CHAMBERLAINSmart Garage Control - Wireless Garage Hub and Sensor with Wifi & Bluetooth - Smartphone Controlled, myQ-G0401-ES, White

CRUCIAL DIFFERENCE! After owning and using a G0301 (black version) for about 3 yrs, it became increasingly unreliable. Reconnecting the hub to the Internet became difficult, then impossible. The last few weeks of useless Google searches and troubleshooting got me nowhere, but it became pretty clear that the issues had something to do with WPA encryption settings. I spent several hours with MyQ Tech in three different sessions. Finally, after about 90 minutes of troubleshooting with the last person, she told me that my black G0301 Hub was hopelessly outdated.* Long story short, I replaced it with a newer white G0401 hub from Amazon (about $27). Here’s the thing: the new hub allows for WPA 3 security on your home wifi network. It also has updated Bluetooth. After months of pulling out my hair, the G0401 white hub connected instantly with ZERO trouble. Both garage doors work fine now, and the troublesome MyQ app on my Apple Watch (which seldom worked) is now working fine. Remember: you MUST have a 2.4 GHz wifi network and a good signal in your garage.* Sadly, there is an old PCWorld article out there that still comes up in a search which will MISINFORM you that the difference between the two versions of controllers (hubs) is basically just cosmetic. WRONG! I wish they would correct this, because it cost me countless hours of time and frustration!Time will tell about future reliability, but setup and connectivity issues with the old version are rampant all over the ‘net. It’s not because Chamberlain/ Liftmaster has bad equipment. It’s because encryption tech in wifi has evolved and I just needed a new hub. I only wish I had known this a year ago!

I have a new (second home) and needed to automate things so I can control things when I am not here. I've connected 35 IOT's to my network - bulbs, HUE, Irrigation, Temp/Humidity monitoring, Ecobee, ring, security cameras, etc. The MyQ was so easy. It took me about 30 minutes beginning to end and worked flawlessly. My cheap opener (Linear) was not one of the ones listed in the extensive drop down list for pairing. I had to choose 'Other'. Usually when this happens you run into issues. In my case, the software attempted a couple different codes and found one that worked. Its flawless. I gave my wife permission with the app and I can also open my door with my Apple Watch app. I tried Amazon garage delivery and that worked seamlessly. I am adding a camera in my garage (Tapo) so I can visually see if the door is open or closed. I chose Tapo over MyQ camera because I don't want another subscription service.

Let me start by saying I was on the fence for months as to whether I should actually buy this Garage Door opener from MyQ. The reviews on Amazon were very mixed and I wasn't too pleased that once I bought into this product, I would probably have to spend more. I will talk about that in a moment.I actually decided to make a purchase during Prime Day when the cost of this item sold for about $20 less than it regularly does. It seemed like an absolute bargain at that point.The installation was very simple. The mounting was a bit of a nightmare only because MyQ didn't fully explain that process in their directions.The installation process is a breeze, thanks to the mobile app which does an excellent job of walking you through the process, complete with videos that make a novice like me an expert. You basically use the app to pair the base unit and the sensor. The sensor comes with two-sided tape and gets placed on the inside of your garage door.The problem I ran into was the screws. MyQ provides you with 2 different sized sets of screws. They don't tell you that if you use the anchors, you must use the shorter screws. I used the longer ones. Now, I am sure most of you who are more handymen than I am probably could have figured that out on your own, but for someone not as mechanically inclined, it would have been nice for MyQ to give a better explanation of screw usage in their instruction manual. Once I undid the initial mistake, I was able to successfully mount the MyQ to my garage ceiling beam.One other note to make here: The mounting bracket is also a bit of a problem. You have to go through two sets of holes to drill in your screw. It's a little cumbersome. I wish the bracket was designed a little better to make it easier. I am guessing this was the best MyQ could do. All in all, I am not taking any stars away in this review for the clunky install and bracket. I am guessing most of you who are more handymen orientated won't have an issue.So, once installed, the garage opened and closed as expected using the remote. No issues there.The real nice surprise here was that, for the moment, MyQ is no longer charging people $10 a year to integrate MyQ with Google (and I think) Alexa. Previously, there was a subscription charge. That caused a huge amount of backlash from customers. I even swore I would not buy this product if a subscription was mandated. Well, for now, that subscription has been put on hold. You can get free integration for your smart device. Be aware that for the moment MyQ is saying this could be only temporary.Voice integration with Google Home Hub is not as fluent as you would hope. You can't just say, "Hey Google, is my Garage Door open?" of "Hey Google, close my garage door." You have to say, "Hey Google, ask MyQ if my Garage Door is Open." I am not exactly happy about that extra step.Also, do realize that there are extra security measures put in place that prevent homeowners from giving smart devices opening commands. You can't say, "Hey Google (or Alexa) open my Garage Door." The reason behind this is so burglars can't yell that command from outside your home in hopes of your smart device picking it up.HOWEVER....HOWEVER...HOWEVER...There is a new, free software workaround that allows you to open and close your garage door through Alexa (and probably Google) commands. You don't need to buy the $15 kit. If you want more information you can reply to me in the comments.One other thing I need to mention here. If you want iOS/Homekit support you need to buy the additional $90 MyQ bridge. I found that aspect to be unfortunate as that add-on is severely overpriced. I will end up purchasing it just so that I can open and close my garage door using the new iOS 13 Carplay functionality which puts Homekit on your navigation screen. It would be great, as I arrive home to say, "Hey Siri, open my garage door."So, bottom line: The MyQ garage door opener works great out of the box. Some of its smart home command functionality is limited, but there are workarounds.