Smart Garage Door Adapter Reviews - The Wireless Openers

Best Overall: Chamberlain MYQ-G0201

Chamberlain is a household name in garage door openers and you’d think this opener would only work with Chamberlain products. You’d be wrong though, Chamberlain says this universal opener will work with just about any brand of opener made after 1993 when the standard suite of safety sensors became mandatory.

The MYQ-0G0201 is quick to install (the claim is 30 minutes) and connects to your WiFi router. Chamberlain’s app does not need to be paid for in any way, specifically there are no monthly fees. The app is available on iOS and Android devices, but you can also access the opener via a web browser.

The MYQ knows if your door is open or closed and you receive notifications every time it does either of those actions. MyQ is also compatible with Nest cams and thermostats, which you can control from within the MyQ app. You can even control MyQ lighting controllers of for some reason you already have them.

Customer responses are very positive and the MyQ is very hard to fault with in any way that matters. Apparently Chamberlain is also constantly updating the software, so whatever issues there may be will usually be resolved this way. At a touch over a hundred bucks I have no problem recommending this unit.

Second Best : Gogogate2 Wireless Garage Door Sensor

The Gogogate is one of the neatest products in this category. It looks really hip and well-made. It actually looks more like a piece of internet gear than garage-door home improvement kit. Ain’t convergence grand?

This little white and green box offers universal opener compatibility and has a few more sensors than the average door conversion kit. It will tell you the status of the door (so you don’t need a camera) but will also let you know what the temperature is.

If you do want video monitoring though, the Gogogate2 let you connect your IP camera to it so that it is all integrated. As the name suggest the Gogogate2 also works with gates. There’s also a nice access management system where you can give up to 10 people access temporarily.

It also has triple LEDs to provide light in the garage. It’s a complete package, that’s for sure.
The only negative I can pick up based on user experiences is around the software. While the software works, some people complain that it is not as polished as it could be. The good news about software issues though, is that they can be fixed with an update, so that should not be too much of a deal breaker.

I like the Gogogate2 and personally I would take a chance on it.

Alternative Pick:Open Sesame HNAOS01 Adapter

Well, this is an interesting proposition. The Open Sesame opener costs half as much as the universal opener from Chamberlain. That’s pretty compelling, since the Chamberlain is perhaps just expensive enough to make you feel a bit grudging when handing over the case. The Open Sesame promises to do basically the same thing for much less, so here’s hoping that it’s good.

Except, that’s not what the Open Sesame is offering. This is not a device that connects to your WiFi, but a garage opener that links to a smartphone via Bluetooth. Wait, don’t go yet, there may be method to this madness.

While you can’t open your garage door from the other side of the planet, it does let you use any smart device as a remote to open the garage door. Given how expensive garage remotes are and the fact that most people now have smartphones, this actually makes a lot of sense.

All you have to do is pair the opener to a phone once and then authenticate it on the app. From then on that phone can be used to open the door. You can pair as many phones as you like. You need a user-set password in order to pair with the device, so it’s not like anyone can just open your garage if they have a phone.

The Open Sesame is compatible with a number of big brands such as Chamberlain and Genie, but be sure to check your own opener model against the list.

Modern Bluetooth actually has a fair bit of range, so this should compare with most garage remotes in typical use cases. The product works as advertised based on what buyers had to say and as long as you understand what you are getting this is a real bargain.

828LM LiftMaster Smart Internet Gateway

Like Chamberlain, Liftmaster is one of the heavyweights of the garage opener world. Actually, they are same company. Liftmaster is a member of the Chamberlain group and so this gateway also uses the MyQ technology we see in Chamberlain-branded products.

In this case however, this is not a universal opener. It will only work with the listed models of Liftmaster-branded openers and gate openers. On the upside, you can control up to 16 MyQ devices, including MyQ lighting systems.

It should be noted that Liftmaster-branded stuff is NOT DIY so you should get a licensed installer to set up and install this retrofit kit.

If paired with an approved door and installed properly, the 828LM performs flawlessly. There is no annual fee anymore and the app is functional, even if not particularly pretty. If you have one of the right doors then this is the one you should go for.

gLink Smart Garage Opener Controller

The gLink, like the Open Sesame, is another Bluetooth garage door opener attachment. This device is much simpler though. It’s basically an app-enabled Bluetooth receiver that attaches directly to the door unit and does not require a battery of any kind.

You pair the phone and operate the opener using an app. There’s a beta feature that’s pretty cool as well. You can tap a code on the phone screen without unlocking it to start up the door opening. Pretty neat and makes it almost as simple as a one-button remote.

