# Are "smart" garage door openers really an improvement? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 1, 2026, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-smart-garage-door-openers-really-an-improvement/1026241 "2026-01-01T13:42:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2026, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-smart-garage-door-openers-really-an-improvement/1026241/61 "2026-01-02T18:37:22Z")
> [@jjakucyk](#): > > The point is that the door can open automatically when you drive up the driveway and close when you leave, based on your phone’s location (a geofence). No manual person-phone interaction necessary. It opens when I go up the drive way. It doesn’t close when I go into the house. It doesn’t open when I want to go into the garage to start driving or for other reasons. In addition there are the other uses exhaustively already explained in this thread so far. ---
**Author:** ![echoreply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/echoreply/32/3641_2.png) [@echoreply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/echoreply)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2026, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-smart-garage-door-openers-really-an-improvement/1026241/62 "2026-01-02T18:43:07Z")
> [@Spiderman](#): > > inside, I press the button on the wall & close the garage door as I step into the house. With my old garage doors that did not have MyQ, the problem wasn’t _me_ forgetting to close the door, but the door failing to shut. It would bind up a bit and open again. MyQ letting me know that it had been open an hour would have prevented the times where I came home or went out in the morning to a still open door. Now with MyQ it is mostly, as @steronz says, the kid who fails to close the door. I get a warning after an hour, and no problem. MyQ is convenient, which is one of the things that is letting them enshittify it. If it was completely useless, then nobody would be annoyed by the shitty app. For a counter example, my mom has a wifi connected washer and dryer. If all setup with the app, she can get a phone notification that the cycle is done. Very useless. If she’s home she hears the buzzer. If she’s out of the house, the notification is irrelevant. I can see use cases (disability, disconnected laundry room, etc.), but when she got new wifi, we didn’t bother to reconnect them, because being able to start a load remotely is not useful. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2026, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-smart-garage-door-openers-really-an-improvement/1026241/63 "2026-01-02T18:46:24Z")
> [@echoreply](#): > > For a counter example, my mom has a wifi connected washer and dryer. If all setup with the app, she can get a phone notification that the cycle is done. Very useless. I get a notice if our refrigerator door is left open. Nice feature. ---
**Author:** ![echoreply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/echoreply/32/3641_2.png) [@echoreply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/echoreply)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2026, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-smart-garage-door-openers-really-an-improvement/1026241/64 "2026-01-02T18:49:54Z")
> [@Procrustus](#): > > I get a notice if our refrigerator door is left open. Nice feature That does sound useful. Ours makes a quiet beep. Completely useless when you’re on a different floor playing MInecraft while wearing headphones. Temperature warnings would also be great. A bad smell detector is probably outside current technology. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2026, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-smart-garage-door-openers-really-an-improvement/1026241/65 "2026-01-02T18:52:37Z")
> [@echoreply](#): > > I can see use cases (disability, disconnected laundry room, etc.), but when she got new wifi, we didn’t bother to reconnect them, because being able to start a load remotely is not useful. My range is WiFi enabled and it’s useless to me with the very minor exception that the clock is correct at time change. I can hear any alarm from the timer or that the preheat is done from anywhere in my house. But, yeah, just because it’s useless to me, it takes very little imagination to see why it would be useful to others like starting a roast when you’re going to be out all day and you want it to be ready when you get home. My situation isn’t the only possible reality. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2026, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-smart-garage-door-openers-really-an-improvement/1026241/66 "2026-01-02T18:52:54Z")
> [@Dinsdale](#): > > Only exception (for me) is if leaving on a trip. Yeah, well we where going on a ‘trip’ to our other house 100 miles away every week for months. And never traveled together. We used two SUV’s to move most of our stuff. And on different days. And we have two dogs in this puzzle. To put it bluntly, ‘Our brains where full’. That’s why I spaced the garage door. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2026, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-smart-garage-door-openers-really-an-improvement/1026241/67 "2026-01-02T19:04:25Z")
With the caveat that I am an Old Fart set in my ways, I take the view that the so-called “internet of all things” is a marketing ploy whose actual utility is close to zero. I can tell if my garage door is closed by the low-tech method of **looking at it**! I can ensure that the door is closed before driving away by the low-tech method of **watching it close**! I can ensure that the fridge door isn’t left open by the low-tech method of **closing it**. None of my appliances would benefit from any kind of “smart” connection. All I ask is that they be reliable in their basic functions. This may seem ironic coming from someone who is a staunch advocate of AI, but it isn’t. I support technological advances that are genuinely useful. I reject things that just exploit technology for the sake of technology without providing much if any benefit. ---
