Garadget - Remotely Control and Monitor Your Existing Garage Door With Smartphone, Voice, Home Automation and Other Devices

I had been looking at some form of garage door monitoring system but didn’t want to pay the $100's of dollar so I took a change on this. Bottom line, it works. No frills, but it works. It took me a couple of tries to get the system set up on my phone. I installed on my Iphone – I had to use Garadget 2 app not the Garadget app…not sure the difference but Garadget 2 worked. Once I had 'validated' the controller, it was easy to set up on another iphone and android device. Here is my pro and con list and the reason I gave it 4 out of 5.Pros:*Affordable - most others that do this are at least $100*Easy to install – kind of (see con below)*App works - once you get it installed (see below)*App works with IFTTT - a few neat options like closing your door automatically at a certain time each night.*Was concerned about wi-fi reception, but I have had no issues.Cons:* Need better wiring instruction - I know it would be difficult to include wiring for every possible garage door, but some hint would be nice. The instruction simply state 'connect based on your research' I took a guess and it worked. Maybe I was over thinking* There were 2 apps for Garadget. Garadget and Garadget 2. Garadge 1 would not work after a couple of attempts. Garadget 2 worked first time - would have been nice to know that.Why 4 out of 5? 4 out of 5 because to me a 5 star is something that is flawless. And while it works like it should the setup and wiring is a drawback especially for someone that may not be that tech savvy. Overall though great product and I hope they continue improve this.

Installation Problem #1:First position I installed it in (right on the bottom of the opener per the Garadget recommendations) had too much light interference because of the lamp on the opener (the Garadget couldn't "see" the laser reflecting off the door and so always thought the door was open). I fixed that by mounting a little block of wood in front of the Garadget (on the bottom of the opener) with double-sided tape. The block cast a shadow onto the Garadget and made the detector work fine. Problem #1 solved.Installation Problem #2:The day after I installed the Garadget, I noticed that the regular garage door remote had its range dramatically decreased. Before, I could open the door from a block down the street, now I had to be in the driveway and feet from the door. Confirmed it was the Garadget, because when I unplugged the Garadget from power, the normal remote worked as before. I'm assuming the WiFi must have been causing some sort of radio interference than messed with the normal opener. Ultimately, the fix was to buy a bit of bell wire and a longer micro USB cable and install the Garadget on the ceiling of the garage a few feet away from the opener (see photo - I mounted the Garadget to a "blank" wallplate that I screwed onto the ceiling and ran the wires through the attic for aesthetics). Problem #2 solved.Now that I've got the installation/positioning kinks worked out, the product is very convenient to use. I never worry "did I remember to close the garage door?" anymore. If I want to go on a run or a bike ride, I don't need to bring keys... just my phone (which I'd have anyway for tracking my workout). Great idea and a simple design.

I installed this garage door opener a few nights ago. My first impressions were decent. Installation was no big deal. If you're moderately handy with a screw driver it should be a snap.Following the instructions at the website was fairly straight forward.However, after installation, and getting the app working I began trying to get the integration with SmartThings going. I know this isn't Garadget's fault, but this process is difficult. Even for someone who is a techie/web developer. The reason it is difficult is because you need to utilize custom packages inside of the developer portal for your hub. I had a ton of trouble with the Samsung app recognizing the custom code (or packages) I installed and ended up having to uninstall and reinstall the app multiple times until it finally just showed up. I'm sure if SmartThings would add this as a native integration this process could be simplified a lot. This took me around one and a half hours to figure out.I would have given this product a solid four stars if it weren't for the difficulty of adding it to SmartThings, and I have noticed some inconsistency's in the app and reality.For instance, last night the app was telling me the door was open when I was starring at it closed. Also, if I open the door from Alexa, or Google Assistant the app shows the door as closed (and vice versa).Pros:- Fun to play with- Easy to install- Once working with SmartThings voice commands from Alexa and Google assistant are smooth.Cons:- Difficult to get working with SmartThings.- Inconsistent open/closed status within the app.I feel like overall this was the best smart garage door opener option out there for me. I think competitors on the market would've been more of a pain in the neck and lacked the extensive documentation generated by the Garadget community.I give this product a solid B-.Also, I note that I am taking a pretty substantial security risk by using this product. I was not aware upon purchasing that the owner of the company had locked an irate user user out of his own garage/device. If I had known that before my purchase I probably wouldn't have bought this device. This had no bearing on my review, as it is less to do with the product and more to do with the company. Product is decent, I do not trust the company.