How Long Does The Myq Sensor Battery Last?

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Extended battery life is one of the top factors that make MyQ sensors attractive to buyers. It begs the question, how long does the MyQ sensor battery last?

On average, the battery will last approximately 3 years. However, how long exactly your sensor battery will last depends on a few factors, which means you might experience a shorter lifespan than this. Let’s look at some of the key factors below;

Factors Affecting the MyQ Sensor Battery Life

1. Sensor Use Frequency

Officially, your MyQ sensor battery is designed to last approximately 10,000 cycles.

MyQ sensor battery lifespan
MyQ sensor battery lifespan

When the sensor opens and closes the garage door, that’s considered 1 cycle. That means if you do two cycles per day (e.g one cycle in the morning and one in the evening) it will take 5, 000 days (i.e 10,000 cycles ÷ 2 cycles) to exhaust 10, 000 cycles.

This number of days translates to approximately 14 years (i.e 5000 days÷360 days). Whereas, if you do nine cycles per day, it will take 1080 days (3 years) to complete the lifespan of your battery.

2. Weather

The Chamberlain Group warns on their support page that cold weather may affect MyQ sensor battery life and voltage changes.

Why Cold Weather may affect MyQ sensor battery life?

There are chemical reactions taking place constantly inside your battery. While heat speeds up these reactions, cold slows them down. The longer they remain slow, the shorter the duration in which your battery will remain in working order and vice versa.

By the way, did you know that temperatures below 32° Fahrenheit (0° Celsius) will reduce both the efficiency and usable capacity of your battery by up to 80%?

For the best experience, the company recommends that users practice maintenance on their door sensors by testing and replacing the battery(if need be) at the onset of a cold season.

To replace your sensor battery;

  • Press the release tab at the bottom or pry the sensor apart at the bottom of it to open it.
  • Remove the battery from the holder by sliding it, and then dispose of it correctly.
  • Put a new battery inside the holder, snapping the cover back.
  • Press the sensor button to ensure that the LED light comes on and the hub beeps.

N/B: Please note that the “Low Battery Message” you are seeing may not disappear immediately after you replace the battery.

According to the support page, it may take a few openings and closings (up to 6) of the garage door with the sensor for it to do so. That means don’t fret if you are still seeing the message immediately after you’ve replaced your battery.

You may also consider keeping your battery warm by using a battery warmer or heater. This is just an accessory that you put around your sensor and leave there during cold seasons to keep your battery warm.

3. Sensor Features

The Chamberlain Group is the parent company that owns the MyQ® app, LiftMaster® sensors, and Chamberlain® sensors. The company also owns both Merlin® professional garage door openers and Grifco® commercial garage door openers.

The MyQ app is the app that powers all the garage door sensors from LiftMaster®, Chamberlain®, Merlin®, and Grifco®. So, sometimes people will refer to any sensor from any of these brands as a “MyQ sensor.”

In other words, MyQ® is associated with an extensive range of sensors. These sensors vary in terms of features among other things. For example, some sensors come with sophisticated features that can put a lot of strain on the battery if enabled, significantly reducing its lifespan. Features such as integrated Bluetooth Technology and integrated LED Corner to Corner Lighting™ are known to make the sensor battery last a shorter period.

The Average Battery Life of MyQ Sensor

The average lifespan of a MyQ sensor is 10,000 cycles with one cycle entailing an opening and closing action.

For most people, their sensors typically require a battery replacement after three years. If you operate your sensor for 9 cycles per day, it will take this number of years to exceed 10,000 cycles.

If you do fewer cycles daily, your battery might end up serving you longer than 3 three years minus other factors. These include the prevailing environmental temperature conditions, how frequently you operate the sensor, and the features of your sensor.

If you come from a cold region with temperatures below 32° Fahrenheit (0° Celsius), your battery may degrade faster unless you take extra measures to protect it from the cold. Also, if you operate the sensor too frequently( e.g for more than 9 cycles per day), again, your battery may not last 3 years.

Similarly, if your sensor came with advanced features that put a lot of strain on the battery, likewise, it may not last that long, if those features are constantly running.

3 Tips For Extending the Battery Life of MyQ Sensor

You can take a few extra steps to preserve your battery. These include;

  • Protecting your sensor battery with a battery heater or warmer if you live in a cold region that mostly experiences temperatures below 32° Fahrenheit (0° Celsius).
  • Avoiding over-operating your sensor.
  • Using battery-draining features of your sensor reasonably if it came with some.

Final Thoughts

As said earlier, the MyQ app is associated with many garage door sensor types from different brands all under one parent company—the Chamberlain Group. Sometimes, people refer to these sensors simply as “MyQ sensors.”

This app comes with a set of convenient features that enable you to perform lots of functions concerning your garage door from anywhere. These include opening and closing it, setting automatic door opening and closing schedules, creating customized real-time alerts, and receiving status notifications.

Though other sensors equally provide these functions, the “MyQ sensors” tend to be more attractive to buyers owing to their extended battery life among other things. The average lifespan of these sensor batteries is 3 years based on 10,000 cycles with one cycle entailing a door opening and closing action.

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About James Beetie

James - a self-confessed nerd - has owned smart home equipment for close to a decade, and he loves communicating the best ways of setting them up... and resolving the various bugs and issues that you'll no doubt come across!