Josh Hendrickson
LiftMaster, the commercial wing of the Chamberlain Group, has a new smart garage opener for sale. And it includes two big pieces of the smart home and security puzzle: built-in Wi-Fi and an integrated camera. That’s fewer things to find a plug for, and it conveniently ties together under one app.
Two Brand Names, One Opener
The Chamberlain Group operates under two well-known names (plus a few others): LiftMaster and Chamberlain. Garage Door openers from either name are nearly identical; the main difference is in how you purchase and install them.
With LiftMaster, you’ll order the garage door opener from a dealer, and they’ll arrange installation. LiftMaster is also frequently found in newly built homes. Chamberlain, on the other hand, is the DIY brand that you’ll find in stores like Home Depot or Lowes. In either case, the hardware is the same minus some of the outside casing.
We mention all this because what’s happening with LiftMaster is still exciting for the do it yourself crowd as often new hardware brought to one side does the reach the other. And a fully integrated system is very exciting.
Less to Install, Fewer Apps to Hop Through
Right now, most Chamberlain and Liftmaster garage door openers are “MyQ enabled,” but lack the proper radios to work with your network. Instead, you have to buy a Chamberlain bridge, mount it to your ceiling, connect it to your garage door opener, and a power source, then pair with your Wi-Fi network. That’s extra work and extra effort.
And adding cameras to your garage meant leaving the Chamberlain ecosystem entirely. It’s up to you to find the camera you like, find a place to mount it, and power it. Then you’ll hop back and forth between the MyQ app for your door and the camera app for video.
The LiftMaster WI-FI Garage Door Opener with Integrated Camera (a catchy name, we know) bypasses all that by pulling everything together in one. It already has Wi-Fi built-in and an integrated camera hanging from the bottom. You can check your camera feed from the MyQ app. That’s less work to install, fewer outlets to provide, and fewer apps to hop through.
If you subscribe to Amazon Key, then there’s more good news for you too. This LiftMaster Garage Door Opener works with Amazon Keys, which means you’ll get a notification when the delivery person opens your garage door. And, of course, you can watch the delivery happen and even speak with the person as well.
LiftMaster says the WI-FI Garage Door Opener with Integrated Camera is available now through dealers and costs $450. There’s no word yet on a Chamberlain variant, but we’ll keep our eyes open.
If you already have a Liftmaster or Chamberlain MyQ garage door opener and bridge, you can purchase just the camera for $150 on LiftMaster’s site.
