Ever walk into your garage and spot something that makes your stomach drop? That happened to me one morning when I saw our single garage door was completely open.
The night before was warm—one of those nice September evenings—and we’d been outside with the kids. We came in through the garage and went straight into dinner mode. I totally forgot to close the door. Luckily, nothing was stolen. I felt pretty stupid about it, considering we have smart garage door openers and the myQ app that I can program to close every day at specified times.
Why I love having smart garage doors
Remote access changed everything
Both of my garage doors—a double-wide for two cars and a single door—are equipped with Lift Master myQ openers. They’ve become part of my daily routine. Opening and closing my garage doors from anywhere using the myQ app is handy. I’ve used it to let the furniture delivery drivers in when they arrived early, and I was still 20 minutes from home—one of my favorite smart home fixes that saved me so much time.
The real benefit is when I’m heading out for walks or exercise. Does the dog need a walk? I can grab the leash and go. Am I going for a run? I only need my phone and earbuds. Am I going out to play with the kids? It’s the same deal for that, too. No keys to lose, no extra junk in my pockets. My iPhone opens the garage when we get back, and that’s all I need.
The wake-up call that led to automation
Forgetting isn’t a question of if, but when
This happened on a Tuesday. Our kids were riding their bikes up and down the driveway. We were out there playing for about an hour. It was a warmer day, so we had both garage doors open to cool it down. Between corralling everyone inside for dinner and the usual bedtime chaos, we only closed one of the doors. The next morning, I walked into the garage and noticed the small garage door was still open.
I stood there staring at it. The garage had been open all night, accessible to anyone walking or driving by. Thankfully, nothing was stolen, but man, did I feel dumb. I had smart garage door openers on both doors. Why was I still depending on remembering to close them manually? Between two young kids, work meetings, and everything else going on, my brain can only hold so much. Something was bound to slip eventually. I’ve automated everything in my smart home, from yard irrigation to smart lights and smart switches—it was time to use it on my garage doors, too.
Setting up automatic garage door closing
One minute per door
I pulled out my phone and opened the myQ app right then. Turns out the fix was already built into the settings. It took about one minute per door, tops. I tapped the settings gear at the top, found “Schedules,” and hit the plus icon to make a new one.
The interface walked me through the setup. I picked which door to automate first—the single garage door we’d left open. I started with 7 PM as the closing time because we’re usually home by then. I had to reconsider because the kids play outside past 7 PM during the summer. I changed the time to 8 PM instead.
Once I saved the first schedule, I repeated the process for my double-wide garage door (I realized afterward that I could have selected both doors simultaneously). Now both close at 8 PM automatically, whether I remember or not. That first night, I actually stayed outside to watch both doors close at exactly 8 PM. The automation worked perfectly.
What if you don’t have myQ?
Upgrade options for any garage door
If you don’t have smart garage door openers yet, you’ve got several options to choose from. The Chamberlain myQ Smart Garage Hub works with most garage door openers made after 1993. It converts your existing setup without needing a whole new opener. The installation takes about 30 minutes to complete, and you won’t need an electrician.
Are you replacing your entire opener? The Chamberlain B4505T Smart Garage Door Opener comes with myQ built-in and features a battery backup for when power is lost. If you want Apple HomeKit, Google Home, or Alexa compatibility, check out the Tailwind iQ3 Smart Garage Controller.
You’re looking at $30 for basic retrofit hubs, up to $300 for full opener replacements with all the bells and whistles. Most have the scheduling feature I’m using, plus geo-fencing alerts and smart home integration.
The peace of mind is worth it
I haven’t thought twice about the garage doors being closed since I set this up. That’s one worry off my plate. Instead of running through my pre-bed checklist (doors locked, thermostat set, and garage closed?), I can just crash. Or worry about whether I left the stove on, which is a different problem entirely.
If you already have a smart garage door opener installed, explore the app settings. There are probably features you paid for but never use. If you don’t have smart openers, it might be worth considering, especially if you have kids or a busy schedule like mine.
