Can You Open Your Garage Door With Your Phone?
Posted on: 13 April 2020
You may think of a garage door opener as an old-fashioned gadget you clip to your car's sun visor. That may still work for a lot of people, but when you can already control your lights, air conditioner, and even refrigerator with your phone, why not your garage door as well? Here's what you need to know about upgrading your garage door openers.
How Do Garage Door Openers Work With Your Phone?
There are two parts to a garage door opener. There's the remote that most people call the garage door opener. There's also the mechanical part of the garage door opener that attaches to your garage door and makes it go up and down. They talk to each other via radio waves, so when you push the button, the motor part of your garage door opener gets the signal to move.
Your phone takes the place of the remote control. You download an app, then instead of using radio waves, it talks to your garage door opener's motor over Wi-Fi. You'll need a new garage door opener or to add a receiver that accepts Wi-Fi commands.
Can I Still Use the Remote Controls?
It's up to you if you still want to use your remote controls or not. You can either add the mobile app option in addition to them, or you can install an entirely new system that doesn't use the traditional remote control. If you choose to keep them enabled, you can still use your remote controls the same as you always have.
What If I'm Too Far Away?
Traditional garage door opener remotes don't work much past your driveway since they work by radio waves. Since your phone remote works over the internet, it can technically work from anywhere in the world. To avoid accidentally opening the app and your garage door, you may want to enable a location setting that blocks the app if you aren't home. Even if you don't, the app will tell you if your door is up or down.
Can the App Get Hacked?
Any app can get hacked, but it's safer than a traditional remote. With a traditional remote, anyone can figure out the radio signal to open your door. With an app, your garage door opener gets tied to a unique username and password that's just as safe as any other online account.
To learn more about garage door openers that work with your phone, contact a local garage doors company today. The employees at a local company like Raynor Door Company can tell you about different options.
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