Garage Door Openers: Remote Control or Smartphone App?

The new garage San Luis Obispo residents are considering tends to be high-tech. These doors are energy efficient, can withstand whatever weather is doled out and can be accessed from practically any connected device. Ever hear of the Internet of Things? Your garage door can be part of it, and that often means ditching the traditional remote control in favor of that cell phone that practically everyone carries on their person and has in their car.

Smart Garages for Smart Homes

How does it work? Well, your opener will be Wi-Fi-enabled, which means you can communicate with it through your local area network. Use a smartphone, tablet, laptop and so forth. You can even upgrade your old opener with a kit that lets it be Wi-Fi-enabled. You don’t have to be in range, however. Your phone can communicate with your home network via the Internet.

More Than Just an Opener

A classic remote opens and closes a garage door. Your smartphone app can do much more, such as share access across users so that you have as many “remotes” as you need. You can also schedule your door in advance so that it opens and closes based on presets.

Real-Time Notifications

Forgot to close the door? Your garage can notify you via SMS. Door can’t close? Your door can notify you. Smart garages can even alert you when something isn’t working as expected and it may be time to schedule maintenance.

Rolling Code Technology

But is it secure? Absolutely. In fact, whether you opt for a remote or a smartphone, your opener will generally use the same security concept: rolling codes. What this means is that when your opener is accessed, the code used right then and there is discarded. A new code is created and used next time, and this renders traditional garage door opener hacks irrelevant.