The gLink is pretty inexpensive, but it does cost almost as much as the Open Sesame. This is a neat, simple, and easy smart function addon to your door, just make sure that it will work with the model you have. If you want nothing more than to ditch the remotes, this stands about evenly with the Open Sesame.

Asante Garage Door Opener with Camera Kit

A lot of people have taken to using IP cameras to remotely monitor the security of their garages. After all, the garage door is a favorite entry point for burglars. Asante has decided that in light of this they may as well sell a combo garage opener and camera set.

I think that’s a sensible idea and a great pitch for a product. It also makes the price of the Asante very palatable indeed. It’s not that much more than products that don’t offer nearly as much functionality.

Using this system you can immediately see the interior of your garage and control the door from the same app. There is IR night vision, which you can manually turn on and off as well. You can set the system up so that you receive an email or text notification every time the door opens or closes. The sensor is however sold separately, sadly.

One camera can control two garage doors though, which sort of makes up for the cost of the optional extras. There is also no monthly cloud service fee, which is awesome.

The system works by tapping into the wall-mounted button of your garage door opener. So obviously if your opener either doesn’t have a wall button or you never bothered to install it, you’ll have some issues. The upside of this approach is that it makes this a pretty universal solution. In fact, even when putting in a new opener you seldom have to change wall buttons, which means that the camera also doesn’t have to be changed or set up again.

It’s got a pretty positive response too! Most people who have bought it have no complaints about how well it works, which is great, of course. If you haven’t already splurged on a WiFi camera for your garage then this is a cost-effective alternative that actually works pretty well.

GarageSmart (GS100) – Wifi Garage Door Opener

The GS100 does not win any prizes for looking like a modern consumer device. This is straight up function over form, people. It’s literally just a box that keep the circuits from the outside world and should never be seen by human eyes again after installation. I mean I respect that this saves costs and all, but maybe just a sticker? Guys?

Anyway, the GS100 is a spartan device with a few LED indicators and lots of places to stick various wires. Using this device you can monitor your door status and operate it from a PC, tablet, or smartphone.

You can also issue remote guest keys to friends and family. Of course this system also allows for unlimited text or email alerts so you know when the door is being closed or opened. You can also set a timer for automated opening and closing and the device keeps a log of who opened the door and at what time they did so.

The GS100 is basically compatible with just about every opener, since it wires directly in. All in all, I think this is a basic-looking, but highly sophisticated and reliable device. You can use a free account to get the basic functions from the GS100, but if you run a guesthouse or have other professional needs, you may want to spring for the annual fee, which is not unreasonable.

This is a good product and I feel confident in recommending it.

GarageDoorBuddy Remote Adapter Review

This is a WiFi-operated garage door opener that is universally compatible with any door which uses a wall-button. You can connect two independent openers and operate each via the free iOS and Android applications.

One interesting feature is that the opener can also act as a WiFi access point if your garage is out of range of the router, providing a boost to its range. Most of the major brands are supported, but it’s probably a good idea to check the list of doors on the company website.

There’s not much to say about this product other than that. It basically does what the Bluetooth receiver openers do, except it uses WiFi and internet connectivity. Nothing fancy, just a machine that clicks the open/close button over the internet.

Of course, with those Bluetooth devices you have to be in range of the door so you can see with your own eyes whether it’s open or closed. As far as I can tell this doesn’t have any sort of door sensor, so you pretty much have to have an IP camera in your garage to confirm the status of the door. Not a big deal if you already have one, but if you need to buy one then the low price of the buddy is sort of negated.

Still, no one seems to be having trouble with it and it works as advertised, so if it fits your needs by all means go for it.

GoControl/Linear GD00Z-4 Z-Wave Controller

Will you look at that – a whole page of products on a home automation site and this is the first one to use Z-wave, a protocol designed specifically for home automation.

The choice here is actually pretty simple – if you already have a Z-wave system installed in your home it makes a lot of sense to have a garage opener that links up with it all, since you can then centralize and simplify the monitoring and adjustment of everything.

If you don’t have Z-wave already then this product is basically useless to you and I doubt anything you’ll buy in the immediate future will be Z-wave exclusive.

As far as I can tell, this unit is compatible with everything made after 1993 compliant with the new safety standards. It also works as a Z-wave repeater, which is awesome for the right use case. How you control the system really depends on what method you use to control the rest of your Z-wave network. It depends on the specific Z-wave controller app you use as well.

People who use it have no complaints of major concern. If you have Z-wave already, you could do a lot worse than this.