The garage door opener you choose is just as important as the door itself; it determines how secure, efficient, quiet, and convenient your new garage door is. Choose a low-powered opener for a heavy overhead door and it’ll burn out in no time. Choose a cheap off-brand and install it yourself, and you’ll have an unbalanced, noisy garage door with constantly-failing parts.
Choosing a garage door opener can be difficult with all the new options available. To make it simple, here are 5 of the top garage door openers that we recommend to our customers:
1. Chamberlain Secure View™ B4643T ($275 on Amazon)
Chamberlain is arguably leading the charge in making smart home control tech accessible and convenient, and offer several types of smart garage door openers and control systems. This model has it all, and for a completely reasonable price:
- Built-in 140° swivel camera with 360° view in 1080p HD picture
- 2-way audio-enabled
- Smartphone control
- Ultra-quiet DC motor
- Advanced LED lighting that learns; purposefully brightens at high-traffic areas of the garage
- Smooth operation with soft start and stop
2. Genie StealthDrive Connect 7155-TKV ($295 on Amazon)
Genie has long been one of the giants in garage door openers, and for good reason; they make quality, hardy garage door openers with all the modern features available. The Genie 7155-TKV model is a widespread favorite among garage door installers; here’s why:
- 1 ¼ HPc DC motor – a perfect fit for most residential garage doors
- Steel-reinforced belt drive makes it ultra-quiet
- Automatic battery backup built in
- Can be integrated with smart home automation systems
- Voice-control compatible with Alexa, Google, SmartThings, Walmart InHome, and more
- Soft open and soft close for less parts wear
3. Liftmaster 8500W ($680 on Amazon)
Liftmaster is arguably the most well-known of the major brands of garage door openers; their products are high-quality, and their product line offers options for any kind of garage door, overhead or not. The 8500W is an amazing product, but it’s not #1 because it’s admittedly really expensive. Still, it’s got –
- Sleek, 12”, wall-mounted design
- MyQ smart technology compatible with all major smart devices and platforms
- Battery backup
- Automatic deadbolt lock
- Remote operated LED garage lighting
- Monitored, Key-In Garage Amazon Delivery
4. beamUP Centurion BU800 ($265 on Amazon)
A quickly-emerging brand known for their innovation and focus on efficient technology, beamUP offers garage door openers with all the features of the bigger brands, but with sustainability in mind. The beamUP Centurion is a great option for homeowners looking for:
- Ultra-lift power transmission works even on carriage doors
- Efficiently-designed ¾ HPc motor operates at same power as standard 1 ¼ HPc motors
- Smartphone monitoring, access and control
- Motion sensored bright, sustainable 3000 lumen LED lighting covering the whole garage
- Smart tech is simple to set up with tutorials and support readily available
- 24/7 wireless door sentry monitoring door movement, notifies you via smartphone
5. Genie Signature Series Max Performance 4063-NMSV 2 ($310 at Wilmar)
This isn’t actually our fifth favorite, but this Genie garage door opener model is a little different; it’s specifically made for heavy doors, like larger steel overhead doors or heavy wooden carriage house doors. Here are some important specs on this absolute powerhouse of a garage door opener:
- 2 HPc 140-volt DC motor
- Smartphone access and wi-fi compatibility with Google and Alexa
- GenieSense diagnostic tech to alert user of any malfunctions or parts wear
- Battery backup compatible
- Integrated Genie apps, HomeLink and Car2U to link the opener directly to the car
- Rolling code technology for utmost secure access
Cheat: Install a Retrofit Kit on Your Current Garage Door Opener
What if there’s absolutely nothing wrong with your current garage door opener, it’s fairly new, or you’re just not trying to drop a couple hundred dollars right now? There’s a life hack for literally everything nowadays, including your garage door opener; you can make your standard garage door opener smart with an affordable retrofit kit, which usually only run you between $50-$80.
One of our favorite conversion kits is the Chamberlain MyQ Smart Garage Hub. If your garage door opener is from 1993 or after and has standard safety sensors, you can make if wi-fi enabled, add remote video monitoring as well as remote operation and use monitoring, all with this little $60 kit. Cool, right?
Installing Your New Garage Door Opener
Some garage door opener systems are pretty simple to install. But just because you can do it yourself doesn’t necessarily mean you should. Door opener systems often come with warranties, but these warranties are conditional. More often than not, you’ll void any and all warranties on a garage door opener by failing to have it installed, and later maintenance and serviced, by a professional garage door company. If you’re curious about what a new garage door opener can add to your home, what it’s going to cost, what goes into the installation, or any other questions, give us a call; we’re happy to help.