Alottazs Labs Garageio smart garage door opener (pictures)
An easy way to introduce smarts to your garage door.
Rich Brown
Rich was the editorial lead for CNET's Home and Wellness sections, based in Louisville, Kentucky. Before moving to Louisville in 2013, Rich ran CNET's desktop computer review section for 10 years in New York City. He has worked as a tech journalist since 1994, covering everything from 3D printing to Z-Wave smart locks.
Garageio is a Wi-Fi-based smart garage door opener.
2 of 8 Colin West McDonald/CNET
Add-on, not a replacement
Alottazs Labs says its Garageio will work with almost all existing openers, dating back to the 1980s. It controls one door out of the box, but it can manage up to three doors with additional hardware.
3 of 8 Colin West McDonald/CNET
Wired connection
Hardware install involves running some wires around your garage, but it isn't too cumbersome.
4 of 8 Colin West McDonald/CNET
Door sensors
A pair of sensors included with the device let you monitor open and closed status.
5 of 8 Colin West McDonald/CNET
iOS pairing made simple
You map your phone to the hub and your Wi-Fi network via a flashing light on the main Garageio unit. It also supports Android.
6 of 8 Colin West McDonald/CNET
Sensor and opener connections
The opener wire connections use an industry standard that makes them broadly compatible.
7 of 8 Colin West McDonald/CNET
Power input
Garageio uses a simple AC adapter for power that connects to a standard power outlet.
8 of 8 Colin West McDonald/CNET
Garageio app
From what I saw, the iOS app looked intuitive and simple. Garageio says this will be a key differentiator in a market that is starting to see activity from a few different vendors.
