replacing your garage door, why not upgrade to a smart garage door opener instead of having to retrofit one with a controller later on?
There are two big names in the garage door opener business: Chamberlain & Overhead Door. There are a few other companies that make smart garage door openers as well, such as Mighty Mule and Ryobi. I’m not going to cover those two brands because they don’t have a long reputation like the other two big names have. In fact, you can’t even buy the Ryobi garage door opener at the hardware store anymore. It is only available directly from the manufacturer.
Chamberlain (Also Owns Liftmaster)
The Chamberlain Group is the parent company of both Chamberlain and Liftmaster. Two names that you are probably familiar with, if you have looked at garage doors before. Chamberlain offers smart garage door openers from both the Chamberlain and Liftmaster brands. They use the myQ app to control the garage door, among other things.
Check out the myQ section under smart garage controllers, which is the next big section in this article. There you will find all the features that myQ offers. These garage door openers listed here have myQ built in, so you don’t have to buy and install an external myQ.
Chamberlain’s smart garage door openers have a wide variety to choose from. Here are some of the options to give you an idea:
- Chamberlain
- Chamberlain – C253: Chain Drive ($148.00)
- Chamberlain – C273 Battery Backup Chain Drive ($178.00)
- Chamberlain – B550 Quiet Belt Drive ($190.00)
- Chamberlain – B750 Ultra-Quiet Belt Drive ($199.00)
- Chamberlain – RJO70: Next-gen wall mounted ($499.00)
- Liftmaster
- Liftmaster – 8500W Batter Backup Wall Mount ($559.00)
- Liftmaster – 8587W Chain Drive ($369.99)
- Liftmaster – 8165W Chain Drive ($329.00)
As of this posting, Chamberlain has 13 different smart garage door openers available. Liftmaster has 14 different smart models. You can find the Chamberlain brand openers on their website here and the Liftmaster brand on their website here.
Looking through the list, you’ll notice that the wall mounted units are the most expensive, followed by belt drive, and chain driven units are the cheapest.
The wall mount units are very quiet and take up the least amount of space. They mount on the same wall as the garage door, and not your garage ceiling. Belt drives use a belt (Duh!), instead of a chain. The benefit of the belt is less maintenance and it is quieter. The benefit of a chain drive system is that it is the cheapest.
Overhead Door (Also Owns Genie)
Overhead Doors is the parents company of Genie, a brand name you may be more familier with since it is the one usually ffered in hte hardware stores. Genie offers some models with Wi-fi connectivity already integrated inside, known as Aladdin Connect.
Similar to myQ, Aladdin Connect is also offered and a add-on package which can be installed later to make your garage door smart. These garage door openers listed here have Aladdin Connect built in, so you don’t have to buy and install an external system.
Check out the Aladdin Connect section under smart garage controllers, which is the next big section in this article. There you will find all the features that Aladdin Connect offers. These garage door openers listed here have Aladdin Connect built in, so you don’t have to buy and install any external devices.
Please, go read the app reviews before buying this brand (Overhead Door or Genie). Chamberlain seems to far outrank Overhead Door in terms of app quality and functionality. Mechanically, the doors are fine, so in time, Genie should get their software problems fixed and be on par with Chamberlain. As of now, that hasn’t happened yet.
Overhead Doors smart garage door openers have a good variety of options, including the following models:
- Overhead Door Infinity 2000 (Wall Mount)
- Genie Stealthdrive C750 Plus ($245)
- Genie Quietlift Connect 3/4 HPC ($215)
- Genie ChainGlide Connect 1/2 HPC ($200)
Overhead Door brand does not publicly list their prices, but I included one just for completeness sake and so you would know that they also offer a wall mount unit. You can view all of the smart Overhead Door options here, and the Genie openers on their website here.
Smart Garage Door Controllers
If you are not installing a new garage door opener, you can make your current garage door opener “smart” by adding a smart garage door controller. These units connect to your current opener, as well as your home wireless network, providing you with the functions that make your garage door opener smart.
Since they are independent, a single controller is able to control multiple doors. Therefore, I’m going to state how many doors each controller can operate. All units, no matter the number of doors it controls, are going to require a door safety sensor to be placed on the garage door to tell if it is opened or closed. Depending on the design of the controller, some of the sensors are wired, and some are wireless.
Garageio – $129
Number of Garage Doors It Can Control: 3
You can control up to three separate doors with a single Garageio Blackbox. The door openers can be different models or even from different manufacturers!
Garageio
Garageio has a start-up company vibe to it, but it does provide more options and features than many other of its competitors. That means if integration is what you want out of your garage controller, than Garageio is one of the best controllers on the market. A second version is in the works and about to be released. The original version started at $199, making it a little pricey for most consumers, but the new version is starting at $129. Still a little expensive, but far cheaper than buying a new opener.
