[Shop-talk] Garage door openers

[Al Fuller]

I've had issues with both of my 2 garage openers in the last year - 
here's what I did:

The LiftMaster opener on the single car door stopped responding to its 
remote opener. The house was built in 1996, and the opener appears to be 
original to the house. Replacing batteries didn't help, nor did getting 
a new remote opener...

Conversation with LiftMaster support led us to conclude the logic board 
had died, and they recommended buying a new opener. Since the opener 
still opened and closed the door and responded to the wall switch, I 
opted to create my own "remote opener", and installed a Shelly mini 
relay. Now when I need to open that door, I just do it from my phone 
[usually through Home Assistant, but it will also respond to its own 
address on the local network...]. The current price for the relay is 
$13.42 on Amazon: 
https://www.amazon.com/Shelly-Bluetooth-Automation-Compatible-Required/dp/B0CQCHS2QS, 
and installation was as simple as providing it with power from an old 
cell phone charger and wiring it in parallel with the existing wall 
switch wiring.

Then the opener on the two-car door failed [it was something mechanical, 
but now I don't remember what...]. I bought a Genie brand at the local 
big box store and installed it with the help of a friend. Since I knew I 
could easily create a web-enabled opener using another Shelly relay, I 
did not pay the extra cost for that feature and opted for the basic 
opener. I think I recall that it did come with a battery backup.  The 
new Genie opener seem to be just fine as far as quality is concerned.

So - I would pass on the web features and put a simple relay in there if 
I were you. If you need the opener to work when thepower is out, then 
the battery backup will help, although the door could be opened manually 
if necessary.

I hope this helps.

===========================
Al Fuller
714.335.0248 Mobile


------ Original Message ------
>From "Mark Bradakis" <mark at bradakis.com>
To shop-talk at autox.team.net
Date 11/19/2025 3:12:37 PM
Subject [Shop-talk] Garage door openers

>It has been nearly 40 years.  It may be time to replace our garage door opener.  So what are some good units to consider?  How easy are they for a home owner to install?  Can I do it myself, or call in a professional?
>
>mjb.
>
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