On the heels of its latest smart door lock release, Wyze is introducing a garage door controller to manage access to your home in other ways. The Wyze Garage Door Controller launches today for $39.99, plus shipping. This gadget lets you control and view your garage door from anywhere with your Wyze Cam v3 and controller box, so you can see when the door is opened or closed remotely using the Wyze app. Instead of using touch sensors to monitor the status of doors like similar products, Wyze has deployed some artificial intelligence in its integrated cameras to monitor your door.
A smart garage door controller is a retrofit device that connects to your existing electric door opener, allowing you to control it remotely via a Wi-Fi connection—such as when you’re out of range of a regular clicker or car visor button. It’s much like a smart door lock, but for your garage door, and it can help with this age-old panic problem when you can’t remember if you opened it (and drove home all the way to check). There are also some built-in Technical garage door opener so no additional controller is required.
The Wyze Garage Door Controller combines a camera and controller box to work with your existing garage door opener.Image: Wyze
Wyze says its devices are compatible with most brands of corkscrews, and there’s an online checker you can use to see if your device is one of those. But it won’t work with the most popular garage door openers made by The Chamberlain Group (Liftmaster, Chamberlain and Artisan brands), as they use the company’s proprietary communications technology, Security+ 2.0. These are only compatible with Chamberlain’s $30 MyQ Smart Garage Control.
Unlike most other smart garage door controllers, Wyze’s device doesn’t use contact or tilt sensors to determine whether the garage door is open or closed. Instead, it relies on the AI smarts of its cameras to see the status of your door.
Well, kind of. It doesn’t appear to be using on-device machine learning to determine if your garage door is open — instead, the Wyze Cam garage door controller’s cameras are monitoring QR codes. Yes, you have to stick a giant QR code on the inside of your garage door to use it.
While a bit of an odd solution, it’s certainly an innovative one and solves a common problem with many current options. Even the most reliable sensors can give false readings for some reason. When you’re miles from home, the last thing you want is to open the garage door instead of closing it. (This is what I experienced when testing garage door controllers, which is why I always recommend getting a camera for visual verification as well.) It remains to be seen whether big QR code stickers are better.
The Wyze Cam v3 and garage door controller will be sold as a bundle, or you can purchase the controller separately.Image: Wyze
The hardware consists of two parts: the Wyze Cam v3 and the garage door controller module, which is a small white box that connects to the Wyze Cam using a Micro USB cable. That box then connects to your door opener, telling it when to open or close. (It just tucks next to existing wires, so no soldering required.) It doesn’t take away the functionality of existing wall buttons or remote clickers.
You put the camera upside down on the ceiling of the garage through the door opener. It attaches to the magnetic stand and needs to be close to the controller module where you can attach it into the opener. Wyze offers double-sided tape and magnetic mounts, so no screws or drilling required, just a power outlet near the ceiling.
Whenever the door opens or closes, the camera records a video that you can view in the Wyze app. If you subscribe to Wyze’s Cam Plus service (starting at $1.25 per month), the free storage is limited (12 seconds in length) or unlimited. The camera has 1080p color night vision, and with Cam Plus you also get people, package and vehicle detection. There is also an option for 24/7 recording using a removable microSD card.
Recently, Wyze failed to inform customers of long-standing safety issues with its first-generation Wyze Cam. This lack of transparency exacerbates any concerns about the use of connected cameras in and around the home, especially the devices that allow access to it.
The Wyze app has many notification options, including if or when your door opens or closes. The open/close history shows when you did it, and you can open or close the garage with a button in the app. You can also use the Wyze app’s rules engine to set doors to automatically close at a certain time of day, or use geolocation to automatically close when you leave your home.
The Wyze garage door controller can only control one door, so if you have multiple garage doors, you’ll need one for each. It will work with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant for voice control and integration into smart home programs.
Wyze bundles the garage door controller with the Wyze Cam v3, but you can also purchase the Wyze Garage Door Controller Replacement Part Kit, which doesn’t include the Wyze Cam v3, for $18.99, plus shipping. The controller only works with the Wyze Cam v3, not any of the company’s earlier models.
Update: Tuesday, April 26, 9:15am: Confirm that the Wyze Garage Door Controller is not compatible with Chamberlain’s Security+ 2.0 Garage Opener model.