(Part 2) Reddit mentions: The best garage door keypads & remotes

So you're in a bit of trouble.

First things first, check the breaker to the garage to make sure that you have power. Cycle the breaker just in case since some don't show they are tripped very well.

If you have power, you're going to need to grab the manual release. Doing this from the inside is the easiest. You can break a window to get in if you have one. Grabbing it from the outside is possible but challenging. A locksmith may be able to help since they have tools to open car door locks that work well for 'picking' the door. Remember the point of the door is to protect what is in your garage so anything that allows you to easily open it defeats that.

Once you get it open, install one of these. It lets you use a key to remove the lock which exposes the cable to pull the release from the outside.

If you know you're going to go down that route, then you have another option. If you can see into the garage from a window, take note of where you can drill a hole in the center of the door towards one of the top panels without hitting anything. You can drill the hole and then use a coat hanger to grab the release. Install the release lock into the hole you made. If you're going to do that, download the installation instructions before you get the lock to make sure you're drilling a hole that you can use (right height, position in panel, size, etc).

I also have the TP-link switches throughout the house and they don’t require a hub and work great with Alexa. For the garage I have this from Amazon. Works great with Alexa.
garage door

Not sure but look at your local home improvement store. Just make sure it works with your liftmaster model. The liftmaster remote is around 35 dollars. You can get it from amazon for 27 dollars, LiftMaster 893Max, https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00IA2RXUU/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_BqV2DbGNPZQKJ

You did decide to pass on this, but as a further FYI, my liftmaster opener came with a similar lock, it attaches to the track and extends when the door is closed just above one of the wheels preventing movement.

It looks just like a deadbolt, as long as you have enough room to mount on your track, you could use any electronic deadbolt in a similar manner (likely need a block of wood and drill holes to mount it in...) Also likely only good if you you have a home automation hub, and a door closed sensor for it to be reliable to only trigger when the door is closed. Because you also couldn't close the door when extended.

It looks like a photoeye for a garage door. The safety feature that reverses the door if there is an obstruction.

Safety Sensor Eyes for 41A5034 Liftmaster Sears Chamberlain Craftsman Garage Door Opener (1 kit) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07RL842RV/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_orERDbJ8B70SJ

Awesome, just something like this: https://www.amazon.com/Solidremote-12V-2-Channel-Transmitters-Electronics/dp/B01JGDV8UM

?

This is the one I'm looking at:

Tailwind iQ3 Smart WiFi Garage Door Opener - Internet Enabled Garage Door Remote Control Compatible With Your Smartphone, Alexa, and Google Home Assistant. No Hub Needed. Up to 3 Doors.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07FVDCBFB/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_MbS5BbNF04BS3

There aren't many reviews but the reviews that are there are really positive and informative.

Just a final comment to close this out. Rather than get a new GD opener, I just got a replacement logic board because everything else in the old opener was fine (motor, gears, capacitor).

The new logic board (~$80) arrived yesterday. Putting it in took less than 20 minutes, and I used the opportunity to put some Lubriplate grease on the gears. Took another 20 minutes to pair the car buttons and the MyQ hub. Everything works hunky-dory.

Thanks all, especially u/jmd_forest.

Exactly, unless there is some sort of on-board switch, parasitic draw will kill the best of Lithium batteries today, much less 12 years ago.

I can do the math, but a good starting place for everyone is Watt-hours and Radio receiver current draw in standby.

EDIT: Maths times!!!!!

Smallest commercial Transmitter/Receiver with specifications I could find.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B077ZQMQDZ/ref=sspa_dk_detail_2?psc=1

Assuming hours of operation = (24 hours/day) x (365 days) x (12 years) = 105120 hours

Assuming 12 Volt battery

Assuming 5mA (0.005 Amps) of "quiet" radio operation

(105120 hours) x (0.005 Amp) = (525.6 Amp-hours) x (12VDC) = 6307.6 Watt-hours

The link below are traditional hobby Lithium-Polymer batteries. 3S means 3 LiPo batteries in series. (~3.7VDC/battery) x 3 = nominal 11.1VDC. At 5000mAh (5Amp-hours) per pack, we would need about 100 packs.

https://hobbyking.com/en_us/turnigy-5000mah-3s-20c-lipo-pack-xt-90.html

And mind you, this is without any reserve battery power left in batteries after 12 years. We still need to have enough juice to have the receiver be functional and run the motor(s) to move/shred the painting

Overall, the Maths says bulllllllllllsheeeeeeeet. Again, there is a switch installed somewhere or the frame was swapped out.

