Consumer TechHome & GardenHardware

How to Make a Garage Door Smart | Ask This Old House

This Old House
This Old House•May 18, 2026

Why It Matters

Upgrading legacy garage doors to smart control gives homeowners remote access, scheduling flexibility, and granular user permissions, expanding the smart‑home market and improving home security.

Key Takeaways

  • •Older 1999 garage door openers can be upgraded via SmartHub
  • •SmartHub mounts six feet high, connects both doors to Wi‑Fi
  • •App allows independent control, scheduling, and temporary user access
  • •Existing remote clickers still work alongside smartphone and keypad operation
  • •Battery‑powered door sensors pair via Bluetooth, require periodic replacement

Summary

The video walks through retrofitting a 1999, half‑horsepower chain‑driven garage‑door opener with a SmartHub, turning a legacy system into a Wi‑Fi‑enabled, app‑controlled unit.

Ross explains that the SmartHub mounts about six feet high, draws power from a nearby outlet, and communicates with Bluetooth‑enabled door sensors attached to each motor. After pairing the hub with the opener’s red “learn” button and the sensors, the homeowner can operate each door independently, set schedules, and monitor status from a smartphone.

A key moment shows the app confirming a green connection, and Ross highlights that the original remote clicker and wall keypad remain functional. He also demonstrates assigning limited‑time access to others—e.g., a dog walker—through customizable privileges.

This upgrade delivers convenience, enhanced security, and data‑driven control for homeowners, while illustrating a low‑cost path for the millions of aging garage‑door systems to join the smart‑home ecosystem.

Original Description

In this video, a homeowner’s aging garage door opener gets a smart home upgrade to improve convenience and control.
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When a homeowner’s garage door opener remote range started to fail, he thought upgrading the openers might be his only solution. Building engineer Ross Trethewey had another idea: a simple smart home add-on system to improve its control and convenience.
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Where to find it?
Smart garage door hub kit — myQ Smart Garage Control with WiFi Hub [https://homedepot.sjv.io/2ana5M]
Garage door sensors — Door Sensor for mQ Smart Garage Control [https://amzn.to/4a4SMF4]
Garage door wires [https://amzn.to/4d5JLO1]
Manual staple gun and staples [https://homedepot.sjv.io/E0KZKQ]
About Ask This Old House TV: From the makers of This Old House, America’s first and most trusted home improvement show, Ask This Old House answers the steady stream of home improvement questions asked by viewers across the United States. Covering topics from landscaping to electrical to HVAC and plumbing to painting and more. Ask This Old House features the experts from This Old House, including general contractor Tom Silva, plumbing and heating expert Richard Trethewey, landscape contractor Jenn Nawada, master carpenter Norm Abram, and host Kevin O’Connor. ASK This Old House helps you protect and preserve your greatest investment—your home.
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How to Make a Garage Door Smart | Ask This Old House

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