How many times have you left your house, only to get a few miles away and you ask yourself, “did I close the garage door?!” I’ve headed back home several instances to check, I would never feel comfortable until I knew! A solution has been offered! As home products are constantly evolving and becoming “smarter” to help simplify Americans’ busy lives, LiftMaster has engineered a new garage door opener with MyQ Technology, allowing it to do more than ever before, like controlling it from your own smart phone…
The two new professionally-installed LiftMaster models are the first of a family of new garage door openers outfitted with new brains, enabling them to control, monitor and manage the garage door and other household devices. Combined with new MyQ-powered accessories, LiftMaster’s newest technology now allows you to:
· Open, close and monitor your garage door from anywhere in the world with the MyQ Internet Gateway and LiftMaster app (available on BB, Android and iPhone platforms).
· Turn on the lights before you arrive home.
· Set a timer-to-close on the garage door, ensuring the door is never left open.
· Monitor the garage door from anywhere in the house.
· Ensure home access even when the power is out with LiftMaster’s standard battery backup.
Our Take via My Husband: Two months ago we replaced our old garage door opener with a LiftMaster Model 8550 Belt Drive Garage Door Opener. It was installed professionally in about an hour and it has performed without fail daily. This new opener is belt driven and includes a DC battery backup and MyQ technology as well as all the safety and security features you would expect from a top of the line opener.
The LiftMaster Model 8550 is a functional addition to our garage. The shiny red motor cover with built in lights opens and closes the door with ease, lights our entire garage and looks as good as it works. Note that within our garage a number of un-sightly and useless items abound and this opener has prompted a necessary clean-out/re-organization. Our previous opener was a worm driven and I was initially skeptical of the belt driven system. Not only does the motor and belt include a lifetime warranty but they are significantly quieter and smoother than I expected. In fact, I now realize that a number of wheel bearings on the garage door rollers make a substantial amount of noise and are in need of repair.
Included with the opener is a functional door control that displays the time, temperature and the backup battery charge status and has a built in motion sensor that automatically turns the lights on when someone enters the garage. All the setting and service functions for the opener are easily available on this control. You can also add, reprogram or change remote control/keyless entry PINs with this door control.
The safety and security functions of the LiftMaster Model 8550 include an invisible light beam projected across the opening and sensing technology which automatically reverses the door if anything crosses the opening or if anything (person/car) comes into contact while the door is closing. (See the door hit my shoulder and go back up in the video above) The opener also beeps and the lights flash that provides warning that the door is about to close when using the Timer to Close or remote closing features.
Speaking of the remote closing features, we included a garage monitor that shows the door status (open/closed) and allows the door to be controlled from within the house. We located our monitor in the kitchen and have it set so that it gives a slight beep when anyone enters or leaves the garage while the door is open.
We also decided to install the LiftMaster Internet Gateway which allows the door to be monitored or operated from anywhere in the world. My wife installed an app on her smart phone and has used it to allow the kids or friends access to the house while we were out of town. In fact she also returned from an outing with friends without keys to the house and was able to open the door with her phone. When we leave the house and someone asks, “did we close the garage door?” we just check the phone app and have peace of mind.
The battery backup is a feature I had never considered necessary until I realized that my wife or kids would be able to manually open the door when the power is out but they are not tall enough to reach the handle of the door to manually close the door once it is open. Now that we’ve got the battery backup, the door opener functions with or without power. The LiftMaster Model 8550 Belt Drive Garage Door Opener is a welcome addition to our home and promises years of reliable operation with all the features imaginable. The only addition we are considering is a keyless entry panel for the smartphone-less Dad.
Product was sent for honest review, installation was provided. All opinions are our own.
This is the first I’ve heard of the Lift Master and now I want one. I love the extra features because Lord knows how many times I’ve wondered if my garage door shut completely or if it went back up. It doesn’t hurt that it’s so nice looking either. Great review.
Hugs…Tracy @ Cotton Pickin Cute
Great review!!!
Arrayent actually provides the internet connection (software) for all chamberlain/liftmaster myQ internet connected garage door opener.
Would love your email address to keep you in touch with all the other internet connected gadgets we’re coming out with! Think about all the possibilities for refrigerators, thermostats, home irrigations, washing machines, power strips!
Hope to hear from you!