I did this, using https://www.amazon.com/ALEKO-LM137-Universal-Transmitter-Compatible/dp/B00PCPL9OE/ref=sr_1_45?keywords=homelink+repeater&qid=1573517339&sr=8-45

You will have to open up your remote and wire up the button contacts to the relay, so some soldering skills are required. The box runs off of 12v DC, which means you can even wire it to a cigarette plug and keep the whole thing inside the center console of the car (more useful for apartment building garages like mine where you can't install anything. It draws 100mW when idle and is disconnected when the car is off). I have been using it with Homelink on the Model 3 without issue.

Here's your whole project:
https://www.amazon.com/INSMA-Channel-Wireless-Control-Transimitter/dp/B01CCSG2ZY/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1491576296&sr=8-3&keywords=rf+remote+relay

Get that. Wire it up as follows:
Power Supply 0v,GND to Board Terminals DC12v-, 1A, and 2A.
Power Supply +12v DC to Board Terminals DC12V+, 1C and 2C.
Motor has one lead to 1B and the other to 2B.

If you wire that up right, A button will turn the motor one way and B button will turn it the other way (Lock and Unlock)

Reference:
1,2,3,4 are the relays, each with A,B,C terminals all from left to right when terminal are facing you. A=NO Normally Open), B=Common, C=NC (Normally Closed)
Power supply must be 12VDC and roughly 1 Amp. Motor must work reliably on 12vdc. Do not hold the button longer than you need to, the motor would either burn out or break something.
Disclaimer: I have not built anything using this exact device but I have confidence it'll work. I've automated the door locks in my car with similar techniques.

Simplest way is to buy a 3-button universal remote like this one https://www.amazon.com/Chamberlain-LiftMaster-Craftsman-953EV-P2-Compatible/dp/B004RB73D0/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1538175014&sr=8-4&keywords=universal+garage+door+remote

It's also possible to do it with home automation; I've set up a door before with a Z-wave controlled relay that effectively pushes the button.

I would consider something like this. You can program several receiver/switches to be controlled by a single set of remotes. Otherwise I think it would be pretty tough.

Perfect! They also have a bare board and much cheaper in the UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07SNBKXH5/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_tD5kDbJTF3Q03

Ordered.

Wow, those aren't common. You'll actually need the 433 mhz transmitter for that board: https://www.amazon.com/LIFTMASTER-Garage-Control-41A5235-Frequency/dp/B00466YMKS

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The traditional LiftMaster/Chamberlain "universal" will actually NOT work with what you have.

The current reviews on Amazon are amazing.

Chamberlain and LiftMaster are the same so you can save a couple of bucks if you can get LiftMaster (their apps and gateway work with each other, they literally just have different names). I got this too which can be program to close the door automatically.

Sorry to leave you hanging. You'll need a Liftmaster 877 MAX keypad. I have them in stock for $42.94, or you can save a few $ and get it on Amazon. http://www.amazon.com/LIFTMASTER-Garage-Openers-877MAX-Wireless/dp/B00CMAT0SY

Can't help you break in, but I have garage like yours with only the garage door for access.

https://www.amazon.com/Genie-GER-2-Garage-Emergency-Release/dp/B000RF9M0M/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1468763748&sr=8-2&keywords=Ger+2

I installed one of these on my garage door. It allows you to pop the latch that disconnects the opener from the door.

If this is a garage remote integrated into the car, it's probably HomeLink type.

You can use something like this : https://www.amazon.com/955D-Universal-Remote-Control-Replacement/dp/B000EOFQBK/ / http://support.chamberlain.com/articles/How_To/Chamberlain-Universal-Receiver-Model-955D-Owner-s-Manual-1484145552126

Combined with whatever device can convert contact closure to input that you want, for example :

Z-Wave : https://www.amazon.com/Aeotec-Aeon-Labs-ZW097-Contact/dp/B0155HSUUY

Insteon : https://www.smarthome.com/insteon-2843-222-wireless-open-close-sensor.html (can wire things into it) or https://www.smarthome.com/i-o-linc-insteon-2450-low-voltage-contact-closure-interface-1-in-1-out.html

And if you're using X-10, HomeLink should be able to learn an X-10 code to transmit directly.

