Smart Garage Door Openers: How App Control Works and What to Check First

Question 01

Can you make a garage door smart?

Usually, yes, if the door already has an automatic opener. Opener makers sell add-on kits that connect an existing opener to your home internet, so a phone app can run it. B&D, Merlin and Automatic Technology (ATA) each make one for their own compatible openers. A manual door needs an opener first.

A smart garage door is an ordinary automatic door with an extra link to the internet. That link is either built into the opener or added with a kit. ATA says its Syncro opener already comes with smartphone capability. B&D says phone control over cellular or Wi-Fi only works once a smart opener is paired with its Smart Phone Control Kit, which is sold separately.

If your door still goes up by hand, the first step is an opener, not an app. The manual to automatic guide covers what that involves. If the opener you have is old or playing up, read the motor replacement cost guide before you add anything to it.

Question 02

How does a smart kit connect to the opener you already have?

A maker's smart kit is a small hub that talks to the opener on one side and your home network on the other. The app sends a command over the internet, the hub passes it to the opener, and the door moves. Each maker builds its kit for its own openers, so the model number on the motor matters.

Find the brand and model on the motor unit before you buy anything, then check it against the maker's list. Merlin's myQ Gateway page has a check for whether it suits your motor. Third-party smart controllers are another route, but they don't come from your opener's maker, so ask the maker about them before anything gets wired to the opener.

Question 03

What has to be right before you add app control?

Four things. The opener has to be a model the kit supports. Safety beams have to be fitted and working. The door has to be balanced and running smoothly, because an app can't feel a door that's struggling. And the kit needs power and a reliable signal where it's mounted in the garage.

• A supported opener. Match the brand and model on the motor unit to the maker's compatibility list. Merlin says myQ is not compatible with tilt garage doors.
• Working safety beams. Merlin says myQ won't work unless safety IR beams are installed and properly configured. B&D says beams are now compulsory with the sale of any smart opener device. The safety beams and auto-reverse guide shows how to test them.
• A balanced door. The springs carry the door's weight, so the opener only has to move it. If the door is heavy, crooked or noisy, get that sorted first. A garage door service checks spring tension and balance.
• Power and signal. The hub needs power near the opener and a signal in the garage. Any new power point is a job for a licensed electrician. Queensland's Electrical Safety Office says to always use one for work like installing a power point.

Question 04

What are the downsides of smart garage door openers?

The main downsides are signal, safety and support. A garage is a hard place for Wi-Fi and radio. A door you close from across town can't be watched. Apps drop older phones over time. A power cut stops the opener unless it has battery backup. And every connected device needs looking after.

The power cut row matters most when you're standing outside. If the opener has no backup, the app can't move the door, and you'll need the manual release. The power outage guide shows how to release the door and hook it back up.

Question 05

Will a smart opener get a signal out in the garage?

Not always. Garage walls and a metal door can both get in the way of a signal. Merlin says its myQ Gateway depends on radio (RF) communication, not Wi-Fi, and that walls, metal surfaces and other interference can affect how reliable it is. B&D says its Wi-Fi opener uses 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi. Test the signal where the hub will go.

1. 01Stand under the opener with your phone on the home Wi-Fi. If the connection drops or crawls there, a hub mounted there will likely struggle too.
2. 02Check your router offers the band the kit needs. B&D says its Wi-Fi opener supports Bluetooth and 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi.
3. 03Read the maker's placement advice. Merlin says to mount its gateway away from sources of interference with a clear radio path, and that additional network equipment may be required.
4. 04Sort the network before you rely on the app. A hub with a poor link can drop out just when you want to check the door.

Question 06

Is it safe to close the garage door from your phone?

It can be, with working safety beams. When you close the door from somewhere else, nobody is watching the doorway. The Australian and New Zealand standard for garage door openers now addresses beams on smart-controlled openers. Chamberlain says a November 2018 amendment to AS/NZS 60335.2.95 directly referenced the need for safety IR beams when openers are controlled by smart devices.

B&D says its safety beams stop the door closing if the infrared beam is broken or obstructed. Its motors also have built-in auto-reverse, and B&D says the beams are there to prevent injury to people. Chamberlain recommends always insisting on safety IR beams when any smart-controlled opener goes in. Both the beams and the auto-reverse need regular testing, and the safety sensors guide has the monthly test.

Question 07

Can you open the garage door with Google Home or Siri?

Some smart openers do work with voice assistants. B&D says its smart openers can be run by voice through Google Home or Apple Siri, and ATA says its app is fully integrated with Apple's Siri. What works depends on the opener and its app, so check the maker's details before you count on a voice command.

Using your phone as the garage door opener works the same way. The phone runs the maker's app, and the app needs a smart opener or a smart kit at the other end. B&D says phone control only works once a smart opener is paired with its kit. A phone can't send commands to an ordinary opener on its own.

The apps add more than open and close. Merlin says myQ lets you share temporary or recurring access with up to five trusted people. B&D says its app sends real-time notifications when the door's been left open or obstructed.

Question 08

Is a smart garage door opener worth it?

A smart garage door opener is worth it if you often wonder whether you shut the door, let people in while you're out, or want an alert when it's left open. It's less useful if the garage gets a poor signal, the door is old and struggling, or the opener isn't on any maker's compatibility list.

On an older opener, a kit can mean connecting a motor that's near the end of its life. The motor replacement cost guide weighs up repair against replacement. Thom's garage door motor replacement work matches the opener to your door and finishes with a safety reverse test. Some kits are set up by the owner through the maker's app, and others are fitted by the maker's dealers. B&D, for one, says its Smart Door Hub is installed by a B&D Accredited Dealer.