My smart garage door opener is a godsend. I can open and close my garage door from anywhere at any time using my phone. I might not have been as impressed had my previous garage system not faltered every time I tried to use it over the past two years, but it is still one of the best smart home devices I never knew I needed.

I've introduced a collection of clever smart devices into my DIY smart home, including an Alexa-enabled faucet and a genius home control center, but nothing has upgraded my daily life as obviously as my new garage. What's more, it was not part of my original plan to transform my parents' 1980s apartment into a home the Jetsons would envy.

You see, the condo is maintained by an HOA, or organizer designated to ensure that all homes in the community exhibit aesthetic uniformity. They are free to install smart locks and video doorbells for package detection, but any major street-facing adjustments must be made by all homes at once. My particular HOA usually selects one project a year. Last spring we gave all the condos a fresh coat of paint, and this year we replaced the garage doors.

When I heard we were installing a new garage door system, I finally considered one of the best smart garage door openers. chamberlain's myQ is also one of the best inexpensive smart home devices, good price, compatible with most electric garage systems, promised easy installation. Still, I decided to wait until my HOA set up a new system before purchasing.

Let's just say my HOA proved that they care about the growing popularity of smart home devices. The system they chose, the Genie Integrated Garage Door Opener, has built-in Wi-Fi connectivity. It can be paired with apps, most smart home platforms, and yes, even smart home controllers like my wall-mounted Brilliant Panel.

As a side note, when adding things to your smart home setup, be aware of five common smart home problems.

Using a retrofit smart garage door opener (or one that acts as an add-on to a regular garage door) is more affordable and more "DIY" in its place, but we recommend considering a complete smart garage door system instead. We're not suggesting replacing a perfectly functioning garage door, but there are options: the Chamberlain myQ is $19 on Amazon, and the complete Genie Connect system is $220 on Amazon (but this does not include installation costs)

Add-ons Smart garage door openers and smart garage door systems are two different paths to a connected garage door. The former is an integrated solution that anyone can do themselves (I almost did), whereas the latter only requires downloading a companion app.

From the app, you can see the current open/close status of your garage door. It also sends notifications when it is opened or closed, so you can rest assured that you are not home. It also knows how to use Alexa, so you can pair the voice assistant with your garage and ask Alexa to close the garage when your hands are full of groceries.

When it comes to convenience, security, and connectivity, the smart garage door opener is everything a smart home should be. I just wish it was smart enough to tell me how to get rid of all the junk in my house. Is it time for a garage sale?