**Author:** ![echoreply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/echoreply/32/3641_2.png) [@echoreply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/echoreply)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2026, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-smart-garage-door-openers-really-an-improvement/1026241/68 "2026-01-02T19:19:47Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > it’s useless to me with the very minor exception that the clock is correct at time change With the price of an ESP32 being $3 or whatever (and I know development costs money), everything with a clock should be running NTP, _everything_. That alone would be enough utility for me to share how often I use the popcorn button on my microwave with the manufacturer. Which is one of my annoyances with MyQ. The button on my garage wall to control the opener has a screen with a clock on it. It is very inaccurate, and cannot be set automatically from the wifi opener itself. This is because it is connected with the exact same two wire control cable that my old dumb garage door button was connected by. It is really just a simple button with an LCD clock and thermometer. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2026, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-smart-garage-door-openers-really-an-improvement/1026241/69 "2026-01-02T19:20:44Z")
We’ve all explained how it works for us. Also there are other reasons to use that app than just as a check that don’t apply to you. Why are you ignoring those in your rant? No one is saying that you have them or you are silly not to have them. Likewise, we’re not incable people just because we have a use case. My smart thermostat is probably the most useful. I can turn up the heat from my bed. I can keep it low to save energy and then turn it up from the restaurant before I drive home. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2026, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-smart-garage-door-openers-really-an-improvement/1026241/70 "2026-01-02T19:23:41Z")
> [@echoreply](#): > > With the price of an ESP32 being $3 or whatever (and I know development costs money), everything with a clock should be running NTP, _everything_. My range actually might. I set up the wifi right when I got it out of curiosity. (I just checked and it actually isn’t) ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2026, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-smart-garage-door-openers-really-an-improvement/1026241/71 "2026-01-02T19:26:33Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > We’ve all explained how it works for us. Also there are other reasons to use that app than just as a check that don’t apply to you. Why are you ignoring those in your rant? No one is saying that you have them or you are silly not to have them. Likewise, we’re not incable people just because we have a use case. > > My smart thermostat is probably the most useful. I can turn up the heat from my bed. I can keep it low to save energy and then turn it up from the restaurant before I drive home. this was meant to be for @wolfpup ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2026, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-smart-garage-door-openers-really-an-improvement/1026241/72 "2026-01-02T19:31:56Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > My smart thermostat is probably the most useful. I can turn up the heat from my bed. I can keep it low to save energy and then turn it up from the restaurant before I drive home Your observations are fair, I wasn’t meaning to start an argument. But we obviously have very different values and approaches to things. For instance, I have a semi-smart thermostat – no internet connection, just programmable to set different temperatures at different times of day. Know what I do with it? I set it to the temperature I like, and press the “Hold” button, meaning hold that setting and ignore the fancy programming. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2026, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-smart-garage-door-openers-really-an-improvement/1026241/73 "2026-01-02T19:48:43Z")
Sure. Mine does that too and can be also be scheduled. My previous semi-smart one could be scheduled as well. My life doesn’t lend itself to that so I don’t use it. My smart (Nest) thermostat has a Learning function where it eventually figures out what to do based on how you set it over the first few weeks. You’d have to have a very regimented life to have that work and I never implemented it or maybe it’s even smarter than I am imagining. Last night I had a friend over to play cards. His phone notification beep was identical to the beep when my fridge door is left open. It startled me every time. ---
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2026, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-smart-garage-door-openers-really-an-improvement/1026241/74 "2026-01-02T20:00:34Z")
> [@steronz](#): > > Do you have kids? Older now, but yes. Even when they were ‘kids’ going out the garage was a ‘longcut’ to going out the front door, & if a car was in there it was a bit tight. It’s a small, car-only garage, not a tool-storage-also garage. If I had dirty hands from working on a car or bike in the driveway I might go in thru the garage by hip-checking the door open so I didn’t need to touch anything before the sink; that’s about the only time someone would use the garage door that didn’t involve coming or going for a drive off the property ---
