There was a time that all I expected from my garage door opener (GDO) was to raise and lower my garage door. That time is gone. Ryboi has made the garage door opener so much more with innovative features and mix-and-match accessories. If you’re in the market for a new GDO, consider the Ryobi 2 HP Belt Drive Garage Door Opener. It has the features you’d expect – LED light, wireless keypads, safety sensors, and car remotes. But wait there’s more! This GDO also includes wifi capabilities and corresponding app, battery backup and up to seven accessories. The accessories are what really sets the Ryobi GDO apart. You can choose from a retractable power cord, shop fan, air inflator, bluetooth speaker, and more. Ryobi sent us a test unit to try out. Keep reading for the full review.
Installation
The Ryobi garage door opener installs much like any other GDO, and I highly recommend checking out Ryobi’s installation video. It walks you through the process, and it’s easier to see someone installing the unit rather than reading about it (at least for me). After you remove the old GDO, you assemble the rail and attach to the power head. Next, you secure the rail to the wall above your garage door and the power head to the mounting straps. The safety sensors are hardwired as usual. The indoor keypad uses an IR receiver which requires a line of sight. The outdoor keypad uses RF so just test it out before installing. Programming the travel limits and connecting car remotes was easy. All the accessories are plug-n-play which means you install them and they are ready to go. I had no issues getting the Ryobi GDO connected to wifi. The app takes you through each step. Altogether it took me most of a day to install. I took my time, ensuring everything was dialed-in before continuing to the next step.
Quality
I mentioned earlier that this GDO features a 2 HP motor which is actually quite good. The idea is that a more powerful motor doesn’t have to work as hard and will last longer. If you check out the competition, you’ll often see motors with 1-1/4 HP or less. I can’t speak to the longevity as I’ve only just installed the opener. All the parts and materials seemed good quality. The Ryobi GDO also includes a steel-reinforced belt instead of a direct drive or screw drive. On top of it all, the warranty is very good. Ryobi covers the power head, gearbox, rails, door arms, sensors, remotes, and keypads for three years. The belt and motor have a lifetime warranty.
Operating
This GDO works much as you’d expect with a few additional bells and whistles. The outdoor keypad is wireless and will open or close the door after you punch in a four-digit keycode. You can also set a temporary pin that will remain in effect until the next time you use your regular code. This is nice to give someone access while you’re away. The indoor keypad has a button to raise or lower the door, and it has numbers for operating accessories.
This GDO is HomeLink compatible. For us, that means we can use the built-in remote in our Ford (unlike our last opener).
Ryobi opted for a belt-drive instead of a direct-drive or screw-drive, and the belt drive is much quieter.
Even if the power is out, the Ryobi opener can operate off 18-volt battery backup for about 100 openings!
The one and only thing I would have Ryobi change is that when the door is closing, the unit beeps and the light flashes a few times. This is probably some arcane legal requirement. However, it’s just annoying for the end user.
Built-In Features
You already know about the 2HP motor. I also wanted to point out the LED light. This is a nice bright light, and no more replacing light bulbs. There’s even a motion sensor to automatically turn it on. No more fumbling around for the recycling can in the dark! The duration can be adjusted anywhere between 3 and 10 minutes (in 1 minute increments).
The battery backup also acts as a charger to keep the battery ready in case you lose power.
Accessories
OK. This is the really exciting part of the Ryobi GDO. You can use the 7 accessory ports for specialized, plug-n-play modules like a shop fan, bluetooth speaker, retractable power cord, inflator, laser parking assist, security camera, and CO detector (coming soon). How cool is that?! Just note that some accessories require two ports.
I opted for the speaker, power cord, fan and inflator, and so far I’m very pleased with each. The accessories can be controlled from the indoor keypad or from the Ryobi GDO app (App Store, Google Play).
The speaker is great for listening to music while I work, and it includes a microphone for hands-free calling. The 30′, retractable power cord may sound basic, but I love it. It gives me three power connections in the middle of the garage and keeps cords off the ground. Ryobi claims the high-power inflator can handle car tires. I haven’t tested that yet. However, I like it for bike tires, balls, and other toys. This accessory saves me the trouble of setting up my compressor when the kids tires get low. Lastly, I have the shop fan. You can pivot the head in any direction and control the speed with the app or indoor keypad.
Where to Buy
The Ryobi garage door opener and all the Ryobi GDO accessories are available at the Home Depot. The opener will set you back $250 and each accessory ranges from $44 to $100. However, there are some sweet bundles available. For example, you can get the cord reel, speaker, fan and laser parking assist bundle for $175 or the GDO and the speaker for $292. Here are a few links. Be sure to check out all the options!
- Ryobi 2HP Garage Door Opener – $248
- Ryobi Shop Fan – $44
- Ryobi Retractable Cord Reel – $44
- Ryobi Bluetooth Speaker – $44
- Ryobi High Pressure Inflator – $89
