Feb
Help Guide
Australia’s best smart garage door openers in 2023
Garage doors are an essential part of our daily routines. They provide us with security, privacy, and peace of mind. And with the rise of smart technology, garage door openers have become even more convenient. Gone are the days of running back inside the house to retrieve your forgotten garage door remote. Today’s smart openers allow you to control your garage door from anywhere, at any time, using just your smartphone.
In this blog post, we’ll be reviewing four of the best smart garage door openers on the market: the Meross MGS100, iSmartGate, Remootio 3, and the Merlin MYQ bundle. We’ll take a close look at each one, examining their features, ease of use, and value for money. Whether you’re in the market for a new opener or just curious about the latest in smart home technology, this post is for you! So sit back, grab a cup of coffee, and let’s dive into the world of smart garage door openers!
Why You Can Trust Wholesale Garage Doors
Over the last 10 years, we’ve built a reputation for being a provider of high-quality garage door and gate products. With extensive expertise in the industry, we offer impartial and knowledgeable product reviews to help customers make informed decisions for their homes. Wholesale Garage Doors is committed to providing its customers with top-notch products and exceptional customer service, making us the go-to choice for those in need of reliable and durable garage doors and gates. Whether you’re looking for residential or commercial solutions, Wholesale Garage Doors has you covered.
Remootio 3 Review
SPECIFICATIONS
Works With: Apple HomeKit, Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant / Google Home, Samsung SmartThings, 2.4GHz Wi-Fi, Bluetooth
WHERE TO BUY
REASONS TO BUY
+ Quick setup and easy to use
+ Well-designed mobile app (iOS and Android)
+ Clear, easy to understand directions for set up and help
+ Suits any garage door opener in the Australian market (not locked to specific brands)
REASONS TO AVOID
– If bought from Remootio directly, faulty returns need to go back to Hungary. (Australian resellers handle returns within the country)
REVIEW – 5/5
The Remootio 3 our recommended smart garage door opener for anyone looking to upgrade their garage door, regardless of brand. Innovating upon the previous Remootio 2, the Remootio 3 can now be powered from a standard 5V USB charger or it can draw power from the control board of the gate / garage door opener. The power consumption is also lower than before, dropping from 140mA @ 5v to 80mA @ 5v.
Installation is a simple setup, with an insert inside of the box providing simple and easy-to-read instructions. A QR code will also direct you through to an online manual, or you can refer to the Remootio’s online installation video on YouTube.
The Remotio 3 allows you to control one door or gate out of the box, with the option of adding a second door or gate via an extra sensor (sold separately). It will work on any brand of garage door or gate opener. The 256-bit encryption will also keep your connection secure from interference.
Overall, the Remootio is a cost effective smart garage door opener that’s friendly for both professional and DIY installers. We highly recommend the Remootio 3 for any Australian Smart Home.
iSmartGate Mini, Lite and Pro Review
SPECIFICATIONS
Works With: Apple HomeKit, Amazon Alexa (USA only, rest with IFTTT), Google Assistant, Samsung SmartThings, IFTTT, 2.4GHz Wi-Fi
WHERE TO BUY
REASONS TO BUY
+ IFTTT makes this the best option if you are looking to integrate this with your Australian Smart Home
+ Suits any garage door opener in the Australian market.
+ Comprehensive wiring guides for nearly any model of garage door opener
+ Wide range of add-on accessories, including waterproof outdoor camers, indoor cameras and face-recognizing doorbells.
+ Well-designed mobile app (iOS and Android)
REASONS TO AVOID
– Complicated setup
– More expensive than Remootio for similar features
– Multiple models with specific suitabilities can make getting the right one hard
REVIEW – 4/5
The iSmartGate range of smart garage door openers lets you fully integrate your garage door into your Australian smart home. There are three different models available for purchase (Mini, Lite, Pro) with each coming in a tilt / panel garage door (green label) or roller door / gate (blue label) variant.
We installed 6 kits, with three being installed by professional garage door specialists and the other three by regular homeowners, with no prior experience. We found that the installation is a little difficult compared to other smart garage door openers, although plenty of documentation is included with the kits. During testing, we never received error messages or the iSmartGate “No Response” message that other reviewers have noted. Overall, this kit is a friendly option for Australian DIY’ers.
