With a detached garage that I all too often forget to close the door on – adding a smart opener was something I’ve been wanting to check out for a while. Featuring a built-in Wi-Fi connection, the myQ Smart Garage Hub from Chamberlain connects to an existing, compatible garage door opener and adds smartphone control via the myQ app. I have an old Craftsman opener that was made in 1997, and at $50, this Smart Garage Hub might be the easiest, and affordable way to add some smart features to it. Check out the video below.
Amazon Key
Beyond just Wi-Fi control, Chamberlain announced at CES 2019 that the myQ Smart Garage Hub also works with Amazon Key. With Key, a delivery person can place Amazon packages inside a garage – making it much harder for would be thieves to steal packages off of a porch or doorstep. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to test Key since it is only available in certain areas and not where I live. To see if your home is compatible, head over to Chamberlain’s site.
Obviously, a Wi-Fi connection is required to use the MYQ Smart Garage Hub so be sure to check if the mounting location is covered by a Wi-Fi network prior to installation. If the signal is weak or doesn’t reach, one easy solution is a Wi-Fi range extender like the Amazon best seller for repeater – the Netgear EX3700 Wi-Fi range extender that we reviewed recently. There are also plenty of other extenders available.
Smart Garage Hub Video
One of the main features of the Smart Garage Hub is its easy installation with compatible garage openers. And since Chamberlain has manufactured openers for many other brands under private labels, there is a good change yours is supported. To find out, head on over to Chamberlain’s site and use the compatibility tool.
Installation
If compatible, installation and setup is as simple as downloading the myQ app and following the instructions. The steps are basically registering the hub with the app, connecting to a Wi-Fi network, installing the door sensor on the garage door to tell whether it’s open or closed, pairing the hub to the opener and mounting the hub with the included hardware.
For me, pairing the hub was just pushing a green button on the back of my opener and waiting for the hub to connect. The first time I did it I held the button for too long and removed my existing opener buttons, but it was easy to pair them again.
Once installed and setup, controlling the garage door from a smartphone is incredibly simple. The garage can be opened or closed from anywhere. Schedules can be put in place to make sure the door is always closed by a certain time.
Safety
Since the door is closing itself and people around the garage might not be aware that it will be closing, the Smart Hub will emit an alarm and flash a bright light for a few seconds before closing. This gives enough time to get out of the way of the door before it closes.
Final Thoughts
For $50, the Chamberlain MYQ Smart Garage Hub is an excellent way to add smart features to your existing garage door opener. It was easy to install and has even more features than I’ve been able to test out.
Buy the Chamberlain myQ Smart Garage Hub on Amazon
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