Jennifer
Email is themomjen @ gmail.com
LIFTMASTER MISLEAD US! Liftmaster advertises the unit as “Homelink Compatible” on their website. However, The Homelink feature may not be compatible as advertised on their website and you may be required to purchase a Repeater at about $25, plus an additional $7 “shipping and handling”. BUYER BEWARE – CHECK YOUR CAR BEFORE YOU GET STUCK!
Good afternoon,
If you have the unit installed by a professional company they will provide the homelink at no charge.
I can confirm what Larry is saying about homelink. Just had 8355 installed; neither our ’07 RDX or ’11 G37 will hook up w/ it. Tried defaulting opener many times; can re-program the remotes and keyless pad, but never the homelinks.
Now that you have had the 8550 installed for over a year, how has it performed and is it still what you would buy today?
It works perfectly and I use the app when I leave my remote in another car which has been updated over time through the app store and has never let us down. Our power has gone off a few times and it works fine with the battery back up!
Your review above was very well done and for me generated a lot of enthusiasm about wanting to have these features. I am in the process of deciding on a garage door and opener and one estimate includes the LiftMaster 8355. Can I assume that the model 8550 by the higher number is also a more sophisticated as well as expensive model? Any reason that the retailer could not substitute the 8550 in place of the 8355?
I can’t answer those last questions.
Good afternoon,
The 8355 is MyQ accessible but it is a AC electric motor unit. The 8550 is also MyQ accessible but it is a DC motor unit and it comes with a battery backup. It is a higher end unit and should come with a higher price.
Thank you, Fantastic review!! Described well.
Our garage door wouldn’t open this morning so my husband went to Angie’s List and found Precision Overhead garage door service and we are so thankful they were able to come today. Well the price wasn’t pretty $1300.00 for the LiftMaster Elite Series 8550. We also had another company from Angie’s List scheduled to check out our sump pump due to all the snow we have had of late. So we are getting a double whammy today, as that will be about double. It is what it is.
So while I was at work they were home w/my husband. I know that there were 2 service men and they replaced all and any mechanism that had anything to do w/the old door opener. Once the service men were gone, my husband called me at work and said ” it is so quite, your not gonna believe it! I thought ” It better for that price” Yikes!
When I arrived home the plumber had his truck in our driveway and the door was already opened. While walking into the house, via garage, he popped his head out of his truck and said, ” that it was the quietest garage door he has ever heard. Now I’m intrigued. Plumber goes into basement and husband demonstrates. First, how cool is it to have the temperature & time, and, automatic light feature. I’m liking this very expensive purchase, lol. I must say I am a cynic and believe I’m always being overcharged especially because we always, always, research and neither one of us had time to research either door opener or sump pump to know what product we wanted or price range. Argh! Husband knew he wanted the battery back up; Invoice has $650.00 for that. So looks like the Gold package door opener (whatever that means, that’s for later) was $699.00. I only see another charge for $50.00 w/out a description so perhaps labor, or it could have been for the new keypad we had them install? (He did tell husband that he would get a discount but if we did it wasn’t described?) Then he shows me the remotes. Wow! So now I am in my comfy’s, go on the Internet search “cost of LiftMaster 8550” and near the top of search was your review.
Thank you because after reading and watching the video it was so informative that I am so excited and can’t wait till the plumber leaves and start to play with it. It seems like it is worth the price (for the times). I still have a lot of playing and researching to do. I would say spend the money, unless you can get your labor for free.
The 8550 should not be more than $500.00 installed.
How much was the door opener with installation?
I received a sample in exchange for my review.
Was very interested in your review. However, after you noted you received a sample in exchange for your review, it shot the entire review to pieces. You can’t be expected to give an impartial review when you receive an expensive garage unit in return.
Actually it is easy for me to give an impartial review on the unit despite the sample. I hold the utmost level of integrity with myself, my site, and my opinions. Had any issues arisen or if the product didn’t live up to it’s said expectation, you’d would know. If the product did not perform at all, I would have contacted the brand and the public relations contact prior to publishing as any professional would to discuss the matter. That said, any review from my site is 100% honest whether you believe it is or not. Thanks for visiting.
Lift master is amazing product and it will give some relief to busy people, who think opening and closing garage will take their lot of time.