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Post by jennifercw on Aug 26, 2015 21:47:39 GMT
I'm one of those people that drives a mile down the road and then can't remember if I closed my garage door. (please tell me I'm not the only one...)  My garage door opener broke today and in my research of new models I came across one that you can control with your smartphone - it could alert me if the door was still open and I could close it via the app. Which led me to research other devices that allow wifi/smartphone control of lights, etc. in your home. Like WeMo Home Automation. Anyone use these type of devices? Worth the cost or useless gadget? (Also, which garage door opener brand would you recommend - Genie, Craftsman, Liftmaster or Chamberlain?) |
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Post by Dori~Mama~Bear on Aug 26, 2015 21:54:59 GMT
I would like the light and the garage door wifi connection
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Post by dewryce on Aug 26, 2015 21:58:47 GMT
I certainly don't know enough about it but my gut reaction is concern that if I can access it, other people can as well. I know this already applies to garage door openers, but I feel people are smarter with phones these days.
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Post by bigbundt on Aug 26, 2015 22:00:18 GMT
My Mother's Day gift was a Liftmaster garage door opener with wifi capabilities.  DH researched and it was the one most recommended. I *LOVE* it. Like you I would drive down the road and not remember if I closed it or not and turn around. When I was working, I was always worried that I didn't close it and call neighbors to check or one time, my FIL to drive by to make sure. I would also wake up in the middle of the night and worry about it. Now instead of driving back home or getting out of bed, I just check my phone or tablet. Normally I wouldn't worry but my DH hates the door in the garage to be locked so I am just super paranoid about the garage door being down and the alarm on when we are gone. (I am working on him to consider a lock with a keypad for this door!) Over the summer the neighbors' kids locked themselves out of their house (a few times) and I was able to open/close the garage for them from my phone when I was out and about so they could get their spare key. Now I need a hair straightener with the same capability and I would be super happy! |
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Post by bigbundt on Aug 26, 2015 22:03:56 GMT
And it tells you how long the garage door has been opened and/or down so it was helpful when we were on vacation to double check that the neighbor kids were taking care of our pets twice a day. And also that they were putting down the garage door!
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Post by peasapie on Aug 26, 2015 22:06:30 GMT
We have kevo for our door locks (keyless with app) and nest for thermostat, which we can adjust remotely. And our lights are on a similar system called Phillips Hue. They can be changed in color and turned on and off remotely. And are programmed to go on and off at specific times.
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Post by Scrapper100 on Aug 26, 2015 22:28:57 GMT
Considering how many times my DH aka are you sure it's closed after we leave the house and have had to drive back to check I would love that option. We have a nest and in theory can control some lights as well DH can I don't have the app. I love being able to check the thermostat and even change it from bed or even while away from the house.
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May 12, 2024 11:48:23 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Aug 27, 2015 0:41:04 GMT
We have app access to our home thermostat, which is fabulous, and we just installed remote lights (Hue). Love, love, love them!
I mentioned garage door to DH after reading this thread, so now that's on the list. Y'all are such enablers!!
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Post by melanell on Aug 27, 2015 0:45:18 GMT
Well, for me, it's the sliding glass door that i am often forgetting, so no gadget would help me there unless they start automating those as well.  |
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Post by bunnyhug on Aug 27, 2015 0:53:45 GMT
My dh bought a Chamberlain garage door thingy (what do you call it, anyway? It's the piece that attaches to the door, the piece that is on the garage wall, and then the app that we have on our phones) at a Boxing Day sale. I rolled my eyes, as he is always buying some awesome new piece of technology to replace the year old last awesome piece of new technology, lol! I have to say that I love it, though. It tells you when the door opens or closes, and how long it has been open/closed, so even if someone else figured out how to make the door open, we would see it and be able to close it back up on them and/or notify the neighbours or police. (It makes me giggle to think of me trapping a burglar inside the garage, like something out of a Home Alone movie!) The incident that sold me on it was that our garage door keypad acts up in extremely cold weather (which we get here on the Canadian prairies), and my boys couldn't get the garage door to open for several days in a row in January when they came home after school. They were able to give me a call at work, and I could open the door for them with my phone.
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johnnysmom
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Jun 25, 2014 21:16:33 GMT
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Post by johnnysmom on Aug 27, 2015 0:58:43 GMT
I have no idea on that except that I've been playing around with If This Then That (ifttt.com) pretty cool in general, but one of the things you can do is setup a "recipe" that basically says "when I pull in the drive, turn on the lights" or "when I leave work turn the home thermostat to 70" or whatever.
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scrappinghappy
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Post by scrappinghappy on Aug 27, 2015 1:00:53 GMT
Our house is automated with Z-wave though Vera. You can check the garage door on the app but even better when you leave the garage and the door closes it also makes sure the front door is locked. While you're out it runs a random program with the lights and TV inter-acting so it looks like someone is home. Then when you come home (motion detector in the garage), it turns on the lights in the house. We also have "scenes" for zones and different activities.
It's quite cool but it needs someone really into home automation to set it up.
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moodyblue
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Jun 26, 2014 21:07:23 GMT
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Post by moodyblue on Aug 27, 2015 1:09:36 GMT
We have app control of our garage door, thermostat, some lights, security cameras, etc. We also have programming so that when it's dark and we hit the garage door opener from the car, the outside lights also come on and the lights inside the garage; they stay on for a certain amount of time. My husband was the one who would sometimes forget to close the garage door. It's also handy for when someone needs access to the garage and we aren't home (like to borrow something or shut off the water to the outside hoses when it's left on) - we can text or talk to them and open the door, watch on the security camera, and then close the door after they leave.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 27, 2015 1:27:18 GMT
I'm looking into automated window shades. Has anyone already done this (or decided not to after researching them)?
Also, it not controlled wirelessly but the lights on the front of the house are controlled with a "smart" light switch. They come on at dusk and turn off at dawn, and it's smart enough to adjust those times throughout the year. It does a really great job. We come home to the lights on and they don't have to stay on all day.
It had a lot of other programming features, but this is the one we bought it for.
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Post by jennifercw on Aug 27, 2015 19:05:28 GMT
Sadly, it turns out that my garage door opener is just fine - it is the torsion spring that broke. Can't really justify buying a new opener to replace one that is still in working order, especially after paying to replace the spring. I'm going to keep it in mind for the future though. Thanks for sharing how you like your app controlled lights and doors!
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Post by bigbundt on Aug 27, 2015 20:35:51 GMT
I think there is a device you can buy that basically kind of mimics a wifi enabled garage door opener. Google garage door wifi adapter. Still kind of pricey but not like a brand new garage door opener.
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Post by bianca42 on Aug 27, 2015 20:44:26 GMT
My father can use his apple watch (and phone) to turn on/off lights, change colors of the bulbs in the living room lamps, adjust the thermostat and I'm sure other things. I have no idea how much it cost, but I do know that my kids love to change the light colors.
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DH researched and it was the one most recommended. 
