Last week, my garage door opener stopped opening. A quick glance showed me that the sprocket on the top had sheared off. I ordered a repair kit from Amazon – and after two hours of screwing with it, decided I would be buying a new opener.
I’d had my eye on the Internet Enabled Garage door openers that Sears had been advertising for $200 – so I went ahead and ordered one and it showed up in two days.
For $200, including the internet gateway, keypad, and two remotes, it seemed like a pretty good deal. I particularly liked that the wall switch had a timer setting where it would automatically close the garage door if it was left open, and that I would be able to open and close the garage door remotely if necessary.
I installed the unit in about two hours – and here’s what I learned.
1) While I was able to install this unit and get the garage door opening and closing, it’s not opening it up the whole way. It seems like I need to purchase an additional $50 kit to handle my door size.
2) The Craftsman Assurelink website and app are pretty 2005. It’s a single user system, so any idea you might of had about everybody having their own account and you being able to selectively control and monitor their access like the awesome Lockitron system is out the window. Their website includes such helpful topics as:
How many log-in User ID’s can I have on one account?
You can have only one User ID with an associated password on your account. Other persons in your household can use the same User ID and password to access your account, thereby allowing them to monitor, open, or close your garage door as needed.
How many people can use my account?
Any quantity of people can use your account once you tell them your User ID and password. Otherwise, keep your password secure and private.
3) My garage door is opening and closing, but I hear the chain slipping on the sprocket. I’m going to installing the extension kit, cleaning the rollers, and tightening any loose hinges/etc on the door – but I have a feeling I’ll end up paying some other company to come out and replace springs or something to get it working properly.
