Smart garage door openers have become an integral part of smart homes. They allow homeowners to control their garage doors from a distance. While smart garage door technologies like myQ offer the convenience of opening garage doors from the myQ app, homeowners seeking a hands-free experience may be contemplating if myQ integrates with Alexa.
Amazon Alexa provides homeowners with the convenience of controlling various smart home devices using voice commands. Unfortunately, myQ doesn’t integrate with Alexa directly. However, you can link myQ with Alexa using third-party services. If This Then That (IFTTT) is a service that lets you connect or automate services and apps that normally won’t integrate. This post will cover everything you need to know about linking myQ with Alexa.
Is MyQ compatible with Alexa?
MyQ does not natively support Alexa, but this doesn’t mean the two services can’t work together completely. You can use a third-party app to integrate your myQ with Alexa so you can control your myQ-enabled garage door using voice commands. IFTTT and SimpleCommands are the commonly used third-party apps when linking myQ with Alexa.
Integrating through IFTTT only allows you to close the myQ-enabled garage door, while connecting myQ with Alexa via SimpleCommands allows you to open and close your garage door.
How To Connect myQ to Alexa
You need a third-party app to connect myQ to Alexa. Here are ways and steps to integrate myQ with Alexa:
1. Connecting MyQ to Alexa Using The SimpleCommands
You can connect your myQ with Alexa through SimpleCommands by following simple steps. All you need is Amazon Alexa, SimpleCommands app, Alexa app, and a reliable internet connection. Here are steps that will let you control your myQ-enabled garage door using voice commands:
- Download and install the SimpleCommand app and open an account. The app is available for both Android and iOS. When creating your account, use a password you can easily remember.
- Check your email for the verification email, open it, and tap on “Confirm Email” to complete registration.
- Launch SimpleCommands, click on “Add/Remove Items,” locate “myQ-Openers,” and tap on “Add.” This will prompt you to input your email address associated with your myQ and password. Tap on “Submit.” This will link myQ with SimpleCommands.
- Open your Alexa application, tap “More,” and then find “Skills & Games.”
- Search “kloee for SC,” tap on “Enable to Use,” and input your credentials to allow Alexa to connect to the SimpleCommands.
- Go to the SimpleCommands home screen, open the menu (three lines), and choose “Routine.”
- Choose your garage door, and for each function, click “Add Command.”
- On the Routines screen, click on the routine you’ve created to activate it, then allow it to use voice commands from Alexa.
- Toggle the Voice Trigger and input phrases for the functions you will use. You’re done with the SimpleCommands app.
- On the Alexa app, click on “Devices.”
- Scroll the top slider menu to find “Scenes,” then scroll down to find “Discover Scenes,” and tap on it.
- On your Alexa app home screen, click Menu and choose “Routines.”
- Press the + sign to start creating routines. Click on + next to “Enter routine name” and type the routine name.
- Click on “When this happens,” tap on “Voice,” and enter the exact phrase you will use to control your garage door. You can add several phrases.
- Click on “Add action,” choose “Smart Home” from the list, and click “Control Scene.” This will prompt you to pick the scene to activate. Here choose the phrases you entered in the SimpleCommands app.
Save your routine, and you’re good to go.
2. Connecting myQ to Alexa via IFTTT
Integrating myQ with Alexa using IFTTT lets you close your garage door using voice commands. This means you can’t check the status of your garage door or open it using the IFT services.
Here are steps to link myQ with Alexa via IFTTT:
- Download and install the IFTTT app on your smartphone, or you can browse their website.
- Sign up for IFTTT
- Navigate https://ifttt.com/myq_devices and select “Connect.” This will prompt you to input your myQ login credentials.
- In IFTTT, create a new applet using Alexa as the trigger, click “Say a Specific Phrase,” and then enter the phrase — “Close Garage Door” — you will use to close your garage door.
- For the “Then” action, choose myQ service and select the action Close Garage Door.
Save the applet and try it out.
Scheduling Garage Door Opens and closes with Alexa
One helpful feature is using Alexa routines to schedule when your garage door opens and closes.
You can set up a routine in the Alexa app that opens your garage at a certain time in the morning. Or close it in the evening when you’re getting ready for bed.
Alexa supports triggers like time of day or custom voice commands to activate your routine. This allows automating when your garage opens and closes without manually controlling it.
Some routine examples you could set up include:
- Open the garage at 7 am on weekdays
- Close the garage at 10 pm every day
- Open the garage when I say, “Alexa, open the garage as I’m leaving.”
Alexa will run these routines automatically once you set the schedule or voice trigger. Routines make controlling your MyQ garage door even more convenient daily.
Troubleshooting MyQ and Alexa
If Alexa is having trouble controlling your MyQ garage door, here are some troubleshooting tips:
- Ensure your MyQ and Alexa accounts are successfully linked in the Alexa and MyQ apps. Re-link them if needed.
- Check that the MyQ bridge light is blinking green, indicating it’s connected to WiFi. If not, power cycle the bridge.
- Try rebooting your garage door opener to refresh the connection with MyQ.
- Make sure you have the latest MyQ firmware installed in the app.
- Go to Settings > Device Settings and select MyQ skill in the Alexa app. Discover devices again.
- Enable the MyQ skill in Alexa again for each linked MyQ account.
- Check that your Alexa device is within WiFi range of the MyQ bridge. The two need to be on the same network.
- Remove and re-add the MyQ device in your Alexa app to fully reset the connection.
After troubleshooting, Alexa voice control of your MyQ garage door should be up and running again. But if issues persist, you may need to contact Chamberlain or Amazon support for further help.
Using MyQ with Other Smart Devices
A benefit of MyQ is that it works with other smart home devices beyond Alexa integration. This allows more ways to control and automate your garage door.
For example, MyQ has direct integration with IFTTT. You can create “Applets” that connect MyQ actions with triggers from other IFTTT-compatible smart devices.
You could set up an Applet that says if your Nest Protect smoke detector detects an alarm, have MyQ close the garage door.
MyQ also works with Google Assistant for voice control through Google Home devices. You can use Google Assistant commands just like you would with Alexa.
Additionally, MyQ has compatibility with smart home systems like Apple HomeKit, Samsung SmartThings, Wink, and more.
You can include MyQ automation triggers into scenes, schedules, and rules you set up through those platforms. This allows you to integrating your garage door with other smart products like lights, locks, cameras, etc.
Expanding MyQ to work with other devices in your home allows more powerful and customized smart garage automation.
Is MyQ Worth It for Alexa Control?
For most smart garage door opener shoppers, Chamberlain MyQ is likely the best option if you want to use Alexa voice commands.
It offers a straightforward connection process between the MyQ and Alexa apps. Once linked, you can access common voice controls to open, close, and check your garage door.
MyQ also enables automation through Alexa routines. And it integrates with other smart home technologies beyond Alexa.
The biggest value of MyQ’s Alexa integration is the convenience of hands-free voice control. Just ask Alexa to open or close your garage instead of using the app or remote.
You also get functionality like status checks, routines, compatibility with other smart devices, and notifications through the MyQ app.
Overall, if you’re looking for an Alexa-compatible smart garage door controller, Chamberlain MyQ delivers solid voice control and smart features. For many homeowners, the convenience of MyQ is worth the investment for controlling your garage with Alexa.
Conclusion
Although myQ doesn’t support Alexa skills directly, third-party apps let you connect the two services so that you can operate your myQ-enabled garage door using voice commands. The IFTTT doesn’t allow you to open the garage with voice commands due to security concerns. If you want to close your garage door with voice commands, this post should help you integrate myQ with Alexa.
