Best HomeKit Garage Door Openers in 2020

Best HomeKit Garage Door Openers iMore 2020

• Best Overall: Chamberlain Smart Garage Hub
• Best Value: Insignia Wi-Fi Garage Door Controller
• Best Direct Drive: Chamberlain RJO20 Wall Mount Garage Door Opener
• Best Belt Drive: Chamberlain B980
• Best Lighting: Chamberlain B1381
• Best for Multiple Doors: ismartgate PRO Garage

Best Overall: Chamberlain Smart Garage Hub

Chamberlain's Smart Garage Hub is a quick and easy way to add smart home control to your existing garage door opener. This low-cost package consists of a wireless door tilt sensor and a gateway that communicates with your home Wi-Fi network. We love that this system is entirely wireless, enabling fast installation without wiring or tools.

Once the initial set up is complete, your garage door will be ready for remote control through Chamberlain's MyQ app and Amazon's Alexa. Amazon's Key Service is also available once your garage door is connected. It allows your local delivery driver to drop off packages directly into your garage or home.

Enabling HomeKit support, however, requires an additional purchase of Chamberlain's HomeKit bridge, which adds to the overall cost of this system. Once added to HomeKit, your garage door will be able to provide notifications for events and can be controlled through Siri or the iOS Home app. Geofencing within the Home app can also open and close your door automatically when you arrive or leave for the day.

Best Value: Insignia Wi-Fi Garage Door Controller

Insignia's Wi-Fi Garage Door Controller is an affordable way to add HomeKit support to your existing garage door opener. This low-cost package includes everything you need to upgrade, including a handy screwdriver, which should be the only tool you need for installation.

Insignia's offering uses Wi-Fi to connect directly to your home network, and as such, requires a strong Wi-Fi signal to your garage. Once the hardware is in place, a simple scan of the HomeKit accessory code enables operation through iOS and Siri, all without having to download an additional app.

Best Direct Drive: Chamberlain RJO20 Wall Mount Garage Door Opener

The Chamberlain RJO20 is a complete garage door opener package that uses the latest in lifting technology. A direct drive system attaches directly to the garage door itself; no additional chains, belts, or rails required. This eliminates the overhead components of a traditional garage door opener and tucks it out of sight.

The RJO20 also supports several convenience features, such as a battery backup. This feature ensures that your door can open even when the power is out, and an automatic door lock engages every time the door is closed. Wi-Fi connectivity is ready to go out of the box with Chamberlain's free iOS app, but HomeKit support requires the purchase of an additional bridge.

Best Belt Drive: Chamberlain B980

Chamberlain's B980 ditches the traditional chain system that most garage door openers use in favor of a metal reinforced belt. The inclusion of a belt means that this opener can open and close your door quietly and smoother than its counterparts. This unit also provides a powerful lighting system that illuminates the darkest of areas in your garage.

The Chamberlain B980 includes a battery backup system, which means that you will never be left stranded outside your home even if a power outage occurs. Like other Chamberlain products, this unit supports Wi-Fi networking but does require an additional purchase of the company's HomeKit bridge to connect it to Siri and automation.

Best Lighting: Chamberlain B1381

Chamberlain's B1381 takes lighting to the extreme, as it boasts a whopping 3,100 lumens of bright garage filling light. This opener uses a proprietary LED light pod to light the darkest of garages, and it comes with a battery backup to ensure that your parking space is lit even when the power goes out.

This opener uses a belt drive lifting system to provide high performance, enabling it to open the heaviest of doors. Chamberlain's MyQ Wi-Fi technology is also included, allowing remote operation; however, like other Chamberlain smart products, it does require an additional purchase to bring it into HomeKit.

Best for Multiple Doors: ismartgate PRO Garage

The ismartgate PRO Garage is an add-on system that brings HomeKit support to the opener that is already in your garage. Unlike other solutions on the market, the ismartgate PRO Garage supports more than just one garage door, up to 3 total using wireless and wired sensors.

Installation of the ismartgate Pro Garage is simple, requiring just some minor wiring to attach it to your existing opener, and it can be up and running in only a few minutes. Once set up, several customization options allow for fine-tuning, even allowing users to select a specific tone or alert that will play during operation.

Open and Shut

HomeKit garage door openers offer more than just the ability to determine the status of your garage door. These openers can open and close automatically when you arrive or leave your home, work in tandem with other devices in automation, and of course, can work with Siri. Smart notifications can alert you to the comings and goings of others, or if someone is attempting to sneak into your home.

If you are in the market for a garage door controller that is easy to install and works with most brands of existing garage door openers, then Chamberlain's MyQ Smart Garage Hub is the one for you. Even though an additional purchase of a HomeKit bridge is extra, the combination is still a cheaper option than replacing your opener which can take hours. Chamberlain's package can be set up in a matter of minutes, with no wiring or tools required, and once added to HomeKit, you are ready to experience the benefits of a smart garage.

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