Chamberlain’s new technology prevents aftermarket controllers from working with their garage door openers

Garage door opener manufacturer The Chamberlain Group has launched a new version of the communications platform that powers connected garage door openers — and it’s bad news for smart home users.

New Security+ 3.0 platformwhich launches alongside a recent Chamberlain editorial, works to shut down workarounds used by third-party accessory makers like Tailwind, Merosand Ratajdo It was developed to allow you to integrate your garage door with Apple Home, Home Assistant, Amazon Alexa, Google Home and more.

Instead, you are thrust into the Chamberlain’s house MyQ app is full of ads And a short list of Partners and integrationAlmost all of them require paid subscriptions and none of them are major ecosystems. (Controlling your door in the MyQ app itself is still free.)

that it Another sign The market leader in garage door openers has no interest in an open, interoperable smart home. Chamberlain is locking users deeper into its proprietary, subscription-focused ecosystem — a trend punctuated by its quiet exit from the Connectivity Standards Alliance, the industry group behind the smart home interoperability standard, Matter. Which, coincidentally, is just that Advertise support for garage door controllers.

For those who don’t know, let me take you back to 2014, when Chamberlain launched My Q garagethe first smart garage door controller. An accessory device that connects wirelessly to a Chamberlain or Liftmaster opener (the company’s loyal installation line), the MyQ lets you control your door opener from your phone—a huge upgrade that allows you to check and close your door from anywhere. Chamberlain then integrated MyQ directly into his editorials and now has widespread reach MyQ ecosystem Includes security cameras, video doorbells, and keypads.

Competitors soon entered the market, including third-party companies that had universal controllers that plugged into the back of the opener. But these companies soon found that Chamberlain’s latest editorials with Patented Security+ 2.0 technology It did not work with these dry contact drivers. So, they developed workarounds, initially by connecting their devices to an aftermarket remote, and then using a software-based solution to mimic Rolling security codes Uses wired communication technology. This was first implemented by Ratgdo (which stands for Rage Against the Garage Door Opener), after founder Paul Wieland became Frustrated by MyQ limitations.

Meanwhile, Chamberlain, which was sold to Private equity firm Blackstone In 2021, it started Secure its MyQ technologywhich he was building directly into its openings. I stopped it Apple Home Kit Bridgefinished Google Assistant integration (after trying it first Make people pay for it), and Unofficial Home Assistant integrations are blocked. Today, most Supported integration Requires a subscription or is linked to paid services e.g Amazon key. These moves made aftermarket controllers more attractive to those who wanted to decide for themselves how to control devices in their garages.

Security + 3.0 closes the door

With Security+ 3.0, workarounds developed by these controllers have stopped working. “Any aftermarket controller, like Ratgdo, Tailwind, Meross, Connected.io, none of them will work with Security 3.0 devices,” Scott Reisbush, president of Tailwind, explained to Edge In an interview. “And there is no possibility of any firmware updates for any of these products that will work, because all of these devices communicate over a wired communication channel.”

I asked Chamberlain if that was the case. “Our approach to third-party partner integrations remains the same,” Christina Marinson, senior director of marketing and public relations for Chamberlain Group, said in an email. “We’re focused on delivering the safest, most seamless experience for all users, which means we can only allow approved integrations including Alarm.com, Resideo, Ring, Vivint, and more.” It crumbled“.

Security+ 3.0 is a complete revamp of the company’s communications technology and comes with new hardware that Marinson says “modernizes the industrial design of our devices for a contemporary smart home ecosystem.” These devices include new remote controls and keypads that can be assigned to specific people, so you know who opened the door and when.

Technically, the big change is going completely wireless; Wired connections now operate only the opening and safety devices. “Our communications architecture continues to leverage rolling code technology encryption, which is now enhanced with 2.4GHz Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) to provide a more secure connection, faster provisioning, and extended range,” says Marinson.

It is the patented rolling code technology that has made it difficult for third party devices to work with MyQ products. Although software-based solutions rely on wired connections, now that everything is wireless, these solutions will not work with new hardware.

Konnected.io founder Nate Clark, who Black Q console Works with Chamberlain openers, confirmed on Connected Community Forumwrote that this is “a deliberate move by Chamberlain/LM to restrict you to MyQ.”

For many Chamberlain clients, the MyQ app is fine — as long as they can deal with the constant, intrusive advertising and cloud video storage sales from MyQ cameras, many of which are now integrated into editorials. But there are a lot of users who don’t want to use multiple apps to control their homes, don’t want to tie important access devices to the cloud, and prefer to integrate everything into one smart home ecosystem.

Today, MyQ doesn’t work with the most popular home automation platforms, like Apple Home, Amazon Alexa, and Google Home. Its communications are largely through subscription-based security companies such as alarm.com And Vivint. Doesn’t support free services like CarPlay or Android Auto; Instead, it partners directly with automakers, including Honda and Volkswagen, which charge a $1,000 subscription. About $50 per year To open your garage door from the screen in your car. (Chamberlain works with the free HomeLink solution, a proprietary platform that uses an in-car button to connect to unlocking devices locally and via the cloud.)

It seems likely that these are all partnerships that support a company’s bottom line in ways that more open platforms don’t.

Whereas Chamberlain has The US market share is more than 70 percentThere are alternatives. Riesebosch praises Genie and its Aladdin communication platform for the services it provides A more open approach To the smart home. Lock maker Kwikset recently I fired the openerAnd he is He says it will be compatible with the material.

However, if you find yourself with a Chamberlain Group Security+ 3.0 garage door opener (the easiest way to identify it is by looking at the learning button; the white circle means 3.0, the yellow means 2.0), aftermarket manufacturers are working on solutions. However, Reisbusch says it will be difficult. “Chamberlain has put up some pretty big barriers.”

One of these is a new home phone verification check to ensure that any remote or accessory that attempts to communicate with the opener is made by Chamberlain and not counterfeit, duplicate or cloned. Marinson said this cloud-based authentication was introduced with Security+ 3.0 due to the “increasing presence of counterfeit accessories…that do not meet the performance, security and reliability standards of the myQ ecosystem,” and is designed to “protect our customers and maintain the integrity of the trusted myQ user experience.”

If you’re handy, you can hack the Chamberlain Security+ 3.0 remote by soldering the wires to connect it to your controller of choice. But there may be a simpler solution.

The new third reality Smart garage door controller $50 It is a very simple gadget that is basically a box that holds your garage door remote and uses a mechanical finger to press the button. It supports Matter, so it works with Apple Home, Amazon Alexa, Google Home, Samsung SmartThings, Home Assistant, etc., giving you complete smart control of the home.

Chamberlain’s new remotes for the Security+ 3.0 line appear to be similar in size to the existing ones, so… He should Fit inside this tool. I’d like to see how Chamberlain plans the ban this Alternative solution.