Technology is an amazing thing. It has brought us smart phones, home theaters, and cars that drive themselves. It has also brought us some impressive advances in how we live in our own homes. In the early days of home automation, it was too expensive for most people. But nowadays, home automation is becoming easier to use and more affordable for everyone.
Homeowners can control lights, security systems, HVAC, and other systems all from a smart phone app. Recently, home automation technology has come to garages across the U.S. With this and other technologies, garages have become much more than just a place to store your yard equipment. Your garage is an extension of your home; an extra room you can use and control just like you would any other area of your house. Here are the best new trends this year for that extra room in your home.
Garage Door Security and Automation
Garage automation came as a natural extension of whole home automation. You can control your surround sound system and the lights in your home, so why shouldn’t you be able to control your garage? Now you can. The MyQ Connected Home system by Liftmaster is easy to set up and use. The system lets you monitor and control your garage door and entryway lights from a smart phone or tablet. It’ll send you an alert if you’ve forgotten to close the garage door or if someone opens it while you’re not home.
The Total Control system can be retrofitted to any Nashville Liftmaster garage system manufactured after 1998, and it controls everything from the door to the lights. The system is also compatible with several other garage door manufacturer brands.
Open-Me is another garage security and automation option. Like the MyQ system, Open-Me lets you control and monitor your garage door from your smart phone. However, it has one significant advantage: it uses GPS to sense when you are nearing your home and will open the door automatically. It also uses sonar to detect if your door has been opened when you’re not home and will send you an alert on your phone.
Whisper-Quiet Garage Door Openers
Gone are the days of clattering, creaking door openers. The new Chamberlain garage door opener operates on one of the quietest belts in the industry. It also has a backup battery, so it’ll function even on stormy nights when the power goes out. One of its most impressive features is the garage door timer. Set your garage to open right when you get home from work or to close right after you leave so you never have to worry if you’ve left it open. The Chamberlain garage door opener is compatible with the MyQ Garage system, which lets you monitor your garage door from your smart phone.
For those with a heavy or insulated garage door, the Chamberlain Power Drive has the strength to lift any garage door on the market. With one of the strongest and quietest belts around, the 1/2 horse power motor provides industrial strength with residential size (and volume). This compact model is compatible with the Chamberlain Protector system and comes with two sensors and a garage door remote. It’s an affordable, strong option for homeowners with heavy, solid wood garage doors most other models struggle to lift.
Parking Assistance
If you’ve ever pulled into your garage and bumped the back wall, you might need a little help from the Maxa Laser-Guided Parking System. It’s available for one and two-car garages and uses a laser beam to mark the parking safety zone in your garage. It’s affordable and easy to install, and it protects you from damaging your bumper or garage wall. This is particularly useful if your garage is on the small side or is filled to the gills with bikes, toys, and equipment. Never worry about knocking over your gear again.
Storage Systems
Do you have a lot of equipment, toys, and sports gear cluttering up your garage? Can’t seem to find the floor or wall space to accommodate your kayak? The MyLifter motorized lifting device stores your gear up and out of the way. It attaches to the ceiling of your garage and lifts up to 100lbs with strong, 25 foot steel cables. Units can be combined to lift heavier objects, but one unit is perfect for bikes, kayaks, or storage boxes. The device itself weighs a light 2lbs, and lifting is controlled by a smart phone. Get your equipment out of the way, and make room so you can actually move around in your garage.
With all the technological advances in home automation this year alone, it’ll be exciting to see what the future continues to bring us. Manufacturers and technology companies are constantly finding ways to make our Middle Tennessee homes safer and more “user-friendly.” Soon our homes will be making intelligent security decisions without us having to even press a button. If you’d like to learn more about these or other garage technology trends or how you can install a new garage door system, contact Tri-County Garage, Inc.