All of the Top Customer Reviews on the Amazon product page are one star, with "DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY" as the central theme. Apparently this gimcrack isn't as "smart" as advertised.

This works amazingly well:

https://www.amazon.com/Garadget-Smart-Garage-Door-Controller/dp/B01KUZ2JPS

There are off-the-shelf solutions for this: https://www.amazon.co.uk/eMylo%C2%AE-Channel-Wireless-Transmitter-Control/dp/B01A6VOI6Y/ref=sr_1_4?keywords=rf+switch&qid=1558965857&s=gateway&sr=8-4

It also doesn't help that first page of review on Amazon are nearly all one-star from verified purchasers: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01KUZ2JPS

Garage door controller - works standalone and with most home automation controllers.

Others have mentioned it, but I'll itemize it:

• Garage door openers systems have a "manual release" that disconnects the door from the trolley that pulls it open and pushes it shut. This allows the door to be used manually as if there was no opener. This is usually a rope with a red handle that hangs down from the center rail near the top of the garage door.

• Manufacturers have a key-device which mounts in a hole high on the center of the door. When you unlock this handle, it allows you to pull out the handle which is attached to a wire-rope which is attached to the manual release on the door.

Demonstration video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dAXaB5srdr8

That said, a certain member of my extended family managed to leave her car such that the open hatchback was in the way of the door closing, and forgot that the hatch was open when she closed the garage door -- the garage door pushed the car hatch down far enough to close fully, but the partially open hatch was still pressing against the inside of the garage-door, and when she attempted to open the garage door the hatchback edge caught on one of the hinges and stopped the door from opening more than about 10-inches.

Not remembering that there were 8 and 6 year old children next door, my octogenarian MIL lay on the ground and crawled into the garage via the 10 inch gap, and closed the boot-lid so that the door would open properly. After this, she had a contractor add a "person door" to the side of the garage.

I use this one. Works with the Ewelink app plus comes with the open and closed trigger. I have it set within Alexa on Geofence so when my wife or myself arrives home it opens garage. My daughter uses it within the app to open when she arrives home. I also have it set at a specific time to turn off power to garage so it can not be opened afterhours.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07CWXC489/ref=cm_sw_r_other_apa_i_qYu1DbCBY8B2M

Why turn it off? Are you afraid of people hacking into it?

You know that some units have an automatic locking mechanism, right?

Close the door, and it throws a deadbolt in the track, open it, and the deadbolt retracts first. They'd have to physically break the door to get in.

https://www.amazon.com/Tailwind-Smart-WiFi-Garage-Opener/dp/B07FVDCBFB/ref=sr_1_2?crid=1GMFOPX67XLY2&keywords=tailwind&qid=1574456392&sprefix=tailwin%2Caps%2C181&sr=8-2 50% off right now!

There is also add on remotes if the unit is too far out of date that attach to the bell wire system of most models that may also work.

http://www.amazon.com/955D-Universal-Remote-Control-Replacement/dp/B000EOFQBK/ref=pd_cp_hi_3

You haven't looked hard or deep enough then. This is absolutely a thing:

https://www.amazon.com/Chamberlain-7702CB-Quick-Release-Lock/dp/B00213KWAM

That's what they did on my own detached garage. Appears all over my state.

Suspicious, but ReviewMeta's adjusted score is still 4/5.

Audio is notoriously finicky. I wouldn't use it for something so mission critical. Even alexa fails me and thats a multi million dollar platform supported by a multi billion dollar corp. I'd recommend faking the effect by using a wireless remote and a relay. Here is a 4 channel one so you can sneak in a few other features. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01CCSG2ZY/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_n37jzbJHFF0AE

The Amazon reviews page if anyone wants to see the impact of bad press..

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/reviews/B01KUZ2JPS/ref=cm_cr_dp_mb_btm?ie=UTF8

Today in lulzy Amazon & IoT (Internet of Trash) news:

Guy buys a "smart" garage door opener that can be controlled by smartphone. He has trouble setting it up, gets frustrated, posts a one-star Amazon review. Owner of the company retaliates by blacklisting his specific garage door opener on their servers, rendering it useless.

Thread on the company forums, Hacker News thread, Amazon product page.