For most smart-home users, getting your garage to open automatically when you drive up, or control the door using Alexa, may be have been worth Garageio’s $200 price tag. It’s new price tag, for the not yet released verison makes if far more competitive over the less capable (but completely wireless) MyQ from Chamberlain.
The IFTTT compatibility is the best reason for a recommendation of Garageio. It would be nice to have a more developed app though. For the initial release, the Garageio was far ahead of its competition in terms of its programmability, but even there, Garageio still has room to improve. We’ll have to wait and see with the next release.
How Does Garageio Work?
Garageio is box that you attach to your current garage door opener, which then connects to your wireless network. It does require running a few wires. Further details are in this video.
Pros:
Integrates with Amazon Alexa
Integrates with IFTTT
Customizable more than others
Cons:
Requires a wired sensor to be run for each door.
Limited support for original Garageio.
The Garageio 2 is available for pre-order online. It has been at that status for a few months, and they don’t mention an actual date. It promises a wireless door sensor, so there wouldn’t be running wires. A big improvement! There’s not any information on the other benefits of the new model over the original model, but you can check for updates about Garageio 2 on their product page here.
As of writing this article, there are no parts available for the original Gargaeio. That means even if you wanted to add extra doors right now, you couldn’t. Or you would at least have to figure out how to build the door sensors yourself. This is a big turn off for me, as I want continued support for a product I expect to last a long time.
iSmartGate Pro – $179
iSmartGate Lite available for $119
Number of Garage Doors (or Gates!) It Can Control: 3
One iSmartgate PRO device can control a combination of up to 3 garage doors or gates. The ismartgate app can control unlimited devices and doors.
iSmartGate
iSmartgate is designed with some bonus features, in addition to being able to control multiple doors. iSmartgate has the ability to play a song when you come home or as you are leaving. This is accomplished by uploaded the music file to the device. You can also add a companion camera, the iSmartgate Cam, allowing you to watch and record events in your garage remotely.
If you want to integrate the camera with the iSmartgate, you’ll have to pay an extra $30 annually for what they call a plugin (Discussed shortly). They do offer the option to use the camera with its own separate app, which will require you to create another account.
iSmartgate has two types of “plugins” available for purchase. I’m not sure I wold call them plugins, because they are just a software license that allows for those features to be used. The two options are for video and for remote users.
The video plugin allows the user to integrate their existing IP camera with iSmartgate. Up to three IP cameras can be integrated. The license currently cost $49 for a three year license.
The second type of plugin is to “grant and deny access to users remotely. Manage your users on the go and restrict access by time, door and location.” This allows users to download the app and control any door on your account. There are two options for the user plugin. One that allows 100 users for $49, and another that allows unlimited users for $99. Each license needs renewed annually.
This seems more targeted to commercial users, but could come in handy if you need to give remote access to a bunch of people, and they’re all willing to download the app. For residential uses though, you will likely not need this plugin, as the first 10 user accounts are free.
The system also supports Google Home and IFTTT, but it only works with Alexa via IFTTT as an intermediary.
How Does iSmartgate PRO Work?
iSmartGate Pro is another controller box that you attach to your current garage door opener, which then connects to your wireless network. Further details can be found in this video:
Pros:
Helpful website and setup tuorials.
Integrates with Google Home
Integrates with IFTTT
Cons:
Requires wires to be run to each garage door opener t control opening and closing. The physical sensor that is placed on the door is wireless.
Genie Aladdin Connect – $59.99
Number of Garage Doors It Can Control: 3
One Door Control Module controls up to three doors while one Door Position Sensor is needed per door (one module and sensor come standard with kit; additional sensors sold separately)
Genie
Genie is a popular, well-known brand as far as garage openers go, and as could be expected, they have produced a smart garage solution. However, they decided to keep to a simple option, unlike Chamberlain.
If you like simplicity, Genie Aladdin Connect is the way to go. This device is made so it replaces the wall switch in the garage. That means you don’t have to have additional hardware stuck to the garage controller. IF you don’t like that option, you can also placed it somewhere else in the garage and leave your old wall switch as is. That said, you will still have to manually wire each garage door opener to the Genie Aladdin Connect to control opening and closing.
How Does Genie Aladdin Connect Work?
The Genie Aladdin Connect is a unit that is similar to the Tailwind iQ3, but is also designed to replace the push button switch that is normally wall mounted in the garage and is used to open and close a garage. Each door opener needs to be hardwired to the Genie Aladdin Connect.
Pros:
Name-brand reputation
Integrates with Amazon Alexa
Integrates with Google Home
Cons:
Requires wires to be run to each garage door opener t control opening and closing. The physical sensor that is placed on the door is wireless.
