Garage door opener manufacturer The Chamberlain Group has unveiled a new iteration of the communication platform that powers its smart garage door openers — and it spells trouble for smart home enthusiasts.
The revamped Security+ 3.0 platform, launching in tandem with Chamberlain’s latest openers, closes off the methods that third-party accessory developers like Tailwind, Meross, and Ratgdo created to allow integration of garage doors with Apple Home, Home Assistant, Amazon Alexa, Google Home, and other platforms.
Instead, users are funneled into Chamberlain’s ad-laden MyQ app and a limited selection of partners and integrations, nearly all of which mandate subscription fees and none of which are from the prominent ecosystems. (Operating your door via the MyQ app remains complimentary).
This marks yet another indication that the leading brand in garage door openers is uninterested in fostering an open, interoperable smart home environment. Chamberlain is tightening its grip on users within its subscription-driven ecosystem — a trend demonstrated by its discreet withdrawal from the Connectivity Standards Alliance, the organization responsible for the interoperability standard for smart homes, Matter. Coincidentally, Matter has just announced support for garage door controllers.
The garage door wars
For those who may not know, let’s revisit 2014, when Chamberlain debuted the MyQ Garage, its inaugural smart garage door controller. This accessory device wirelessly connects to your Chamberlain or Liftmaster (the professional installation series) opener, enabling users to control their door opener via a smartphone — a significant enhancement allowing oversight and closure of the door from any location. Subsequently, Chamberlain integrated MyQ directly into its openers and now has a comprehensive MyQ ecosystem that encompasses security cameras, video doorbells, and keypads.
Competitors swiftly infiltrated the market, including independent companies offering universal controllers that integrate into the back of the opener. However, these companies soon discovered that newer Chamberlain openers featuring the patented Security+ 2.0 technology were incompatible with these dry-contact triggers. Consequently, they devised solutions, initially by linking their devices to aftermarket remote controls, then transitioning to software-based solutions to replicate the rolling security codes employed by the wired communication technology. This was first accomplished by Ratgdo (which stands for Rage Against the Garage Door Opener), founded by Paul Wieland, who became frustrated with MyQ’s limitations.
In the meantime, Chamberlain, which was acquired by private equity firm Blackstone in 2021, began restricting access to its MyQ technology, which had been directly embedded into its openers. It phased out its Apple HomeKit bridge, ceased its Google Assistant integration (after attempting to monetize it), and restricted unofficial Home Assistant integrations. Currently, most of the integrations it offers require a subscription or are linked to paid services such as Amazon Key. These actions have made aftermarket controllers even more appealing to individuals who prefer autonomy over how to manage the hardware in their garages.
Security+ 3.0 slams the door shut
With Security+ 3.0, the fixes those controllers devised ceased to function. “Any aftermarket controller, such as Ratgdo, Tailwind, Meross, Konnected.io, none of those will work with Security 3.0 devices,” explained Scott Riesebosch, president of Tailwind, to The Verge in an interview. “And there’s no prospect of firmware updates for any of those products that will work, because those devices all operate through a wired communication channel.”
I inquired with Chamberlain if this was accurate. “Our strategy regarding third-party partner integration remains unchanged,” Christina Marenson, senior marketing and PR manager at Chamberlain Group, said in an email. “We’re dedicated to providing the most secure and seamless experience for all users, which means we can only permit authorized integrations including Alarm.com, Resideo, Ring, Vivint, and IFTTT.”
Security+ 3.0 represents a total overhaul of the company’s communication technology and introduces new hardware that Marenson claims is “updating the industrial design of our hardware for a modern smart home ecosystem.” This hardware features new remotes and keypads that can be assigned to individual users, providing insight into who opened the door and when.
Technically, the main alteration is the transition to fully wireless communication; wired links are now solely responsible for powering the opener and safety sensors. “Our communication framework still utilizes rolling code technology encryption, now enhanced with Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) operating at 2.4 GHz to deliver a more secure handshake, faster provisioning, and greater range,” according to Marenson.
It’s that patented rolling code technology that rendered it challenging for third-party devices to interact with MyQ products. Furthermore, while the software-driven solutions relied on wired communication, with the shift to exclusively wireless systems, such solutions will no longer be viable with the new devices.
Konnected.io’s founder Nate Clark, whose blaQ controller is compatible with Chamberlain openers, verified this on Konnected’s community forum, indicating that this “is a deliberate strategy from Chamberlain/LM to confine you to MyQ.”
For numerous Chamberlain customers, the MyQ app suffices — provided they can tolerate the ongoing, disruptive ads and upselling for cloud video storage from MyQ’s cameras, many of which are now incorporated into the openers. However, ample users prefer not to juggle multiple apps for managing their residences, do not wish for essential access devices to be linked to the cloud, and would rather have everything integrated into a single smart home framework.
Currently, MyQ is incompatible with the most widely used home automation ecosystems, such as Apple Home, Amazon Alexa, and Google Home. Its connectivity largely occurs via subscription-driven security firms like Alarm.com and Vivint. It lacks support for complimentary services like CarPlay or Android Auto; instead, partnering directly with automakers such as Honda and Volkswagen, which impose an annual subscription of around $50 to operate your garage door from your vehicle’s display. (Chamberlain does support the complimentary HomeLink solution, a proprietary platform that utilizes an in-car button to connect to openers locally and via the cloud.)
It appears likely that these partnerships enhance the company’s revenue in ways that more open systems do not.
What are your options?
While Chamberlain maintains a US-market share exceeding 70 percent, alternatives do exist. Riesebosch commends Genie and its Aladdin connectivity platform for its more open philosophy towards smart homes. Lock maker Kwikset recently introduced an opener, which it claims will support Matter.
Nevertheless, if you end up with a Chamberlain Group Security+ 3.0 garage door opener (the simplest way to identify one is by the learn button; white round indicates 3.0, yellow means 2.0), aftermarket manufacturers are developing solutions. However, Riesebosch suggests it will be a challenge. “Chamberlain has erected substantial barriers.”
One of these barriers is a new validation check that verifies with the manufacturer to ensure that any remote or accessory attempting to connect to the opener originates from Chamberlain and is not a counterfeit, duplicate, or fake. Marenson stated that this cloud-based verification was introduced with Security+ 3.0 in response to “an increasing presence of counterfeit accessories … that do not meet the performance, security, and reliability standards of the myQ ecosystem,” and it aims to “safeguard our consumers and uphold the integrity of our trusted myQ user experience.”
If you’re skilled, you could modify a Chamberlain Security+ 3.0 remote by soldering the wires to connect it to your chosen controller. However, there might be a simpler workaround.
Third Reality’s new $50 smart garage door controller is an extremely straightforward gadget that essentially encases your garage door remote and employs a mechanical finger to press the button. It supports Matter, allowing it to integrate with Apple Home, Amazon Alexa, Google Home, Samsung SmartThings, Home Assistant, and more, offering complete smart home command.
Chamberlain’s new remotes for its Security+ 3.0 series appear to be comparable in size to the current models, so they should fit within this device. I am curious to see how Chamberlain intends to prevent this workaround.
