What we have here is one of the worst brand names in smart home history, did anyone really think this was a good idea at the branding meeting?
Looking past that sore point, this smart garage controller aims to bring a little intelligence to a product that has been basically unchanged for decades.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, Garageio comes to us via the crowdfunding route, but is now generally available on Amazon and other stores.
By remote control or code, people have been unlocking and automatically opening their garage door forever, and its a gimme for the smart home market to provide a slightly better solution the works via your smartphone for a more modern approach. Other than that, its a controller for your garage door opener – expecting it do much more would be stretching the minds of the creative genius behind “Garageio”!
Key Features of the Garageio
- Pricing: The Garageio is available in one, two and three door models with modest increments on price. The single door model is available here and is the focus of this review.
- Compatibility: Before investing in a Garageio, check if your garage door is on the compatible list found here. It covers 19 brands of self-opening door from Allstar to Wayne Dalton, listing those that will work or are incompatible.
- Installation: If your door is compatible, then you should face an easy installation. If it is not listed, get in touch with the company anyway and you might find out the job is doable with a little help and advice. Once sorted, you install the black box in the garage, connect it to your WiFi, which may create some distance issues, and then set up the app.
- Dimensions: The box measures a hefty 11 x 11 x 5 inches, and is connected by tape to your existing opener. If everything works, then you can open the door from the comfort of the driver’s seat as you roll up, or trigger it for friends from any location.
Pros of the Garageio Smart Garage Controller
- Plays Well with Others: Garageio isn’t just a one-trick pony with its app. It works well others, supporting Amazon Echo and IFTTT systems.
- Real Time Reports: While the garage door isn’t the sexiest part of any home, you can still monitor it opening and closing with real time reports, which may be useful if someone is using it without permission.
- Access Control: You can give other people access through their devices, and there’s also a web interface and dashboard for long term patterns, perhaps if you have a lot of activity.
- Activity Logs: It keeps an activity log and the door can also be controlled by other smart home tech.
- Smart App: The app is pretty cool looking, with a good design motif. Swipe down to close and swipe up to open, but there’s no location sensing so it won’t detect your arrival and open the door auto-magically.
- Expanding Support: Improved smart home device support is another plus, Echo was added in the summer and the company continues to add further devices.
Cons of the Garageio Smart Garage Controller
- Not Super High Tech: There’s little magic in the Garageio function. A magnetic sensor detects if the door is open or closed, while control wires run to the door opener may be tricky to install and secure for some.
- WiFi Could be Problematic: Otherwise, it is not the smartest piece of tech on the planet, reacting to your phone as you come and go. As mentioned, if your WiFi is on the other side of the house, it could have problems picking up the signal.
- DIY Support: The company is also an online-only outfit with online tech support that can be helpful or limited depending on your problem.
- Online Only Instructions: Also their installation instructions are all online, so you may need to take a laptop outside to get things sorted, or a print out if you want to do things the old-fashioned way.
Final Take on the Garageio
If you already have a garage door opener that doesn’t respond to your phone, then this is a relatively inexpensive way of adding that feature and doing away with the old-style remote.
Letting people check if they left the garage door open is about the limit of its smartness, while opening it from distance is pretty much a limited trick.
However, if every area of your smart home must be supersmart, then Garageio is one way to go about this task without much fuss.
Bottom Line: It works as advertised and is reliable! That’s more than many smart home products can say… Check this listing for the latest deals.
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