6 Must-Have Features for an Overhead Garage Door Opener
Do you fear that your overhead garage door opener is on its last legs? If so, it might be time to start shopping for a replacement.
There are lots of openers on the market, so you’ll certainly have plenty of choices. But just like any other type of product, some overhead garage door openers are better than others. Some will serve you well for many years; others are best avoided.
So how do you narrow the field to openers that will be great choices? Consider the following features to be must-have items for every opener that makes your list of final choices:
Reliable Remote-Control Functionality
The ability to open and close your garage door with a remote control is a wonderful convenience. But only if it works reliably.
If you live in a highly populated neighborhood, your opener is subject to lots of ‘noise’ from other nearby remotes. And that noise, it times, might overwhelm your opener, causing it to fail.
How can you tell which openers are less susceptible to this problem? Look for openers with remote systems that operate on dual frequencies. These openers switch rapidly between two frequencies, which helps to reduce the chance of interference from the remote signals of neighbors.
Cutting-Edge Security
You’ll probably want your new opener to utilize rolling-code technology. Rolling-code systems generate new opener codes every time you open or close your door with the remote.
It’s infinitely more difficult for burglars to guess your opener’s code with a rolling-code system. And though many burglars are adept at capturing codes and using them later to access a home, that skill will be useless to them in trying to gain access through a rolling-code opener.
Rolling-code systems are also less susceptible to interference from neighbors’ openers.
Backup Battery Power
Can you open or close your garage door if the power fails? You can if your opener incorporates a battery backup.
Arguably, this feature might be considered more of a nice-to-have than a must-have. But you’ll consider it a must-have if you ever need desperately to get in or out of your garage when the power is out!
Touchpad or Keypad Controlled Entry
The latest in garage door security is access that’s electronically controlled using either a touchpad (requiring recognition of an approved fingerprint) or a keypad (requiring entry of a digital code).
But when you’re shopping for your new garage door opener, don’t reject one that you’re considering just because it doesn’t offer this feature. Touchpad and keypad systems can be purchased separately, and installed later.
Overhead Lights
Lights come standard with most openers. But what you really want are lights that can be operated independently – even when the door isn’t in the process of opening or closing.
Another nice-to-have feature is an opener that incorporates a motion sensor for operating the lights. The sensor detects movement in the garage, and automatically switches on the lights.
It’s a nice feature if you find yourself groping around in the dark in your garage. It’s a must-have feature if a bad guy finds his way into your garage at night.
Quiet Operation
Much of the time it may not matter much whether your garage door opener is a bit on the noisy side. But when you’re coming home late at night, don’t you just hate it when your opener makes enough noise to wake the dead – along with everyone asleep in the house?
When you’re shopping for an opener, direct-drive and belt-driven openers are likely to be the best choices for quiet openers (relatively speaking).