Read on to find out why I’m in love with my new LiftMaster 8550W Elite Series garage door opener.
How many times have you left your home only to wonder “Did I forget to close the garage door?”. I know I have, numerous times. I leave the house on an almost daily basis. When I’m not traveling, I’m taking the kids to and from school, I’m running errands and the list goes on. While I live in a very safe neighborhood, I actually live in a cul-de-sac, with a neighborhood watch and amazing neighbors who would call if I left my garage door open, the new LiftMaster 8550W Elite Series garage door opener has made my life worry free.
I am very forgetful! I have left my garage door open for hours while out. I would back out of my garage and just keep going. While I mentioned that I live in a very safe neighborhood, you can never be too safe. Since my old garage door opener was controlled via an in-car remote, the only way to close it would be to go back to the house taking up valuable time. If I’m far away from home, I’d then have to wait until my oldest got home from school, or my husband got home from work. Not anymore. I was sent the LiftMaster 8550W Elite Series Garage Door Opener, and it has totally changed my life. Let’s get into my review.
Installation:
I had a professional come in to install the LiftMaster 8550W garage door opener to make sure that everything was done correctly the first time. Installation took roughly 45 minutes to an hour, and with no issues.
Once installed we had one of the quietest garage door opener that we’ve ever had. Our old opener was noisy and you could hear when someone entered while inside the house. With this you no longer hear it. While some may consider that a not so good thing, because they might want to hear the coming and going, I personally love it. There is also another way to find out when your garage door opens and I’ll get to that shortly.
Features
Battery Back-Up
Your garage door opener is fully functional in the event of a power outage and will operate your garage for at least 2 days. The battery continually charges while plugged into an AC outlet, so there is now no need to worry that you won’t be able to get into your garage if there’s no electricity. There’s no worse feeling than knowing you’re stuck at home with no way out.
Motion Detector Settings
The built in motion detector automatically turns the light on whenever motion is detected in the garage, so now you’ll never be in the dark again. This unit comes with 2 replaceable bulbs on each end so that you have maximum illumination.
Timer to Close
My favorite feature! If you generally forget to close your garage door, this feature allows you to close your garage door automatically after it’s been opened for a set number of minutes, that you program. Mine is currently set to close after 5 minutes and it’s been a lifesaver. No more worrying about whether or not my garage door is closed.
HomeLink Compatible
For those with vehicles with HomeLink technology you’ll be happy to know that it is compatible. You can now connect to your garage with your car’s built-in remote once programmed.
3 Button Visor Remote Control
This is the only remote that comes with the LiftMaster 8550W and is attached to the visor of your car. It can control up to 3 garage door openers and comes with Security+ 2.0® which sends a new code every time you click your remote control. It is also compatible with all LiftMaster garage door openers that has been manufactured since January 1993. The range is also pretty good on this remote and I have been known to open my garage door from the end of the block, which is more than 50ft away.
Smart Control Panel
The control panel comes with a big LCD screen, that big and easy display can be used to program your remote and MyQ accessories, and also displays time and temperature. Since this is installed on the inside of your garage, it is used to open/close and light up your garage from the inside. The smart control panel comes with a built in sensing motion detector which lights up your garage upon sensing motion. The menu is easy to navigate and errors can be diagnosed via the menu. Menu language is available in English, Spanish and French.
(I should mention that this does not come with an outside keypad which would have been nice.)
MyQ Technology
Another favorite! The MyQ feature allows you to use the garage door opener directly from your mobile phone using the app, which is totally FREE. All that is required is that you register your equipment. I am also able to use it via my Apple Watch. The app not only opens and closes your garage door opener but also notifies you whenever it opens/close so you know whenever someone comes or goes. The great thing about the MyQ App is that, even if you did not set up the Timer to Close feature, you can control your garage from anywhere in the world.
Additional Accessories Available
We received 2 Universal Mini Remotes which is an added bonus if you have more than one vehicle. Since the LiftMaster 8550W comes with only one visor remote, we needed additional remotes. The Universal Mini Remotes are amazing! They are portable and can be attached to your keys or kept in your bag, whichever you prefer, and makes it easy to open/close your garage no matter where you are. Set up is easy, and I was able to program them both myself after the technician had left. These are great to give to your kids and perfect if you’re just going for a walk/jog/bike ride and want to get in your garage. They are small enough to fit in your pocket and so far we’ve had no problems with them. The range on these are just as good as the visor remote.
Pros:
Strong motor
Silent operation
Battery backup
Strong range for remotes
Security+ 2.0® feature which changes the code every time the remote is clicked
MyQ App which is free
Universal Mini Remotes
Cons:
Comes with only 1 remote so you will have to buy an additional if more than 1 is needed
Conclusion:
We have been using the LiftMaster 8550W for the past 3 months and so far the only issue that we’ve had was with the sensors. The garage door would not close and it was because someone, probably one of the kids when putting their bike back into the garage, accidentally knocked it out of place. The remote panel indicated that there was a problem and since I couldn’t fix it myself, I had to have the technician come out and get it put back in place. I love the silent operation, it’s no longer noisy and the mini universal remotes are a must! The motion sensors that turns on/off the lights are also an added bonus. This is definitely one garage door opener that I can say, you should certainly get.
With homes becoming “smarter”, isn’t it time you upgraded to a smarter Garage Door Opener? Not only will you have peace of mind, but you’ll no longer have to worry about whether your garage door is closed once leaving home ever again. I couldn’t begin to tell you how much safer I now feel, and I was already safe. It was definitely a big home improvement and we LOVE it.
What would be your favorite feature?
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