**Author:** ![phs3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8491ac/32.png) [@phs3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phs3)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2026, 5:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-smart-garage-door-openers-really-an-improvement/1026241/75 "2026-01-06T05:35:01Z")
> [@echoreply](#): > > mom has a wifi connected washer and dryer. If all setup with the app, she can get a phone notification that the cycle is done. Very useless. Not necessarily. Our washer/dryer are upstairs and I’m often out of earshot, would be glad if my phone would tell me when a load is done. I also have a MyQ opener, and I like it for two reasons not yet stated. I go for a walk every day for an hour minimum. The opener history lets me know how long I’ve been gone. And the remote opening lets me open the door from a distance, as I approach – useful when I’m on a work call, since it avoids the noise intruding on the call. Both minor benefits but still real. And I bet neither was anticipated when the thing was designed. ---
**Author:** ![bobsmom101](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobsmom101/32/2867_2.png) [@bobsmom101](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobsmom101)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2026, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-smart-garage-door-openers-really-an-improvement/1026241/76 "2026-01-06T16:22:21Z")
> [@Dinsdale](#): > > The ONLY possible benefit I could imagine would be if I had left home and was unsure whether I had closed the door. In such case, I suppose I the app might allow me to ensure that the door was closed from a distance. But, ya know, that can be avoided by just developing the habit of watching the door close as you leave… I have a driveway gate opener and a garage door opener. I am old and fumble-fingered, and often forget to press the remote clipped to my car visor to close one or the other of them, or, more commonly press the wrong remote button which results in reopening either the garage or gate. Being able to check MyQ on the phone to verify that I have actually closed what I thought I did gives considerable peace of mind. I live in an area with very easy freeway access, which means we get a lot of drive-through crime from Sacramento. I don’t want a bunch of machines running my life and reporting back to their corporate masters, so I don’t have a “Home” or a “Nest.” The MyQ isn’t connected to anything but my home WiFi and, so far, isn’t “enshittified.” It reports to me the same way my security cameras (whch only store info on their SD cards) do. > [@wolfpup](#): > > In a situation where a delivery person was given access to the garage, I’d definitely keep that door locked. Yeahbut: Once a thief is inside your closed garage with a large assortment of power tools and the knowledge that you are not at home, he/she can defeat your super-solid deadbolted door to your house at their leisure. Or use the sawzall to cut through the drywall adjacent to the doorway. Or, in my case, just go out the flimsy door to the back yard and pry open a window to enter the house. NO WAY would I ever use the “delivery man feature” on the MyQ app to allow entry by someone I didn’t know. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2026, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-smart-garage-door-openers-really-an-improvement/1026241/77 "2026-01-06T17:19:13Z")
> [@beowulff](#): > > I created a Siri shortcut, which would open the door when I said “Open the pod bay doors, HAL.” > That no longer works, due to the whole MyQ enshitification, but it’s a small loss. I wouldn’t consider that a small loss! I mean, it’s not a feature I would use, but it has a coolness factor. When something could be done, it’s annoying AF that it can no longer be done. Why are we going backwards!? Like I say, far too much, “Why can’t things just _work_!” > [@hajario](#): > > In the old days, and I’m not sure how old this is but at most 30 years ago, 30 years ago ain’t what it used to be. That was 1996, and my garage door opener at the time was already more sophisticated than that. Maybe 45-50 years ago, like Bancek being clever and having a handful of remotes to turn off a then-state of the art alarm, because at the time that’s all the more sophisticated it could be. > [@hajario](#): > > so I’d get a cheapie watch and put it on my belt loop. It was the style at the time. > [@Reply](#): > > I should be clear and note that Wyze devices are very far from perfect. I like my Wyze cameras, but the enshittification has begun. Now the screen for each camera has a big list taking up the screen, telling me every motion event. But since some of the cameras don’t have cards, that is meaningless! (Unless I subscribe to their overpriced service! Of course!) ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2026, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-smart-garage-door-openers-really-an-improvement/1026241/78 "2026-01-06T18:39:17Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > 30 years ago ain’t what it used to be. That was 1996, and my garage door opener at the time was already more sophisticated than that. Maybe 45-50 years ago, like Bancek being clever and having a handful of remotes to turn off a then-state of the art alarm, because at the time that’s all the more sophisticated it could be. You’re right. Come to think of it, it probably only worked on garage doors that were old at that time. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2026, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-smart-garage-door-openers-really-an-improvement/1026241/79 "2026-01-06T18:39:57Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > 30 years ago ain’t what it used to be. That was 1996, and my garage door opener at the time was already more sophisticated than that. Maybe 45-50 years ago, like Bancek being clever and having a handful of remotes to turn off a then-state of the art alarm, because at the time that’s all the more sophisticated it could be. You’re right. Come to think of it, it probably only worked on garage doors that were old at that time. > [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > It was the style at the time. Ouch! LOL [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-smart-garage-door-openers-really-an-improvement/1026241.md?page=3)