Best Smart Garage Door Openers and Controllers for Your Home

Openers vs. controllers

Garage door openers are the actual drive systems (you may have a belt drive, chain drive, or screw drive) that open your garage door plus the motor, safety sensors, and wireless keypads that come with them.

Garage door controllers are the devices (like remotes) that you use to open and close the garage doors. This article focuses on smart controllers that give you remote access to your garage—but if you’re looking for a smart garage door opener, we recommend the Chamberlain B970.

Our favorite smart garage door controllers

MyQ review: Best overall

MyQ is an established, reliable, and simple way to make your garage door opener smart.

Pros and cons of MyQ

Why we recommend MyQ

MyQ from Chamberlain/LiftMaster is the standard for smart garage door controllers and our favorite to recommend. If you have a Wi-Fi enabled garage door opener, all you need is the free MyQ app (for iOS and Android) to turn it into a smart garage door.

If your garage door opener does not have Wi-Fi, you’ll need to purchase the MyQ hub ($49.99 on Amazon) and connect it to your home Wi-Fi.

Installation for the MyQ hub is quick and easy. The MyQ hub simply attaches to the garage ceiling and the door sensor sticks to the garage door.

Smart home integrations

MyQ has more integrations than many other controllers, which we love—but not all of them are free, which is frustrating. Google Assistant, IFTTT, and Clare Controls require a premium subscription of $1 per month or $10 per year each. Apple HomeKit, Wink, Xfinity, Alarm.com, Resideo, Tend, and Honeywell are free.

The MyQ also works with Amazon Key but not with Amazon Alexa.

Garage door compatibility

MyQ is widely compatible and will work with most doors. You can always double check the online compatibility tool to make sure your door will work.

According to the MyQ website, the only garage doors that aren’t compatible are “garage door openers manufactured before 1993 or lacking photo eyes.” However, if you have a garage door from before 1993, it won’t have safety sensors (infrared beams that sense when a person is in the way of the closing door), so you should replace it as soon as possible anyway.

Sharing user access

MyQ allows you to share guest access with others so they can see and control the garage door but not receive notifications. Disappointingly, you can give access to only three other people. This is far fewer than any other garage door controller on our list and is definitely the weak point for MyQ.

ASecureLife’s recommendation: The MyQ garage door controller is widely compatible and one of the most reliable out there. With a Wi-Fi enabled garage door opener, all you need is the app to connect to your smart home system, but installing the MyQ hub is quick and easy too.

>>Shop for MyQ now

Nexx Garage review: Best for automation

The Nexx Garage controller offers an Auto Open feature to automatically open the garage door when you approach.

Pros and cons of Nexx Garage

Why we recommend Nexx Garage

The Nexx Garage smart controller is an add-on for existing garage door openers and works with most garage door brands. One of the standout features for us is the Auto Open feature, which uses your phone’s location to automatically open the garage door when you approach.

The Nexx Garage app (for both iOS and Android) supports multiple Nexx Garage controllers, but you have to have one controller and two sensors for each garage door opener. The Nexx Garage is already expensive for a garage door controller, so this isn’t your best option if budget is a concern. You do have a 90-day money back guarantee, so you can return it if you find it isn’t for you.

From the app, you can open and close the garage door remotely, receive notifications or reminders, and view a usage history. You can also grant access to an unlimited number of users, which is much better than MyQ’s three. Another thing we like is that the Nexx Garage gives voice alerts when the garage door is opening or closing, so even if you close the garage door remotely, anyone inside will have some warning.

Smart home platforms

While Nexx Garage may not have as many smart home integrations as MyQ, it does have some essential ones, and they all come without extra fees. Nexx Garage is compatible with Google Assistant, Amazon Alexa, Samsung SmartThings, and IFTTT. There’s no Apple HomeKit integration, but in addition to the smartphone app, you can access your garage door from your Apple Watch or any Android watch.

Installation

The Nexx Garage controller attaches easily to your garage door opener. However, installing the garage door sensors can be tricky. There are two—one that attaches to the garage door and one that’s wired into the garage door. The placement of the wires makes for some extra work that other garage door controllers don’t require.

ASecureLife’s recommendation: The Nexx Garage is more expensive than some other controllers, but it integrates with Samsung SmartThings and has an Auto Open feature, which most others don’t.

>>Shop for Nexx Garage now

Aladdin Connect review: Best garage door sensor

The Aladdin Connect uses Bluetooth to connect the door sensor and controller, ensuring that even if the garage door opens manually, you’ll know about it.

Pros and cons of Aladdin Connect

Why we recommend Aladdin Connect

The Aladdin Connect is a smart garage door controller from the garage door manufacturer Genie. What we like best about the Aladdin Connect is that the main module and garage door sensor connect via Bluetooth, so you get notifications about the garage door based on its position and not on the last action completed by the garage door. This means that even if someone manually opened your garage door, you’d know about it.