Controlling the iSmartGate is very simple, with the ability to either use the Apple Home or Google Home app. Controlling the door via voice commands also worked well as expected. We were also able to set up GeoFencing so the door opened automatically when we were driving home. We also added the iSmartGate to our end of night routine via the Apple HomeKit and Google Home, which closed garage door if we left it open by accident
Overall, whilst this is one of the most expensive options it’s the most feature-rich. If you’re wanting to get the most out of a smart garage door opener, this is our recommendation. Check the chart below to find the best kit for you!
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| Doors Supported | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| Remote Access & Door Status Alerts |  |
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| Apple HomeKit |  |
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| Google Assistant | |
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| Samsung SmartThings | |
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| IFTTT | |
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| Amazon Alexa (USA ONLY / Rest With IFTTT) | |
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| Wireless Sensor Compatibility | |
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| Wired Sensor Compatibility | |
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| User Management* | |
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| Video Integration | |
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| Visual Acoustic Alarm | |
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| Open & Close Custom Music | |
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*ismartgate MINI: User Management and Event notifications will be avaliable on a future update.
Merlin MYQ Review
SPECIFICATIONS
Works With: 2.4GHz Wi-Fi, Bluetooth
WHERE TO BUY
REASONS TO BUY
+ You have a Merlin garage door opener and don’t want to set up voice control
+ Well-designed mobile app (iOS and Android)
+ Also include PE Beams to prevent closing the door onto an object
+ Incredibly fast and hassle free setup
REASONS TO AVOID
– Locked to only Merlin MYQ garage door openers (no support for older Merlin models, or other brands of garage door openers)
– No Apple HomeKit, Samsung SmartThings, Google Home support.
– No voice control, you can only operate from an app
REVIEW – 3/5
The Merlin MYQ smart garage door opener offers limited functionality when compared to other smart garage door openers. That having been said, what it does, the Merlin MYQ does well. The MYQ bundle includes a set of PE Safety beams, notably missing from other smart garage door opener kits. Without installing these IP44 rated safety beams the kit will refuse to operate, preventing any possible damage to your property.
The installation process for the Merlin MYQ smart garage door opener is blisteringly fast, with the kit wirelessly connecting to your Merlin MYQ garage door opener. We had our test kit set up in less than 5 minutes after opening the box. The app itself is fantastic and easy to use, however, we would like to see more features come to the platform in the future.
With no Apple, Samsung or Google compatibility we are notably missing voice control. This means that if you’re on the way home in the car, you need to stop in the driveway, unlock your phone, navigate to the app, then connect to the door and open the door.
When compared to other smart garage door openers in the market, the lack of voice control seems like an oversight we hope is soon corrected. For now, we’d only recommend the Merlin MYQ kit if you have a new Merlin MYQ compatible opener, you want a simple and fast setup and you’re happy to use just the app to open and close the door.
Meross MSG100 Review
SPECIFICATIONS
Works With: Apple Home, Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant / Google Home, SmartThings, 2.4GHz Wi-Fi
WHERE TO BUY
REASONS TO BUY
+ Responds quickly to open / close commands with little to no lag
+ Accessable from CarPlay
+ Suits any garage door opener in the Australian market (not locked to specific brands)
REASONS TO AVOID
– Meross app showed obstruction detection warnings when door was not obstructed (possible solution below)
– Setup was frustrating (related to confusing documentation) for a few of our DIY install testers
– App confused the door’s status with being open when it was closed (or the other way around) a few times.
REVIEW 2/5
Meross produce two different versions of their MGS100, with one designed for Apple HomeKit and one for everything else (Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, Samsung SmartThings). There’s a handy compatibility checker on their website, however, at time of writing we noted a number of newer openers introduced over the last 1-2 years are not present.
Installation was frustrating for a few of our DIY install testers, taking around 30-45 minutes. Part of this was related to the included documentation describing two wires and two places to connect them, whereas two tested garage door openers had four points where wires could connect. Once we achieved the correct spots, the kit worked straight away. However, the documentation was difficult to troubleshoot the issue.
We also ran into an interesting issue with the obstruction detection warning popping up when nothing was wrong. We worked out that the garage door opener was closing faster than the default setting, which when we changed on the settings page stopped the error from occurring. However, if you’re using this to check if the door was open or closed away from home, you’d think there was a problem.
When compared to the simpler setup of other smart garage door openers, coupled with a similar set of features, it’s hard to recommend the kit when there are better offers out there. Hopefully, Meross streamline its installation process in the future.
