When you are looking to get into the smart home game, having a smart lock on your garage door is a must. That being said, it is really important to get the right lock for your garage door.
The best smart lock for a garage door is the Chamberlain MyQ Smart Garage Door Opener. This smart lock has very important features such as wifi access and in-garage prime delivery capabilities. A smart lock for a garage door needs to meet these criteria: Compatible with your door, Wifi enabled, Remote access, prime delivery, and a security camera.
That being said, there are really important reasons why I chose the MyQ and these criteria. Read on to learn more.
| Preview | Product | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Chamberlain MyQ Smart Garage Hub - Wi-Fi enabled Garage Hub with Smartphone Control, Model... | $54.00 | Buy on Amazon |
Last update on 2023-10-15 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
MyQ Smart Garage Door Opener by Chamberlain
I don’t want to sound like a sales guy, but this is definitely the smart garage door opener that you should buy. This bad boy comes with everything that I have talked about in this article and does it well.
The MyQ Smart Garage Door opener uses the Amazon Key app which is pre-loaded with the Amazon Garage delivery capabilities. You know that if you choose a product that is backed and endorsed by a large company such as Amazon that it is going to have tech support and updates for years to come.
This smart lock really hits everything on the head for me, and I think that anybody would be happy with this purchase. The greatest thing about it isn’t actually all the features. This lock is really affordable! You really can’t beat it.
If you are in the market to make your garage door more high tech, this is the easiest and best way to do it. Check to make sure this thing is compatible with your garage door, but if it is there is no reason to not buy one in my opinion!
Criteria For Choosing A Smart Lock For A Garage Door
Unlike deadbolt smart locks, garage door openers have power already wired into your home, making home automation a lot easier. That means that there are a lot more capabilities and options available to you as the consumer.
There are plenty of options out there, but it is important to decide what you are looking for in terms of what abilities you want your smart lock to have.
Below are some criteria and why you might consider getting a smart lock with these abilities.
Compatibility
This is the most important criterion possible in my opinion. There is nothing worse than buying a new gadget like a smart lock for your garage door and not being able to use it because it is incompatible.
Trust me, I know all about incompatibility issues and you do not want that headache.
Once you have made your decision according to the other criteria, check on the manufacturer’s website for a list of compatible brands of garage door lifters and keypads so that you are 100% sure you are ready to install this thing when it comes in the mail.
This may take some time, but this is really important.
Buying a smart lock for your garage door should not be an impulse buy. You need to be 100% certain that this will work with your current setup otherwise you are going to be sorely disappointed.
WiFi Enabled
This is a big one for me. I refuse to buy a smart device that doesn’t somehow connect to wifi in one way or another.
Many products hook up to a Z-wave hub that connects to wifi and that’s fine, but please don’t settle for a Bluetooth only device.
The worst thing you could do to yourself is going cheap on one of these devices and have basically the same system you currently have with only one extra perk of being able to open it with your phone.
Bluetooth Smart Locks are great and I really shouldn’t talk so bad about them, but I really feel that people shoot themselves in the foot when they choose to go the budget route and not get a smart home device with all of the capabilities that you deserve.
Being wifi-enabled means a whole lot more than being able to unlock your door with your phone. Wifi-enabled smart devices allow you to access them from anywhere in the world as long as you have a wifi connection. Let me give you a scenario where this would be helpful:
You are on vacation in Mexico, and you are having the neighbor boy take care of your dogs while you are away. Let’s say he all of the sudden lost the key and your dogs are going to starve and/or destroy the furniture unless he gets in somehow.
Luckily for your dogs (and your couch), you have a wifi-enabled smart lock and can let him in by opening your garage door from your phone from the beach of Cancun. How awesome is that?
Many people would argue with me and say that many of the Bluetooth locks allow you to add other people and therefore you don’t need to have remote access and that you can give them the code. To them, I say that type of thing requires planning and coordination, whereas this system can be done on the fly with minimum planning.
It really is what you want, but it is up to you in the end!
Prime Garage Delivery
Everybody loves Amazon. Well, I do at least. I love Amazon enough that I have ordered over 60 things in the past 6 months. How crazy is that?
I really do enjoy ordering things that I both need and don’t need. What I do not enjoy is getting my packages swiped by people that are walking past my front door. Many people have devised a variety of ways to prevent this, but Amazon has finally presented theirs in the form of Prime Garage Delivery.
Amazon Prime members now have the option to have their packages places safely inside their garage instead of on their porch where any schmo could snag them.
The only requirement is that you have a garage door opener that is Prime Garage Delivery enabled, meaning a smart lock for your garage door.
Like I have said before, I am an advocate for spending a little extra money on a smart lock in order to get the very best that the market has to offer. There is so much that these smart locks can do, and it would be a shame to settle for anything less than all of the features possible.
Things like Amazon Prime Garage Delivery is what home automation was made for. The market will only come up with more and more ways to use this technology, and if you buy the best of the best now you will increase your chances of being able to use new features as they come out on the software end.
Active Updates
A really cool thing about smart devices is that they talk to you. When you have some types of smart locks, they tell you who is coming when, if your door is locked or not, and if it has a camera it will tell you if there is movement at your door.
I think this is one of the best parts of having a smart device filled home. I love that my house tells me what is going on!
With a garage door being one of the largest and easily penetrated entryways into your home, it is really great to know when your garage door is sitting open for no reason.
Let’s say that you live in a place that is 100% safe, and you have no reason to worry about people stealing things that sit in your garage. These active updates still benefit you.
Many garages play a large part in insulation when they are closed. By leaving your garage open, you expose more square footage of your home to the elements, and therefore heat or cool your home faster than you probably are comfortable with.
By having an app that notifies you when your garage door is left open, you can minimize the risk of both a loss of insulation as well as a loss of property.
Security Camera
The appeal of having a security camera is pretty simple. There is a reason that there are millions of them out there. People like to have eyes on their things!
This is a great way to check on your car to see if your significant other is home or check up on whatever else is in your garage. It is pretty simple, and a really handy device once it’s installed.
Many people have this listed as a must for any smart device and use it as a way to do home security without investing in an independent monitoring system.
I can see the appeal, but really this isn’t too important in my mind. As a single man, I don’t really think I need it all that much. I still think it is important enough to mention.
Related Questions:
Can smart locks handle custom garage door setups? Smart lock compatibility is listed on their websites, and even custom garage doors all use similar door lifters.
Is Amazon Key easy to use? Amazon Key is very easy to use in that the homeowner only needs to flip a switch and log into their Amazon account to get it going.
