Smart Garage Door Openers — Are They Actually Worth It?

Smart openers let you control your garage from your phone. But is it worth the extra cost? Here's what we think after installing hundreds of them.

We've installed a lot of smart openers. Here's our honest take on whether the upgrade is worth it for most homeowners.

Smart garage door openers have gotten really good in the last couple years. Built-in WiFi, phone apps, voice control through Alexa or Google — it's pretty slick. But is it worth paying extra for?

In our experience, yes — for most people. The biggest win is the peace of mind. You know that feeling when you're ten minutes from home and can't remember if you closed the garage? With a smart opener, you just check your phone. Done. You can also set it to auto-close at a certain time, so even if you do forget, it handles it.

For families, the notifications are really useful. You get an alert every time the door opens or closes, so you know when the kids get home from school. And the guest access feature lets you give temporary access to a dog walker or house cleaner without giving them a key or a code.