Interested in getting rid of all the extra pieces of tech that you carry around? One of the ways that the garage door industry is keeping up with the times is connecting to smartphones. You can ditch the garage door opener and use the device you always have on you to get into your home. Here’s what you need to know about how this works.
You’ll have to have the right kind of garage door.
Not every brand of garage door and garage door openers will connect with the smartphone. The most popular brands that do offer this feature are LiftMaster, Chamberlain and Craftsman. You will need to read this information to know if compatibility is possible with any other brands.
If you aren’t able to find the door that you have on the list, there’s still a way to discover if it can be connected to a smartphone. Keep in mind the year 1998. That was the year the Chamberlain company (including its LiftMaster and Craftsman brands) started offering its SECURITY+ system. If your door was manufactured after this year, there’s a good chance it can be connected to a smartphone.
If you don’t remember when your door was installed, the next thing you can do is to look on the metal housing of the garage door opener. If it is one of these brands, you’ll see the words Security+, Security+ 2.0, or, if it was manufactured after 2012, the “MyQ” logo.
You’ve found signs that your door can be connected to a smartphone. Now what?
If you’ve found one of the signs above that suggest the door opener could be connected to a smartphone, the next thing to do is look at the color of the “Learn” button, which should be on the garage door opener.
- Orange button: This is a door made between 1996 and 2005, equipped with the Security+ system
- Purple button: This is a door opener made between 2006 and 2014, equipped with the Security+ system.
- Yellow button: This is a door made after August 2014, and is equipped with the Security+ 2.0 system, or it is a door made after the middle of 2017 that has the same system as well as Wi‑Fi integration.
All of these dates are approximations. Your door could be close to these dates by a few months depending on the color of the button.
What do I need to connect the door opener to my smartphone?
Knowing the color of the button above, which tells you which system the garage door opener has, helps you know what you need to connect the opener to the smart phone’s MyQTM app.
If you have an orange or purple button, you will need two accessories to be able to link your door opener to the MyQ app:
- One 888LM wall control panel. This does come standard with the 8500C model,
- One Internet Gateway (828LM).
If you have a yellow door opener, you only need the Internet Gateway (828LM).
Additionally, if the door has the Wi-Fi system, you can also control other home devices like home lighting with the app, and also interact with integrated home technologies like Apple HomeKit and Google Home.
Contact Us to Learn More
If you want to learn more, feel free to call us toll-free at 519-326-5888. We can advise you on the best choice based on your needs, even if yours are unique and specific. We can also send you a quotation by email.
We’d also love to show you our showroom, where you can see the types of garage door openers that are available on the market today. Or use our Design Centre to select the garage door style that most suits you. Need some inspiration? Our image gallery is full of great ideas!
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