How to Make a Garage Door Opener Work Through Wi-Fi

How many times have you forgotten to close your garage door? Probably more than you care to remember. It happens to everyone, and it’s not only inconvenient, but it can also be very risky. What if you suddenly remember that you forgot to close the door, but you’re away on holiday?

That’s why connecting your garage door opener to Wi-Fi can give you the peace of mind you need. You can get your existing garage opener to do the job, or replace it with a new smart garage opener. This article explains both of these options further.

Option 1 – Get a New Smart Garage Door Opener

Smart garage door openers certainly aren’t a novelty. They have in fact become an important and common addition to many smart homes around the US. There are so many benefits to installing a Wi-Fi enabled garage door opener.

You can control the garage door remotely from not just your home or computer, but anywhere in the world. You can add a smart garage opener to an existing security system in your home, or it can be a stand-alone upgrade. There are several well-regarded brands on the market, like Ryobi or Chamberlain.

They offer devices that have built-in Wi-Fi readiness and communicate with an app. Smart garage openers often have voice assistant abilities as well. So, all you will need to do is ask Alexa or Google Assistant to open or close the garage door.

Option 2 – Use a Wi-Fi Enabled Hub

But what to do when you already have a perfectly fine garage door opener, only you want to be able to control it via Wi-Fi? Fortunately, if your opener was made after 1993, you’ll likely be able to upgrade it. The only thing you’ll need to do is to purchase a Wi-Fi enabled garage hub controller. Just make sure that your current garage door opener and the hub are compatible.

It’s best to go with the same brand if possible. The garage door opener hub gives you all the same features a brand-new one does, including the ability to control the garage door with an app. To install the garage hub, you’ll need a battery-powered sensor. The hub acts as the mediator between the Wi-Fi router and the opener.

The important thing to keep in mind here is that your garage needs to have good Wi-Fi reception. But sometimes the structure of the wall weakens the signal. Most garage opener hubs have to be within 50ft of the router. If that’s not the case, you can always move the router or purchase a Wi-Fi extender.

The overall installation time of a garage door hub controller shouldn’t exceed a couple of hours. And it’s something most homeowners can do themselves by following the instruction manual or watching online videos. Also, the garage door opener will most likely make a beeping noise for about ten seconds before the door starts to close.

Benefits of Wi-Fi Enabled Garage Openers

Your Wi-Fi enabled garage door opener can be as basic or as advanced as you want it to be. It can simply open and close the garage doors, or be a part of a smart home system that consolidates with the rest of automatic home management features.

The entire premise of a smart home is to alleviate homeowners of any stress regarding their homes. And a Wi-Fi garage opener does the job perfectly. Having unlimited and continuous access to your home’s security via an app, makes leaving your home when you have to so much easier.

In many cases, the garage door opener app will let you set the time the door opens and closes each day. And sometimes you can even give temporary access to delivery services, in order to ensure your packages are stored safe inside. But the primary purpose of having your garage door opener work through Wi-Fi is to add to the overall safety of your home.

Wi-Fi Garage Openers Are Here to Stay

Undoubtedly, a garage is a special place in most homes. It’s also often another entryway to the house itself. And even though garage openers have been around for decades, if you can make your old opener work with Wi-Fi, it can make all the difference. If you’re planning to have a garage in the future, it’s probably best to go with a model that works through your Wi-Fi. You’re unlikely to look back.

Let us know what you think about Wi-Fi enabled garage door openers in the comments section below.