Did I Leave the Garage Door Open? There's an App for That!

This is a sponsored post. All opinions are honest and our own.

I'm not sure which is worse - pregnancy brain or sleep deprivation.  In either case, I have been forgetting things left and right.  One of the biggest issues is that I forget whether I locked the front door or closed the garage door.  I'm sure that many of you relate.  It's so easy to be distracted as a parent.  In today's post, I am going to tell you about an amazing solution that will not only give you a sanity check as to whether or not you closed the garage door, but will also let you close it without having to return home! It even allows you to use your iPhone to open or close the garage door which is great if you go on runs like us and only want to take your phone with you. It's the Chamberlain MyQ Garage Upgrade Kit and Mini Remote.  It's easy-peasy to set up and is a game changer for parents who are stretched thin!

Let me share quick product overviews and then our personal experience.

MyQ Garage:

Feel secure knowing you can control your garage door from anywhere in the world via WI-FI and your smartphone.

• Installs in minutes and works with your home’s Wi-Fi

• Free app with no monthly or ongoing service fees

• Included: Wi-Fi Hub, door sensor, mounting bracket, power cord and instructions for free app download.

• Designed to work with garage door openers that use safety reversing sensors located at the bottom of the garage door track.

Mini Remote:

Easily replace lost remotes or add an extra one. Our new Chamberlain Universal Remote works with all major brands and can control up to two garage doors or gates.

• Simple one-touch wireless programming

• Slim, compact design fits easily in your pocket

• buttons for controlling up to 2 garage doors, gates or MyQ lighting modules

The installation was quick and easy.  Let me emphasize easy here.  There are two steps to the installation: (1) install the hardware and (2) configure the software on your phone.

Let's walk through the process with plenty of photos. The installation took us approximately 20 minutes.

1. Attach mounting bracket and mount control unit.  Plug power cable into outlet.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
2. Install door sensor.
   
3. Using your mobile device (within range of the control unit), connect to the MyQ controller via bluetooth and permit it to share your home wifi network.  Wait for the control unit light to turn green (indicating it has connected to the internet).  
   
4. Get the Chamberlain MyQ app.
   
5. Start the app and signup for an account.
   
   
   
   
6. When prompted, enter the serial number for your MyQ Garage.
   
7. Check out the intuitive help. Tap the "+" to add your MyQ Garage.
   
8. Link the door sensor by pressing its button when prompted.
   
9. Select your garage door model when prompted.
   
10. Get ready to press the code learning button on the garage door opener. Start the code learning when ready.
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
11. Wait for the MyQ garage to learn your opener's code.
    
12. Test it out by tapping the picture of the garage door.
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
13. Setup a few alerts (e.g., if the door is open for more than 5 minutes, or opened during the night). From the menu (upper left) select alerts and then tap the "+" to add an alert.  Setup the alert with the intuitive options.  The alerts are based upon open/close events at certain times, and notify you via email or device notifications.
    
    
    
    
    
    
    

Setting up the Mini Remote is similar to most other garage door openers.

1. Hold the lower button until the blue light stops blinking and remains solid.
   
2. Press the garage door opener's code learning button.
   
3. Press the Mini Remote button that you want to program twice.
   

In our personal experience, I love that this device gives me a sanity check as to whether or not I closed the garage door. It's rare that I forget to close it, but my paranoia gets the best of me and I used to circle the block to double-check. Those extra loops around the block to double-check whether I remembered to close the garage door are now history.  This sleep deprived mom of crazy boys is able to simply check the status of our garage door from anywhere using the app!  If I actually did leave it open, I'm able to easily close it with my phone. 

My husband will tell you that this device is awesome because he goes on runs with his phone and no longer needs a house key. He uses the app to open and close the garage door.  He also goes on bike rides with our oldest son and they use the Mini Remote because it is sleek and easier to take with them than our clunky garage door opener that came with our house.

As we head back-to-school shortly, this is a great time to upgrade your garage door opener.  We all know how hectic life becomes during the school year and it's nice to have the convenience of the Chamberlain MyQ Garage and Mini Remote.


If you want to learn more, visit Chamberlain here.