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Automatic garage door openers have been part of the American landscape for over 50 years now. Though invented in 1926, they became popular in the late 60s and early 70s, as people moved to the suburbs and acquired bigger houses with bigger garage doors. Accidents and malfunctions were common in those days; today, safety features that prevent accidents are standard on all openers, and new features have been introduced for added safety and convenience. Features That Go Beyond The Basics Beyond the basic safety features such as an auto-reverse mechanism and electric eye that senses when an object is in the way, garage doors now address a number of other security concerns and consumer preferences. Battery backup. Not being able to get in and out of your garage when the power is out can be both unsafe and inconvenient. Having a battery backup allows the door to function until the power returns. Keyless entry. The remote control is coded to operate your door, but if you don't have the remote handy or it malfunctions, you might find yourself stuck in the driveway. A keyless entry pad mounted outside the door allows you to press a few buttons to gain access. Motion lights. Many garage door openers turn on the lights when you open the garage, but having one connected to motion lights puts off burglars. You can also opt for a feature that allows you to use extra bright bulbs or turn the lights off and on from the remote without opening or closing the door; a nice feature if you have a workshop in the garage. Remotes with dual frequency and rolling codes. To prevent your opener from lifting your neighbor's door and vice versa, you should have a dual frequency model that will pick up the right frequency for your house. It should also have rolling code security technology that changes the code after every use to prevent burglars from opening your door. Pinch resistance. Your door's electric eye won't let the door close on you if you happen to walk underneath while the door in motion, but you can easily damage your fingers if you touch the door in the wrong place when it is descending. Some models of garage doors have a pinch resistant feature that pushes fingers out of the way as a door is closing. Quiet operation. Traditional chain drive doors do the trick, but can wake up sleeping residents of the house. Modern screw-drive and belt drive doors operate more quietly than even new generations of chain drive models. The newest doors on the market, direct drive and jackshaft, offer the quietest performance yet. Software control. If you have an in-vehicle remote control system or another security system on your smart phone, you can open and close your garage door without an extra remote. When selecting a garage door opener, there is often not much difference in the price among openers, so the extra features that you want usually won't bust your budget. By working with an experienced garage door company, you can get the opener that will give you the degree of security and convenience you desire.
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