This post is sponsored by Chamberlain Group Inc. All opinions are my own.
By now you have figured out that I’m all about my smart home technology. However, I don’t just add useless things to my home. It must serve a purpose, and make our lives easier. Our LiftMaster myQ-connected smart garage door openers were a must. We enter our home through our garage 99.9% of time, so this is our main point of entry.
When we moved into our house, we were ok with our builder skipping the installation of garage door openers, like many of them do, unless you pay extra. Why? I already knew that I wanted LiftMaster myQ-connected smart garage door openers. It’s a great accompaniment to our smart locks and alarm system. For one thing, we will never have to worry about whether or not we left the garage door open. Through the myQ App, we can monitor our garage door from our phones. A quick peek in the app clearly shows whether the doors are open or closed.
Installing Our LiftMaster 8550W Garage Door Openers
As mentioned above when we built, we opted to not have openers installed. I was blessed to have my 2 new LiftMaster 8550W garage door openers installed by a professional and we have been very happy.
I have to say that I was shocked that one guy did it all! I was quite impressed. He got it done in a couple of hours.
The LiftMaster 8550W is a belt driven opener, so it is super quiet compared to traditional chain driven openers. This is important to me since my kid’s room, and the guest room are at the front of the house where the garage is. So, there is less of a chance of the garage opening waking them up.
Since we travel a lot, I can have a friend come by and check on the house… without needing a physical key or sharing a code or password. The myQ App allows me to provide access control to 3 additional people we trust to enter our garage. And one time when we had an emergency I was able to open the garage for our builder with my smartphone so that he could get in. However, having a myQ-connected smart garage provides us more than the ability to open and close a garage door and its benefits range from receiving real-time alerts when the garage door is left open, to enabling Key by Amazon in-garage delivery so our packages arrive safe, dry and secure.
Key by Amazon In-garage Delivery
I don’t know about you… but I have a bit of an Amazon addiction. I have calmed it down a bit. But, the holidays are coming and we know what that means… orders will be on the rise. And with the rise of orders, comes the potential rise of missing packages. There are a lot of people that do not value other people’s stuff. I see it all the time on a couple of doorbell camera apps where neighbors upload their doorbell videos. It’s sad really, so, it’s important to take steps to increase your package safety.
Luckily with our myQ-connected garage door opener we have the ability to take advantage of Key by Amazon in-garage delivery and have our packages delivered to our garage where they are secure until we get home. Key by Amazon in-garage delivery service gives Prime members in select areas the option of having their packages delivered securely inside their garage. In-garage delivery is now available in 50 cities and surrounding areas.
To see if you are Key for garage Ready, head on over to the myQ website and answer a few simple questions. If you already have a Chamberlain or LiftMaster Wi-Fi Garage Door Opener with myQ, you are probably set. Or you can upgrade your existing garage door opener by installing a myQ Smart Garage Hub to get myQ-connected. Once your opener is myQ equipped and you have downloaded the myQ App you can simply link your myQ account to the Key by Amazon App and get going.
Ready for Holiday Shopping
Now, since my Amazon addiction kicks into high gear around this time of year, if I have a fear of my packages being left on the porch, I can choose for them to be delivered to my garage. And I do get nervous. When I have certain packages delivered I check my doorbell camera 20 times a day to make sure that it’s still there. This is not ideal. It would be much safer and I would have more peace of mind, if I did not have to worry about the packages on my porch.
If you choose to use Key by Amazon in-garage delivery, you also have the option of installing an Amazon Cloud Cam (Key Edition) inside your garage so that you can keep an eye on every delivery. I love this option for extra security.
Key by Amazon + LiftMaster myQ is a great way to shop for the holidays without the worry of what will happen to your packages once they are delivered. Head over to the myQ website for more information and to get started.
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Hello – while I love the Amazon Key feature, it still freaks me out a bit that I’m giving access to my home to someone while I”m not there. Just curious what your thoughts are on this Amazon feature from a home security point of view?
Hi Nick!
I do agree. And obviously the setup of your home and garage could help make the difference in whether or not you use the service. But, there are other security measures that can be put in place to help. For example, in my own home, my inner garage door that leads into the home is dead-bolted and secured with a sensor. If it opens, I will know and the alarm will go off. Amazon also offers the Amazon Cloud Cam which can be mounted inside your garage. With this, you can watch the whole transaction take place, make sure the tech only puts down the package, and leaves. And it records. Also, we don’t keep valuables in our garage, so this helps. If someone wants to take one of our 8 coolers, though? LOL! Yes, we have a cooler problem!
The key (no pun intended) is to know how to secure your home overall. Cameras inside and outside, a security system, etc. certainly help.
Kris