Tailwind iQ3 – $59.99
Number of Garage Doors It Can Control: 3
Each Tailwind iQ3 module can control and monitor up to 3 garage doors. It ships with 1 garage door wiring kit. To control more doors, just add the appropriate number of door kits to your order. So, for example, if you have a 2 car garage you will want to order 1 additional door kit. If you have a 3 car garage you will want to order 2 additional door kits.
Tailwind
If you don’t mind running wires, this is the top choice. The Tailwind iQ3 is reliable and auto opening and closing works well.
One of my favorite features of the Tailwind iQ3 is how it deals with automatically opening and closing the garage door when you have multiple doors in one location. The typical solution uses geofencing, which uses your phone’s location and a predetermined distance from the Tailwind iQ3, usually set during installation, to decide when to open or close the door. That distance can be adjusted after installation, in case you were wondering.
Tailwind adds to this method. They offer a solution that opens the correct garage door based on the car you are driving. This is nice if you have to drive different cars. I find that I often drive my wife’s car to go fill up the tank with gas, or various other reasons. All I’m trying to say, is that it happens pretty often where I’m driving a different car.
I think Tailwind best describes it themselves
By detecting the presence of a vehicle bluetooth connection (Android phones only) or the presence of a Tailwind vehicle sensor (iPhones or Android phones), Tailwind is able to implement a type of 2 factor authentication before auto-opening the door. It requires an authorized phone and an authorized vehicle to approach home together. If someone were to steal your phone and go to your house with it, unlike other solutions that try to implement auto-open using standard geofencing, Tailwind’s patent pending technology WILL NOT auto-open your garage door for them. In addition, for families with multiple garage doors and multiple vehicles, it enables the system to determine who is coming home, which vehicle they are driving, and open the correct door based on that user’s preferences for that particular vehicle.
Tailwind Website
How Does Tailwind iQ3 Work?
Tailwind iQ3 is box that you attach to your current garage door opener, which then connects to your wireless network. Further details are in this video.
Pros:
Detailed installation instruction video
Integrates with Amazon Alexa
Integrates with Google Home
Vehicle sensor to allow garage door to be opened based on which vehicle you are driving.
Cons:
Requires a wired sensor to be run for each door.
Chamberlain myQ – $39.98
Number of Garage Doors It Can Control: 2
Each Hub can control up to two garage door openers.
Chamberlain
Chamberlain makes the best smart garage door system if you want wireless. This is one of two reasons the Chamberlain myQ makes number one on this list. The other reason is price. As of writing, it can be purchased for $39.98. Far below all of its competitors. The last major feature to point out is that the Chamberlain myQ is the only smart garage door opener to offer a completely wireless setup.
In my opinion, it is able to offer this low of a price because it is the only opener that requires a subscription to use third-party services like Google Home and IFTTT. The subscription is currently $1 per month, or $10 if you pay for the whole year. If you have Homekit, you’re in luck. They don’t charge for this service. A second add-on door sensor will set you back $30.
As you can tell from the above quote, the Chamberlain website isn’t the most helpful. Many users report that support is more like a complete lack of support, so expect to have to figure things out by yourself if you run into any trouble.
How Does Chamberlain myQ Work?
The Chamberlain myQ follows the route of a smart hub. It is a small box that can be mounted anywhere in the garage, within range of the garage door opener. A wireless door sensor needs placed on each door. The system is completely wireless, which makes it a favorite among users, not to mention its a name brand unit.
Pros:
All wireless
Integrates with Apple Home Kit
Cons:
Only controls 2 doors
Help can be hard to find
Subscription fees for integrating third-party application (except HomeKit)
How to pick the right smart garage door controller
Garage door openers, as well as stand alone controllers, come in a vast range of brands, styles, and capabilities. I’d take that as good news though, since it makes it more likely you will be able to find a device that meets your needs.
Depending on your preferences, the two best options for smart garage door openers are the Chamberlain myQ and the Tailwind iQ3. Each has it’s own benefits and its own problems. If you prefer a simple setup, and don’t care about smart home integration, than myQ is the way to go. If you don’t mind running wire, or want more control over your smart garage, than the iQ3 is the way to go.
If you have more than three garage doors, you will have to buy another controller. If you are okay with the Chamberlain, they make what they call the myQ Home Bridge, which can control up to 16 devices. You could connect two (or more, if needed) of the myQ hubs that are able control two doors each. This would give you the maximum of 32 garage doors you could control if ever needed, and I don’t think I have ever seen a house with that many garage doors.
Keep in mind, upgrading your old garage door opener is not such a bad idea. New models are more secure and not all that expensive. Consider that a wired garage door controller can cost you over $100 depending on which model you choose. Think about what is a better use for your money: pouring it into an outdated system that might be close to failure anyways, or just upgrading your opener from the get-go.