It's been almost a century since the first electric-powered garage door opener made its first appearance. Over time, we've seen the technology change and improve in leaps and bounds. Today's models come with basic features for the budget conscious homeowner that people from back then could only dream of. There are some special features that not every opener model offers, and they may very well be worth considering, especially if you're interested in making your life a little easier, and add value to your home.
The Required Features
Every garage door opener manufacturer after 1993 is required to include two special safety features. This first ensures that if your door encounter resistance while it's closing, it will stop and reverse immediately. There are the safety sensors; these units are attached to the bottom parts of the tracks and alert the opener as soon as they detect an obstacle positioned under the door. Aside from these mechanisms, there are some additional features that your opener can include.
Rolling Code Technology
This technology randomly chooses a new code every time you use the opener remote to open or close your door. This particular feature prevents would be thieves from hijacking your access codes and using other remote control devices to gain access to your garage, and ultimately to your home.
Motion Detector Lights
Walking into a dark garage can be scary, not to mention unsafe. Many people tend to store a lot of tools and equipment in their garage, which can turnthis room into a dangerous obstacle course. Most garage door openers have a light built into them so that every time the opener is activated this little light turns on. Some of the newer models even come with a motion sensors that will turn the light on as soon as they detect movement. This is also a great way to deter burglars and to make your late night entries or departures safer.
Back Up Batteries
Imagine coming home on a dark and stormy night only to find your neighborhood blanketed in darkness due to an unexpected power outage. You pull up in front of your garage door and look around cautiously, not wanting to step out into the unknown darkness. Exhausted, you make your way to the door, ready to start heaving it open manually. If you have a backup battery system integrated with your garage door opener, this will not be a concern.When a power failure occurs, the opener will switch to the backup battery and allow you to continue using it for up to several hours later, or more.
Smartphone Connectivity Features
Nowadays, many opener models come equipped with built-in Wi-Fi compatibility, which allows users to connect to them using their phones. Not only will this type of feature allow you to turn your phone into your remote, it will also allow you to monitor and control your garage door from virtually anywhere in the world.
Can't Put A Price On Safety Or Convenience
If you have an older model, some of the newer features are worth adding either as an upgrade or via complete opener replacement. The safety and functionality you can gain make the extra investment more than worth it. Contact our team at Garage Door Repair Big Lake if you have any questions.