The garage responds just as quickly to the app as it does to a regular push button, with one caveat: If you choose to close the garage using the app, the lights will flash and beep a few times before the garage begins to close, and will continue to beep and flash until the closing is complete. This is for safety reasons, as the garage doesn’t know if anyone else is in the garage while you’re closing it, or if you’re nearby to make sure the garage path is clear of people entering or exiting.
Unfortunately, the only way to avoid this is to not use the app. You can install it MyQ Smart Garage Video Keypad ($99) outside your garage to close it without beeping and to get an experience similar to a video doorbell and smart lock, but for your garage. I tried one and it works well – the key codes are easy to set up and you can lock your garage without beeps, plus you’ll get alerts like a security camera for the outside of your garage – but I had a mixed experience using the call button. You also have to drill it in your garage or on the outside of your house (MyQ says it’s too heavy to use adhesive strips), something my homeowners association unfortunately prohibits me from doing. Still, it’s a good price for a combination lock and exterior video feed for your garage, if they’ll let you install it.
Photography: Nena Farrell
notify me
The default MyQ owner (i.e. whoever set it up in their home first) also gets a barrage of notifications every time the garage is opened and closed, either through the app or with the standard garage door buttons. By comparison, when you’re an added user, you won’t get any notifications by default. Both parties can go into the app, select the gear icon on the garage door (or other MyQ product in question), and edit the notifications they receive for the specific product.
I set up my and my husband’s phones to receive notifications if our garage was open for more than 10 minutes, and another for me if it was open for an hour. You can add many more notifications and you can also set it to work with Amazon key to receive deliveries directly to your garage (and get notifications about them too). I haven’t been able to convince my husband to use it, but the camera included with my model makes me feel comfortable trying.
Speaking of video, MyQ has storage subscription plans for its video products (the brand also has video garage door openers, a video keypad, and a separate camera). The first tier starts at $20 a year and goes up to $100 a year, and depending on which tier you choose, you get additional features like face, person, and motion detection, detection zones, and seven or 30 days of storage.