Our Smart Garage!

This post is sponsored by LiftMaster

A few weeks ago, we shared phase one of our garage makeover. As we got our storage and organization fixed up, and our cars parked inside, we really started thinking about upping the security. For how much we use our garage, it's kind of a blind spot when you're not physically IN it.

We partnered with LiftMaster to turn our garage into a smart garage. LiftMaster garage door openers powered by myQ let you control, secure and monitor the garage from the myQ app.  So you can literally be anywhere in the world and close or open your garage door from your smartphone. Lucky for us, they  recently introduced the first-ever smart garage door opener with a built-in, wide-angle HD camera. We were especially interested in real-time video monitoring that allows you to see what’s happening in the garage right from the myQ app.

Now when I say wide, I mean WIDE angle camera. Chris and I are able to see a 140⁰ view of our garage through a live feed or by choosing the “recorded event” option on the myQ App. (Seven-day and 30-day video storage options are available via a monthly or yearly subscriptions.) And we can manually adjust the view 360⁰ to see it all. Things we’ve used live-streaming video for:

“Is the long extension cord in the garage or outside somewhere?” *checking in the garage through my app*

“Girls, did you bring the bikes in?”

“Where’s Willow?”

“Did the Amazon package with contactless in-garage delivery get here yet?”

“Did Chris leave to pick up lunch?” *checking to see if his car is in the garage*

The camera is pretty high-tech. It has high dynamic range for too-bright days or sun glare and night vision to keep tabs on things after dark. And the camera can take the extreme temperature swings of a garage: from -13⁰ to 131⁰F. (No fritzing out during our cold Idaho winters.)

I know you’re picturing a grainy true-crime version of a surveillance video, but it’s actually a 1080p full HD video. This screen grab was taken by the LiftMaster Secure View:

Another handy feature: There’s a two-way communication microphone. So, we can open the garage for a neighbor who is borrowing a ladder and then tell him exactly where it is.

Question: How many times have you driven away and wondered, “Did I leave the garage open?” (How many times did you have to go back to check?!) Never again. You can check the garage, open and close it from anywhere.

Sometimes, we have an embarrassing number of packages on our porch. It’s not pretty, and it doesn’t seem safe. We were relieved that the myQ technology provides Amazon Prime members with the option for free in-garage delivery through Amazon Key. Now, we track packages all the way up until the moment they’re *in* our garage. It’s a huge relief.

Now for the safety stuff: This is a top priority for us. I can’t tell you what peace of mind it has given us to have this Secure View of our garage storage, our cars, and even our packages. The garage is a hot spot! Did you know that most people enter and leave their homes through the garage? I know we do. With everyone coming and going and deliveries and contractors working on our exterior — this is THE place in our house for a live stream camera. There's also a built-in battery backup system that works even during power outages, so we can still get in and out (and so can our car) in case of an emergency.

We can easily share access with up to three people. This comes in handy when Grandma comes and stays with the girls for the weekend. We don’t even have to share our password! (Though Grandma can have it :) The myQ Guest feature lets us “invite” people to control our garage door through their own myQ app.

Over the next couple weeks, our garage exterior is going to finish up its makeover, and it feels amazing to have something that will not only look beautiful on the outside and inside, but be secure and extremely functional, too. I think that's what they call a win-win-win. ;)