Best Automatic Garage Door Opener Reviews 2018

Garage Butler is a rare product in today’s market context. Why? The product success cannot be attributed to its manufacturer’s reputation. Despite being the only product from this manufacturer, it has conquered the market and won the hearts of many homeowners. Garage Butler automatically closes the garage door in case you forget. There is no peace of mind like when you will never have to worry again whether you left your garage open.

Provided your garage door mechanism has a working closer/opener, Garage Butler will work for you. The best thing is that it won’t interfere with the operations of any garage door security system. For instance, if you have installed an infrared safety circuit, it will continue without hitches. Installation is a breeze too, as no expertise is needed. You only need some basic tools.

After installing the Garage Butler, take 5 minutes; you will then set the delay time. It has one of the best pre-determined settings with 6 options: 3-10-15-20-30-45-60 minutes. After the time lapses, it will beep for 30 seconds, and if you don't close the door within that time, the door will automatically close. The recommended delay time should be short, but when you want the door to remain open longer, like during a garage sale or when warming your car, you can choose a longer delay time. If you want the door to remain open for more than an hour, just click the hold button.

Another dealmaker in Garage Butler is that it will automatically close when it gets dark, except when the unit is off.

Big Ideas Inc. is the brand behind Magic Closer, an automatic garage door closer that has stamped its authority in the garage door opener’s market. The product’s uniqueness is that it is compatible with ANY automatic garage door opener brand.

Installation is easy as there is no wiring, syncing or programming with the garage door system. It utilizes a smart sensor, which detects any slight opening on the garage door. In case the door is open, it will use a radio frequency signal to communicate with the wall button panel. It is sold as two battery-powered devices, a receiver and a smart sensor.

There are three delay settings: 5 minutes, 15 minutes, and 6 hours for when you want the door to remain open for a longer time. When it is about to close the door, it produces an audio and visual signal. It also stands out, as it doesn't interfere with the door’s functionalities, which the manufacturers may have installed. It will also work well with any other interface, technology, and devices, such as infrared beam sensors installed on the door. If you have several garage doors, you can install a Magic Closer in each of them, and they won't interfere with each other.

In cases where Magic Closer is not able to close the door, either because of an obstruction in the garage door path or within the sensor path, it will attempt a second time, and when it fails, it illuminates all buttons as an alert.

Chamberlain is a renowned American brand, known for their garage door openers. The company has been on the market for over 7 decades now and is credited for setting the trend after developing the pioneer garage door opener with built-in Wi-Fi feature. Over the years, they have leveraged technology, and today they have a wide range of home control products, remotes and garage door openers. And did you know that the Chamberlain Group owns LiftMaster? The only difference between their garage door openers is that Chamberlain manufactures DIY (do-it-yourself) garage door openers, while LiftMaster’s garage door openers are for professional installers.

From Chamberlain garage door openers, we picked the MyQ Internet Connectivity Kit for its advanced features, easy setup, and convenience. With this automatic garage door opener, you'll close, open and monitor a Chamberlain MyQ Garage Door Opener from your smartphone. Apart from the comfort and convenience, remote controlling gives you peace of mind when you're not sure if the garage door is closed.

It is only compatible with MyQ accessories and MyQ-enabled garage door openers. The MyQ app is provided free and is available for Android and Apple devices, including iPod, iPad, and iPhone.

Apart from controlling the garage door, you can use your smartphone to control your home lighting, provided you have the Chamberlain MyQ Light Controls, which is sold separately.

Probably the biggest edge in this garage door opener is the automated alerts it sends anytime the door is opened or closed. For convenience, you can customize the alert settings. Installation is a breeze too. There is also mobile website functionality if you have other devices connected to it.

On purchase, you get a 1-year warranty, the Internet Gateway, power cord, LCD wall control unit, Ethernet cable, and a free app. There are no monthly charges attached to the system.

Protectrix is a marketing and distribution company by Excentual Enterprises. The company is known for developing specialized products for consumer and industry markets, like 3D printing, MEMS sensors, robotics, automation and remote sensing, among others.

From their automatic garage door openers, we picked the Protectrix 18R Garage Door Automatic Closer, particularly for its ease of installation and compatibility. Unlike other models that take almost an hour to install, you'll just need 5 minutes to install Protectrix. No tools are required, and there is no wiring.

Just like any other automatic garage door opener, this 9V battery-powered unit will automatically close the door if it detects that the door has stayed open for too long. How fast the door is closed depends on how you set the delay settings of between 1 minute and 4 hours.

If the door is not closed within the delay time, 18R Automatic Closer will send a signal to the door closer to close it down. Before closing down, there will be a visual signal and an audible alarm as an alert. If you don’t close it within 30 seconds, the door will automatically close down.

Here is what else you can expect from this unit:

• If you have any safety sensors installed on your door, it will work well with all of them
• When the battery is low, there will be a flash and a single audible beep after every minute
• If you want to keep the door open for a whole day, like for when you're having a garage sale, just disable it
• Works best installed on the inner, upper side of the door
• This unit utilizes a tilt sensor when identifying the position of the door
• It works well with many garage doors openers in GA+, (()) AND S+ category
• It doesn't work with Wayne Dalton, Craftsman, Sears, LiftMaster and Chamberlain doors (for the last 3 brands, you need the DP3 model from the same manufacturer)
• The battery life is estimated to be around 2 years, depending on the temperature, humidity and how frequently it closes the door
• It will only work with garage doors that are parallel to the ground

Do you have a garage door brand that Protectrix don't support, and you badly need a Protectrix closer? They can customize one for you.

LiftMaster is known for their wide array of products all aimed at enhancing security both in residential and commercial buildings. The brand is known for their garage door openers, commercial door operators, telephone entry systems, and buildings access control products. Their products are designed to fit and serve any lifestyle and come in the latest technologies.

From LiftMaster, we picked the 888LM Security made to make home access easier and to give users control for their garage door. Apart from controlling the garage door opener, you can use this device to control gate operators and home lights from anywhere using your computer or smartphone through the 828LM Internet Gateway, which is sold separately.

888LM MyQ Security works with Chamberlain, Sears Craftsman and LiftMaster garage door openers, provided it was manufactured after 1998. These garage door openers have purple and red orange learn buttons. This unit will not work on the newest garage door openers that have a yellow antenna and learn button.

Thanks to the Time-to-Close feature, 888LM will close your door after the pre-programmed time. You’ll also love 888LM for its easy installation. Just replace the existing control panel and connect the two wires at the back of the door. After installation, your wireless keypad and remote controls will continue working normally.

888LM is equipped with motion sensors that turn the lights on the garage door opener on when any motion is sensed. It also has a 150 degrees sensing angle and an adjustable light timer, which you use to set after how long the opener lights should go off after opening or closing the garage door. And finally, when you’re away, the system will lock the outside remote controls.