This post is sponsored by The Home Depot. All opinions are 100% mine.
Last year when we were knee deep in our home searching journey, we realized that one disadvantage of buying an existing home is that older homes, or even semi-new homes that were built before 2013, don’t have the fancy hi-tech features that a new home has. But, our dream home was at our fingertips and we knew it was the house for us!
So, we will be slowly adding smart home features here and there when we can! So far, we have added occupancy sensor light switches to the bathrooms and pantry so that when our kids leave the lights on, we don’t pay the price with a high electric bill. The next thing on the list, was installing a smartphone enabled garage door opener! It has added so much convenience and peace of mind!
Here are 10 things you may be curious about smart home garage door openers, because I was curious about them too!
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Can the garage be opened and closed from my iPhone or SmartPhone?
YES!The garage can be opened at anytime and anywhere from your smart phone. In fact, you don’t even need to be in the same state!
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Can a smart home garage door opener give me more peace of mind?
YES! The garage can be programmed to automatically close at a certain time each day. For example, if your kids seem to leave your garage open like mine do, it will close automatically at 11pm. You can also set up real time notifications to let you know that your garage door is opening.
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Is the installation process harder to install a smart home garage door opener?
The new garage opener with smart home capabilities isn’t any harder to install than a regular one. You just need about 15 extra minutes to enable the wifi on your new opener and connect it to your MyQ app.
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Does a smart garage door opener cost more than a regular one?
Not much. If you are going for the least expensive garage opener at The Home Depot, you can get one for around $130, but it’s a chain-driven opener and it’s not as quiet as a belt drive. There are smart home options for around $190, but our Chamberlain smart garage door opener costs around $270. I think the extra cost is worth it for the convenience it brings and the peace of mind that comes with it. Plus, our opener is a 1 1/4 horse power because we have a taller and heavier door.
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Can I still program the smart garage door opener to my car and keypads?
YES! I have mine programmed to my car {I drive a Honda Odyssey} and we also have an outdoor keypad that is programmed also so that the kids can get in without any problems.
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Can I open my garage even if I’m out of town?
YES! This is one of the best features of the smart home garage door opener! For example, if you are in California at Disney, and a contractor needs to enter your house, you can open the garage door for them in between riding Splash Mountain and the Matterhorn. Plus, if you are at Home Depot shopping and a delivery man calls you, there’s no need to rush home, you can open the garage door for them in real time and close it afterwards.
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Can I be notified that my garage opened?
Yes, in fact the Chamberlain smart home garage door opener keeps a log of when the garage door opens and closes throughout the day. You can even set up notifications to notify you if/when your garage door opens.
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What if a child is in the way when you try to close the door?
When you close your garage door with the app, your opener alerts you with a loud beep to notify you that it’s being closed soon. It also has motion sensors and will not close if there is something in the way.
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Do I need a wifi connection for my smart home garage door opener to work?
Yes, your opener needs to be close enough to your wifi connection to work properly. If it’s too far away from your wireless router, you may need a service extender.
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What if the power goes out, can I still get in my garage with the smart home garage door opener?
The Chamberlain model we have {the B970} has a battery backup and allows access when the power is out. You can also purchase a battery backup if your model doesn’t have one.
I’m excited to keep sharing how to we upgrade our older home into a smart home, so stay tuned for more posts! If you have questions about the garage door opener, don’t hesitate to leave a comment. We will be answering questions!
xoxo,
Brooke