[Memphis17CPM4]

I need to replace my garage door opener. It's from 1983 and I can't find a remote to work with it. I'm not going to waste my time any further.

1) Screw vs. chain?
2) WIFI enabled? Who is using one, benefits?
3) Any functions that I could program for use with my Homelink buttons? I.e. auxiliary lighting that is run off the garage door opener, etc?
4) Any other options I should look for?

[RickFLM4]

I replaced mine with Chamberlains; one with a battery backup and one without. They use belts rather than chains or screws, and belts supposedly last longest. Battery backup is nice during power outage, such as during Irma recently, but batteries need replacing every 2 years at least in FL heat.

I can't imagine a garage door opener lasting 30+ years like your last one.

[Yas Marina F80]

Chamberlain WD1000WF 1-1/4 HPS Wi-Fi Garage Door Opener:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B013UGZYOM..._YoXVzbVCA07CJ

Works great with Homelink. Easy to program. Battery backup came in handy with Hurricane Harvey. I was able to open/close the garage door after power loss for several days.

[Memphis17CPM4]

Originally Posted by Yas Marina F80

Chamberlain with battery backup came in handy with Hurricane Harvey. I was able to open/close the garage door after power loss for several days.

RickFLM4
yas marina f80

First, thank you both.

Did you guys have this unit installed? This has everything I need. When I looked at ordering on Amazon they state commonly bought with 8 foot rail kit. Did you have to buy the rail kit with the unit? I don't see where it says rail and belt included. Figure I could always buy both and return rail if not needed.

[RickFLM4]

I don't recall needing to buy anything except the opener. I had mine installed. There are companies / people that specialize in installing and repairing garage doors and openers. If you haven't had the wheels replaced in a while that may be something else to consider (separate from opener) particularly if they are making noise.

No wifi on mine but it works with Homelink and has a keypad on the wall outside the garage.

[MannyS]

https://www.liftmaster.com/for-homes...s/elite-series

[zx10guy]

I have two different brands. Genie and Liftmaster. The Genie is a screw drive and the Liftmaster is belt. The Genie overall has been decent but I get an occasional issue with RF reception on it. The Genie does have a nice feature where it has a very fast opening mode. So far the fastest I've seen. The Genie has been installed on my primary house for about 16 years.

The Liftmaster has been installed at my vacation home for about 5 years. No complaints about that one either.

Both openers are installed on a 2 car garage door.

As far as the remote capabilities, you don't need to get one that has it from the factory. I installed a Chamberlain WiFi box on my Genie. I forget which home security/automation system it integrates with. The idea is you can pull up the video of the security system if you have a camera in the garage area to see if the door has been left open. Then remotely shut the door (or open) from the security system's console.

I have a Hikvision security camera system and I just check the video there. If I left the door open, I just fire up the Chamberlain app and shut the door.

[DDD31]

Recently installed the Genie Excelerator screw drive garage door opener. So far I'm happy with it since it's very quiet in operation and operates at a faster speed when it's opening. Garage door opener came with everything needed to install (rails, etc.) and I installed the unit myself.

Last Genie screw drive opener I had lasted almost 30 years but they use a lot more plastic parts in the opener than the old one so not expecting to get that kind of lifetime out of it.

[P1]

I installed Liftmaster in the garage I had built at my last house. Belt driven and worked flawlessly. I moved into another house, and there are two Liftmasters in here from when the house was built in the 90s. Still working well, but will replace at some point just because. Had a garage company come check them out and they said they were still in great shape.

[Yas Marina F80]

Originally Posted by Memphis17CPM4

RickFLM4


First, thank you both.

Did you guys have this unit installed? This has everything I need. When I looked at ordering on Amazon they state commonly bought with 8 foot rail kit. Did you have to buy the rail kit with the unit? I don't see where it says rail and belt included. Figure I could always buy both and return rail if not needed.

I had installed mine myself. I had to replace an Overhead Door unit, it got hit with lightning.
I have purchased the 8 foot rail kit since my garage door is 8 foot tall. Kit comes with a new extended belt.

Unit was super easy to install, connect to wifi and app on my iphone. You will have to adjust how far the door travels, but all the instructions are included. Or you can just have a pro do the install, but not necessary if you are replacing the opener.

[EL Jeffe 5]

Don't do screw or Chain its loud I got screw in my garage I hat it. My next garage opener will be belt operated No Noise.

[Uber Commuter]

Get the Ryobi Garage Door Opener.

http://www.homeconstructionimproveme...opener-review/

[TXSTYLE]

I've had a Craftsman that includes a 'motion sensor light' which is VERY handy when entering the garage from the house. The wall mount unit also is LCD backlit showing the time and inside temperature. Been rock solid for years!

[WallySlash]

https://store.marantecamerica.com/co...e-door-openers

Marantec. DC motor and almost silent with a belt drive.

I have had mine for 16 years. Never an issue.

[amgraham]

I like the Ryobi offering but they're not exactly established in garage door openers.

If you're looking at Chamberlain's... Take a look at the Craftsman. Most of their range seems to be OEM'ed from Chamberlain. I got Chamberlains when I replaced mine a few years ago. Belt drive. Quiet, quiet, quiet. At least compared to whatever chain drive was in there. My folks bought a house, 3/4s finished, a few years ago. Developer went under. When helping them find openers, I found that the Craftsmen were OEM'ed from Chamberlain and typically sold for $30-$50 less for the same unit. More... if you watch for Sears to put them on sale.

I do have the battery backup. Still works after probably 4 years. ...and I got the wifi but... I've never bothered. I like that the box said it had it but then I found out you had to have a bridge hooked up to your router and pay for a subscription service to an app on your phone. No thanks. The key panel on the outside works find in a pinch.

[Aajav-Khan]

No subscription service needed from craftsman to utilize their garage door app... Just register the receiver with the app and you are good to go.

[zx10guy]

Originally Posted by amgraham

I like the Ryobi offering but they're not exactly established in garage door openers.

If you're looking at Chamberlain's... Take a look at the Craftsman. Most of their range seems to be OEM'ed from Chamberlain. I got Chamberlains when I replaced mine a few years ago. Belt drive. Quiet, quiet, quiet. At least compared to whatever chain drive was in there. My folks bought a house, 3/4s finished, a few years ago. Developer went under. When helping them find openers, I found that the Craftsmen were OEM'ed from Chamberlain and typically sold for $30-$50 less for the same unit. More... if you watch for Sears to put them on sale.

I do have the battery backup. Still works after probably 4 years. ...and I got the wifi but... I've never bothered. I like that the box said it had it but then I found out you had to have a bridge hooked up to your router and pay for a subscription service to an app on your phone. No thanks. The key panel on the outside works find in a pinch.

At least for the WiFi add on module I have from Chamberlain paired with my Genie Excelerator, I don't have to pay for any subscription service to run the app on my smart phone nor access it via their web portal. Also, didn't need a bridge to connect it up to my WiFi network.

[amgraham]

Yeah, I think you are both right... I don't think they charge for the service any more; they were when I got mine. They may have changed the hardware required as well. I've not really looked into it simply because it doesn't seem to have much value to me. It would just be "neat" but I don't see much use for it. Just me...

[zx10guy]

For me the ability to remotely close the garage door (or open it) is worth it. There were times I wonder if I had closed the garage door on my mad dash get on the road. I can remotely check to see if the garage door is closed, but couldn't do anything about it before I got the Chamberlain WiFi box. Also as I mentioned, for some reason, the RF reception to my Genie garage door opener seems spotty at times. With the WiFi box inside the garage with the opener, it's pretty much guaranteed I can get the door open with the app.