In the past, garage door openers were very straightforward and often not all that different from one another. However, we live in the 21st century and the Internet of Things (IoT) era. Modern garage door openers can do much more than those installed 30 years ago, including communicating with your smartphone, monitoring your house and garage, and integrating with Google Assistant or Amazon Alexa. They are also quieter and constructed of more contemporary materials.
The underlying principles remain the same: These products will open and lower your large garage door thousands of times over the years, so our primary evaluation metrics focus on the most crucial characteristics: quiet operation, lifting capacity, power to operate heavy or double doors, material construction, noise levels, durability, and user-friendly design. We also examine the added features of these devices, such as connection and security levels.
The LiftMaster 8500W was thoroughly examined for our preliminary investigations and used as a standard of comparison. It’s one of the most robust and fully equipped machines on the market and one of the priciest.
2023’s Top 5 Garage Door Openers
LiftMaster 8500W
The LiftMaster 8500W has all the features you could want, including quiet operation, battery backup, automatic deadbolt locking whenever the door closes, soft open and close (slower speed on the first and last foot), smartphone and smart device control, the ability to raise tall or heavy wood doors, secure access via Amazon Key, and an LED ceiling light. It fastens to the garage wall with bolts and links to a torsion spring (see FAQ), freeing up the area between the door rails for overhead storage or vehicle lift access. Parent firm Chamberlain Group more heavily promotes the LiftMaster brand to the installation community; the consumer-oriented Chamberlain RJO70 is comparable to the 8500W.
Genie Stealth 500 Essentials
For a garage door opener that costs less than $300, modest means belt drive and no extras. Only HomeLink and Car2U in-car wireless (the built-in garage door openers) are supported; Wi-Fi is not. A pair of RF-capable LED light bulbs with separate controls are provided by Genie. A simple push-button in-garage control and wireless remote control are available. Some consumers lament that they didn’t upgrade to the $50 more expensive Genie StealthDrive Connect model, which has Wi-Fi, battery backup, Amazon Alexa, and Google Assistant.
Skylink Atoms ATR-1611C
For less than $200, the entry-level Skylink opener has a lot of functionality but operates on a chain drive. Like the high-end LiftMaster/Chamberlain wall-mount openers, it contains a half-horsepower motor, an LED light, gentle start and stop, and a seven-foot rail (for the drive chain). A unique kit is needed for doors that are eight and ten feet long. A single button on the wall control acts as the wall control. An alternative is a backup battery.
Chamberlain B4643T
The Chamberlain Smart Garage Door Opener has the myQ smartphone interface and a built-in camera for controlling and monitoring garage doors. The wide-angle lens on the camera transmits a video feed to the myQ app, which may notify you when motion is detected. This model is a new generation with an Amazon Key and a stronger Wi-Fi connection than earlier. The B4643T claims to operate very quietly and is belt-driven.
Chamberlain myQ Smart Garage Control
A wireless garage hub that a smartphone can operate is the Chamberlain myQ Smart Garage Control. The myQ (myQ-G0401-ES), in its most recent version, is less costly than its predecessor and enables you to operate your garage door from any location using the free myQ app. The app is compatible with Amazon Key for in-garage delivery and allows real-time notifications if the garage door is opened, closed, or left open.
Different Garage Door Opener Types
Most garage door openers dangle from the ceiling. The trolley (or traveller) and the arm that connects to the door are moved along a rail that extends from the opener or operator as it is known in the business.
- The last silent and most cheap drive type is the chain drive. It is a poor idea if bedrooms or a home office are over the garage. Twice a year, the chain has to be greased.
- Screw drive: The traveller, arm, and door are moved via a threaded rod. The device is small but provides much power to unlock doors swiftly. Compared to a chain-drive opener, it is quieter. The screw has to be lubricated often. The market share is small.
- A belt drive is silent and requires little maintenance. A damaged chain may be replaced more quickly than a broken belt. Most market openers are chain- and belt-driven, with belt-drive gaining market dominance as the price gap narrows.
- The jackshaft, or a wall mount, is mounted to the left or right of the garage door. It’s pretty silent. The distance between the garage door edge and the side wall must be around 12 inches.
What to Look For in a Garage Door Opener
Your doors determine your fundamental necessities. Almost any opener will work for a single 8 to 10-foot wide non-solid door. The most affordable models cost between $125 and $150 and often include a chain-driven, 0.5 horsepower engine. The strongest is 1.25–1.5 horsepower, costing more than $200. They quickly raise heavy double doors. “Lifting-equivalent” horsepower ratings will mislead you.
Smartphones, Alexa, and Google Assistant can all be used to operate many openers. They are a component of whole home automation. Thanks to connected garage cameras and the first embedded cameras, you can now observe who entered the garage. An opener that is Wi-Fi enabled at your residence may provide alerts and pictures of the person who just opened the door. Amazon and other retailers may deliver inside your garage. Many openers now come with a backup battery since California mandated it for all models sold after July 2019. AC motors are being replaced with more efficient DC motors. Lights are LED and last for 15-20 years, along with the opener.
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The maximum opening height may be adjusted on garage door openers. These are usually located on the housing of the opener. Manufacturers will differ in how to program their products to sync with handheld and built-in automobile remotes (also known as HomeLink). It typically entails repeatedly pushing and holding the appropriate button to erase any previous codes and save the new ones. The different procedures to link the opener to your home Wi-Fi network and the right smartphone app are often finished quickly.
Answers to Frequently Asked Questions
Chain- or belt-driven garage door openers—which is better?
Cost and noise are equally important considerations when choosing between chain- and belt-driven garage door openers. Although often less costly than belt-driven devices, chain-driven alternatives are substantially noisier. Additionally, belt-driven openers will need more maintenance than chain-driven models, even if they are more expensive since the belts don’t last as long. Thankfully, even most low-cost garage door openers have moved away from the outdated AC kind and toward the newer, more powerful, and smoother DC-type motors.
What’s a torsion spring opener?
Springs balance out the garage door’s weight. Most garage doors feature two extension springs parallel to the door rails. A torsion spring has a metal spring and a space-saving tube above the garage door. When the door is lowered, it collects energy and then releases it to raise the door. The torsion spring above the garage door is directly driven by a wall-mount (jackshaft) opener. It frees up space above the garage door for storage or working on a raised automobile on a shoplift since the motor is mounted on a wall rather than dangling from the ceiling.
The door still rattles as it goes up and down, even with a new opener. What’s the issue?
The roller wheels should be oiled. Better: Switch out worn-out steel roller wheels with plastic or nylon or for shafts with ball bearings. Obtain new pulleys. Verify that the door tracks are straight. Check to be sure the opener was mounted 90 degrees from the door, not a few inches off-centre. Is it still loud? Request a service call from a nearby garage door installation.
How do I know the garage door is safely installed?
Never utilize the old safety sensors; install the new ones with the door. Replace the springs if worn out; the colour code for each spring should match the door’s weight. At the very least, pass a spring cable—safety wire, $15–$20 for the pair of garage doors—through the centre of each existing spring (two per door) and fasten it at both ends. It won’t fly off and smash a windshield or hurt someone if or when the spring breaks. Install fresh weatherstripping on the sides and bottom for comfort.
How can I guarantee the door shuts securely?
Verify that there are no minor obstructions, such as toys or gardening tools, close to the sensors and that nothing along the wall may fall into the sensor’s path. You may need to adjust the door’s travel if light can be seen below the garage door. An old garage door’s rubber weatherstripping may become brittle and twisted and stop sealing to the floor. Change the weatherstripping to resolve this.
