Types of Garage Door Openers
Most openers hang from the garage ceiling. A rail runs from the opener (operator in industry parlance) and a chain, belt or long steel screw moves the trolley (or traveler) and the arm that attaches to the door.
- Chain drive is the most affordable and least quiet. It’s a bad choice if bedrooms or a work-from-home office are over the garage. The chain needs to be lubricated twice a year.
- Screw drive uses a threaded rod to move the traveler, arm and door. The unit is compact and delivers a lot of power to open doors quickly. It’s quieter than a chain-drive opener. The screw needs regular lubrication. Market share is modest.
- Belt drive is quiet. The belt doesn’t need maintenance. Replacing a broken belt is easier than a broken chain. Chain- and belt-drive openers are the vast majority of the market with belt-drive gaining share as the price delta closes.
- Wall mount (also called jackshaft) installs to the left or right of the garage door. It’s very quiet. It needs about 12 inches between the garage-door edge and the side wall.
What to Look For in a Garage Door Opener
Your doors determine your basic needs. For a single eight- to 10-foot-wide door not made of solid wood, virtually any opener works. The cheapest are around $125-$150, typically a one-half horsepower motor with a chain drive. The most powerful are 1.25-1.5 horsepower, $200-plus. They lift heavier double doors and do it faster. Prepare to be confused by “lifting-equivalent” horsepower ratings.
Many openers can be controlled by smartphones, Alexa, or Google Assistant. They’re part of whole house automation. Linked garage cameras and now the first embedded cameras let you see who just came in the garage. An opener connected to your home Wi-Fi can send back notifications and images of who just opened the door. Merchants such as Amazon can deliver inside your garage. Battery backup is becoming more common; California required all openers sold after July 2019 to have backup. Higher-performing DC motors are replacing AC motors. Lights are LED and last the lifetime of the opener, about 15-20 years.
How to Program a Garage Door Opener
Garage door openers have settings to adjust the maximum opening height. These are typically found on the opener housing. Programming to sync with handheld remotes and built-in car remotes (known as HomeLink) will vary by manufacturer. It usually involves a sequence of pressing and holding the desired button to clear any codes and store the new one. Additional steps to connect the opener to your home Wi-Fi network and a corresponding smartphone app are usually completed in a few minutes.
Methodology
Forbes Wheels examined the specifications of garage door openers—operators in industry parlance, referring to the main module—for attributes important to users: quiet operation, lifting capacity, power to operate heavy or double doors, and their ability to be part of the home automation ecosystem and be controlled by smartphones, tablets, Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant. We also considered owner comments on how their garage door openers worked, and what features they liked or wished the openers had. The LiftMaster 8500W was extensively tested and served as a benchmark for comparison. It has virtually every feature a user would want, albeit at a stiff price.