Through the Aladdin Connect app (available for iOS and Android), you can view a history of the last 100 usages of the garage door, open and close the garage door remotely, and create a schedule for closing the door (either at a specific time or after a certain amount of time has passed). However, there are currently no geofencing or automatic open features.

One controller can move up to three garage doors, though each one needs its own sensor. And the Aladdin Connect is compatible with Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, and IFTTT for smart home integration.

The Aladdin Connect works with many garage door brands, though you can be sure it will work seamlessly with Genie brand openers (like the Genie SilentMax and Genie PowerLift). Be sure to check the garage door compatibility list before purchasing.

Installation

While you can probably do the installation for the Aladdin Connect yourself, it’s pretty involved. It requires some wiring work, so be sure to follow all instructions and disconnect the garage door opener before you start.

Shared access

Through the Aladdin Connect app, you can give up to 19 other users virtual keys to your garage door. Each user downloads the app to access the garage, but as the admin, you control how much access they have and for how long. You can grant full access to family members or temporary access to guests.

ASecureLife’s recommendation: The Aladdin Connect has all the smart features we expect from a garage door controller. Plus, because the door sensor connects via Bluetooth, you always know for sure if the garage door opens, even manually.

>>Shop for Aladdin Connect now

Gogogate 2 review: Best for large properties

The Gogogate 2 offers video monitoring and an unlimited number of users with a paid subscription.

Pros and cons of Gogogate 2

Why we recommend Gogogate 2

Gogogate 2 integrates with several smart home platforms, but only through IFTTT. With IFTTT, you have access to voice commands (Apple HomeKit, Google Assistant, and Amazon Alexa) and geofencing. Gogogate 2 is available through multiple device types, including smartphones (both iOS and Android), tablets, PCs, and Apple Watches.

All the smart garage door functions are there. You can open or close the garage door from your device and get notifications when the garage door is opened, closed, or left open for a certain amount of time. You can even set it to close the garage door automatically after a certain amount of time to make sure it isn’t left open all day. Each Gogogate 2 can control up to three garage doors, though each one needs its own sensor.

Additionally, it has temperature sensors to monitor how hot or cold it is inside the garage, and when the garage door is closed remotely, an alarm and flashing lights will warn anyone in the garage.

The Gogogate 2 works with most garage door openers, though it’s smart to always check for compatibility before purchasing.

Multiple users

With a free Gogogate account, you can give access to up to 10 people. You can assign users access at three different levels: ongoing, restricted to certain days or times, and temporary (like for someone doing repairs).

For larger properties like condos or apartment buildings, you can upgrade to the Pro plan for up to 100 users at $49 per year. The Unlimited plans gives you an unlimited number of users for $99 per year.

Video monitoring

The Gogogate 2 connects with most IP cameras to add video monitoring to your garage door. However, after a 30-day trial, you have to buy the video plug-in for your app at $29.95 for three years. If you don’t have a camera already, Gogogate has both an indoor and outdoor camera option, and both come with a one-year free video plug-in offer. Both cameras have night vision and motion detection, and the outdoor camera is waterproof.

ASecureLife’s recommendation: Gogogate 2 is best for people looking for video monitoring or for anyone who needs to give lots of people access, like at a condo or apartment building.

>>Shop for Gogogate 2 now

The best Wi-Fi garage door opener: Chamberlain B970 Belt Drive

If you’re looking to update your garage door opener, we recommend the Chamberlain B970 belt drive. It has a super quiet motor and comes with two safety sensors, a wireless keypad, and two remotes. It comes ready for 7-foot garage doors, but you’d need an extension kit for anything taller. Plus, with Wi-Fi capability, it’s ready to connect to the MyQ app and become a smart garage door opener right away.

>>View on Amazon

Quietest garage door opener: Genie SilentMax Connect Belt Drive

Our runner-up choice for a belt drive garage door opener is the Genie SilentMax Connect. With Aladdin Connect integration built in, it’s a smart garage door opener out of the box. It also has a reinforced belt, making it one of the quietest garage door openers you can find. The standard remotes are programmed with Intellicode security to create rolling codes—and it’s one of the few garage door openers that come with a limited lifetime warranty.

>>View on Amazon

Our recommendation

The MyQ garage door controller is our top choice. With just the app, you can access a Wi-Fi enabled garage door, and with the simple installation of the MyQ hub, you have a reliable way to control your garage door from anywhere.

Our goal is to help you keep your home safe and secure, and that includes your garage door. Making your garage door opener smart is just one of several garage door security measures you can take—don’t forget to be smart about how you secure that entrance to your house.