Last month, GeekDad posted an Amazon daily discount for the Chamberlain MyQ-Garage, and as my husband and I have been casually researching these, we bought one. Note: We did not receive this product from the company for free, we did not receive this product for review purposes, and the opinions and experiences recounted in this post are strictly my own. A few weeks pass and finally, one warm-enough afternoon, we get to work. So now, generously, I offer you this essential guide of how NOT to install this product:
1. Pull your car out of the garage.
2. Get out a broom because ugh it’s filthy.
3. Yell at dog to stop attacking the broom.
4. Overthink. We’ve got 1 outlet by the garage door opener with both plugs used, so do we use a multi-plug or try setting up the hub in the second outlet? We’re going multiplug. It’s low-voltage. And heck, it’s a 15-minute install so we can easily change it if it doesn’t work, right?
5. Install wifi hub. Note, this step goes rather quickly so you’ll want to have your soundtrack cued and ready to go (advance to 1:55):
a. Pre-drill holes for mounting bracket.
b. Hammer time: install anchors (hammer them in while playing the song).
c. Screw in bracket.
d. Slide on hub.
e. Plug in hub.
6. Connect hub to network.
So here’s where things start going wrong for me. I turn on Bluetooth on my phone and connect to the MyQ device. The directions then say to download and install the app. Well, I’ve already installed the app but haven’t connected, so I go to the app and try to connect. Only, I’m not connected to the internet so I can’t create an account. For that matter, neither is the MyQ device.
Of course not, I think. We’re just connected to each other. How I’m supposed to be connected out when I’ve just switched my wifi to connect to a standalone hub, I don’t know. My husband tries to connect on his phone and gets the same results.
Finally, I disconnect from the MyQ network (back to my home network) and am able to proceed with setup. (Basically, when I log into the app and try to add the device by entering the serial number, I get an error message.)
So, anyhow, moving on…
7. Install sensor. Again, piece of cake.
a. Take front off.
b. Hold unit up to the garage door, screw it in.
c. Replace front.
8. Connect sensor. Following the directions in the app, I press the programming button on the front of the sensor, hear a beep, and get a message in the app that the installation has worked.
That’s it. Easy peasy. Of course, it’s important to test installation. So I log into the app and see that, yes, it is properly sensing whether the garage door is open or closed. And since my kids often forget to close the garage door when they come inside after playing basketball or riding their bikes, this makes me very happy.
But you know what else would be cool? Being able to operate my garage door with that same app. Crazy idea, right? Well, get this. This app lets you. Sweet. So I decide to continue. Whole thing 15 minutes, right? Now, when you add in the sweeping and the wi-fi issues, we’re already past fifteen minutes, but that’s okay. This is where it all comes together. Reviews have said it is easy to connect, and I’ve been known to use an app or two before, and even managed to get the HomeLink automatic garage door opener buttons in my car programmed. No problem, I got this.
Except… our LiftMaster garage door opener doesn’t have a program button. Instead, there’s some sort of Genie Remote Control device hardwired to it that connects to the garage door opener. I run that stupid installation program over and over, first trying selecting the LiftMaster as the garage door opener brand, then Genie. Over and over I try, repeatedly pressing the program button on the remote.
Finally, it’s been over an hour, and I’m hungry, and I just want to go have some lunch. And now, the garage door opener remote in my hand no longer works. Joy. So I’ll have to fix that and then try again. See, I thought I was supposed to press the Program Button on the opener itself. My husband thought it was on the remote. The garage door opener still works, though, as do the fancy-schmancy opener buttons in the cars, so clearly all we did was mess up the one individual remote.
That’s all I have to share for now, but can update further if and when I fix my remote. But then it would turn dangerously into a How-To post instead of a How-Not-To post, so maybe not…
I haven’t installed the wire that tells me when the door is open or not (maybe this weekend), but installing the basic system that can be opened/closed with my phone took me 12 minutes.
http://geekdad.com/2015/11/wemo-maker/
My wife and I bought the more expensive version of the garage door opener that has the MyQ router inside the opener (because we were replacing our garage door opener). We had no issues, but we hired a professional to swap out the old opener for the new opener.
It’s great to see homeowners paying attention to their garage doors now. So often garage doors are not on the spectrum of thought until they go wrong. One thing I would say though, if you are unsure about any alterations to garage doors and opening mechanisms – call in a professional. The springs look harmless but they are so tightly wound that they can take out an eye like a knife through butter if they come unstuck (sorry for the graphic detail).
Great article though (and super cute dog).
Being that I had never installed one before with all the gizmos and Wi-Fi connections, I took the easy way out. Friends of mine were in the process of moving cross country and knowing that he had installed the same opener at his old place, I installed the door bracket, marked where the motor was to go, assembled the unit on the floor and awaited their arrival. They ended staying at my place for a couple of days, door opener was installed, Wi-Fi connection completed… nicely done as I watched from a distance.