Best controllers to smarten your garage door opener in 2020 - CNET

Chamberlain's MyQ Smart Garage Hub is a $20 system to add smarts to a wide variety of garage door openers. With MyQ installed, you can check your garage door's status and open or close the door remotely from the MyQ app on your iOS or Android smartphone. Chamberlain's MyQ system is easy to install, with no wires to attach to your existing door opener. It does require bolting a bracket onto your ceiling rather than the more common adhesive tape approach used by other manufacturers. 

MyQ works with a variety of smart home products such as Nest, Wink, Vivint and Xfinity Home to control and automate multiple smart home devices from one platform. Chamberlain isn't compatible with SmartThings or Amazon Alexa, but there is Google Assistant and IFTTT compatibility. Chamberlain offers HomeKit users compatibility no other manufacturer in our testing did, though it does require the MyQ Home Bridge adapter. Chamberlain's MyQ system comes with the quality of a trusted garage brand and should be on the top of your list for well-made garage smarts. 

Read our full review of the Chamberlain MyQ Smart Garage Hub.

The $89 Garadget adds voice control and remote access to your existing garage door. The Garadget's sensor system is made up of a reflective tag placed on the top panel of a garage door and a laser built into the Garadget device itself. When the laser hits the reflective tag, Garadget knows your garage door is closed. Easy, right? Like many a garage controller we tested, the Garadget does require some wiring to make the door controller work.

The Garadget has its own Amazon Alexa skill, and IFTTT integration means you can create custom commands for Google Assistant. The Garadget app for smartphone (iOS and Android) doesn't include scheduling, but if you're just looking for simple commands and mobile app garage remote access, the Garadget will get the job done for a reasonable price.

Read our full review of the Garadget.

By far one of the more eye-catching and interesting garage devices we've tested, the Garager 2 is a two-in-one camera and easy door control. This $150 surveillance camera attaches to the bottom of your garage door opener via a magnet and controls your garage door from the Alcidae app for smartphone (Android and iOS). The camera includes 1080p color and night vision video and two-way audio, though clip storage does require a $5-per-month subscription. 

The control works with Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa, via your wi-fi connection, for commands to open and close your garage. An upgrade over the previous model adds a magnetic base to stabilize the camera feed when you open or close the garage. If you'd really like to be able to add video monitoring and be able to watch and talk to your garage space, this device is for you. You can also get notifications and control it remotely or via voice assistants, Garager works well.

The Nexx Garage is a $60 smart garage controller that adds skills to your normal garage door open and close with ease. You'll get voice commands, remote access and auto opening through the Nexx Garage app for smartphone (iOS and Android) without involving IFTTT applets. Though Nexx Garage isn't as widely integratable as Chamberlain's MyQ system, there aren't any fees for the Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa voice compatibility. 

The Nexx Garage's biggest negative is the sensors you'll need to detect the door's status. Two sensors attach to your garage door and the wall above it and must be placed within 1/4-inch of each other for best results. The top sensor in this pair is wired, and adding more wires to any room is something I don't prefer. The Nexx Garage is great for anyone wanting simple, fuss-free smarts and compatibility with the voice-activated assistants Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant.

Read our full review of the Nexx Garage.