If you have been keeping up, then you may be aware that Genie and Chamberlain have taken some serious steps in the smart garage door opener industry. This is because of the latest consumer friendly technology present in the devices which makes them easy to install and operate. They both have competitive products, with Genie having a garage door door opener that is Alexa compatible, has a wireless keypad and has an easy to use wireless keypad while the Chamberlain has a product that has an easy to use mobile app, comes with a motion sensor/panel and allows for battery backup. Which one is better than the other? We will compare the two smart garage door openers head to head and help you make a judgment as to which smart garage door opener is best for your garage.
Alternatively, just skip to either the Genie Garage Door Opener or the Chamberlain Garage Door Opener on Amazon
Table of Contents
Quick Comparison Table Genie Garage Door Opener vs. Chamberlain Garage Door Opener
| Genie Garage Door Opener | Chamberlain Garage Door Opener | |
|---|---|---|
| Image |  |  |
| Quiet Operation | Yes | Yes |
| Easy to Install | Yes | Yes |
| Alexa Compatible | Yes | Yes |
| Google Assistant Compatible | Yes | Yes (but on a paid subscription) |
| Battery Back-up | Yes | Yes |
| Remote Included? | Yes | Yes |
| Wireless Keypad | Yes | Yes |
| Smartphone app | Yes | Yes |
| Amazon Keys compatible | No | Yes |
| Motion Sensor/Panel | No | Yes |
| Wink Compatible | No | Yes |
| IFTTT Compatible | No | Yes (but on a paid subscription) |
| Price | Check Price | Check Price |
Key Similarities between the Genie Garage Door Opener and the Chamberlain Garage Door Opener:
- Quiet Operation
- Easy to install
- Alexa compatible
- Battery backup
- Smartphone app
Key Differences between the Genie Garage Door Opener and the Chamberlain Garage Door Opener:
- Google assistant compatibility
- IFTTT compatibility
- Amazon key compatibility
- Motion sensor/panel
- Wink compatible
A Comprehensive Comparison between the Genie Garage Door Opener and the Chamberlain Garage Door Opener
1. Quiet Operation
The old garage openers were known to be very noisy. The old manual garage openers were so noisy that even your neighbor in his bedroom would be able to hear you each time you would open and close your garage. This feature was not only annoying but it presented a security risk. A neighbor, or someone nearby could track your movement by simply listening for the sounds made by your garage opener. He or she would then be able to know when you come back home by car, as well as when you come back home after going for a bike ride. He or she would then be able to sneak into your yard and do mischief whilst you are away. The Genie Stealth Drive Connect and the Chamberlain B970 come with ultra-quiet belt drives. These are steel reinforced to allow for years of reliability and quiet, smooth performance.
2. Ease of Installation
In the olden days, you needed to be a professional in order for you to do any installation of any electrical or mechanical systems in and around your home. Nowadays, that is different. Technology has made it quite easy for you to install and setup your home devices with great ease. The installation instructions are quite easy to get as they are available on the manufacturer’s website and they often come in the form of wizards found in mobile applications that are available for download. Both the Genie Stealth Drive Connect and the Chamberlain B970 come with comprehensive installation instructions and you can get in touch with the friendly tech support for further assistance.
3. Alexa Compatibility
Back in the days, it was man’s greatest dream to be able to talk to a computer and have it carry out instructions based on the instructions given to it. Various films such as Robocop and dramas such as Knight Rider were based around this topic. The Genie garage door opener and the Chamberlain garage door opener are both compatible with Alexa. This means that you can quickly and easily connect an Alexa device such as the Echo dot to use voice control features.
4. Battery Backup
Faults occur. These range from tiny houses faults that cause a circuit breaker to trip to big faults that can cause the whole electrical grid to go dark for a few hours. The garage door opener systems that we are currently reviewing use electricity. This means that they need to have an alternative electricity supply for them to operate when such faults occur. Both the Genie garage door opener and the Chamberlain garage door opener come with a battery backup.
5. Smartphone Application Support
The introduction of smart phones has allowed for you, the user to gain more control over your devices than you would have been able to do in the past. Most device manufacturers ship their devices with smartphone applications and the Genie garage door opener and the Chamberlain garage door opener are no exception. Both these garage door openers come with smartphone application support.
6. Google Assistant Compatibility
The Genie Stealth Drive Connect is able to offer more value than the Chamberlain B970. This is because it allows for you to use the Google Assistant for free. The Chamberlain B970 expects you to pay for the use of this service.
7. IFTTT Compatibility
The Chamberlain B970 is able to offer more compatibility than the Genie Stealth Drive Connect. This is because it can be used with IFTTT. This feature allows you to enter custom commands as well as the actions to be triggered when the relevant commands are achieved. For example, you can set the device to automatically switch on the garage light bulb when it detects that the door is being opened. You will need to pay for this service though as it does not come for free.
8. Bulbs
The Genie Stealth Drive Connect and the Chamberlain B970 use different bulbs. The Genie Stealth Drive Connect requires you to use Genie LED garage door opener bulbs. Use of other types of bulbs is not recommended, although you may be able to get away with installing incandescent bulbs that are up to 60W. The Chamberlain requires you to use either non-halogen bulbs (100W max) or Compact Fluorescent Light (CFL) (26W max) light bulbs.
9. Amazon Key Compatibility
The introduction of home delivery services has greatly changed how we purchase products. We can now order a wide variety of products from the comfort of our living rooms. There are situations where we want something delivered home, and would love to have it put indoors e.g. delivered directly into the garage. This could be because of the weather or to prevent thieves from stealing the package. Key by amazon enables keyless entry, guest access and in-home delivery. This allows for your packages to be delivered securely without having to give up your password. The Chamberlain garage door opener is more secure than the Genie garage door opener in this regard as it offers the Amazon key feature whilst the Genie garage door opener does not.
10. Motion Sensor/Panel
The Chamberlain garage door opener is able to offer more customization than the Genie garage door opener. It comes with more sensors than those present in the Genie garage door opener. It comes with motion sensors which are absent in the Genie garage door opener. These sensors detect motion and through the motion detecting control panel, you can program the system to perform actions that suit your needs. For example you can program the system to automatically turn lights on when motion is detected.
11. Wink Compatibility
The Chamberlain garage door opener is able to offer more home automation device support than the Genie garage door opener. This is because it is able to be used with the Wink smart home automation hub. It allows for you to gain even more home automation. For example, you can set the Wink hub to automatically turn on all the lights in the home once you open the garage.
Our Pick
We fell in love with the Chamberlain garage door opener. This is because the Chamberlain comes with a lot more features than the Genie garage door opener. It comes with a motion sensor together with the motion detecting control panel, it supports IFTTT, Wink and the Google Assistant and it supports the Key by Amazon feature.
Why You Need a Smart Garage Door Opener
Smartphone Application Support
Smartphones have definitely changed the world. They allow you to get access to a host of features and services quickly and easily. The Smart Garage Door Openers allow you to gain access to your smart garage and view notifications straight from your mobile phone.
Alexa Compatibility
The introduction of voice assistants has resulted in the development of devices that allow you to control them using your own voice. This is a lot more convenient than having to stand up and walk to the display panel and punch in your commands using the physical buttons or touchscreen.
Battery Backup
Electrical faults happen. These are caused by a wide host of reasons. When they do occur you need to gain access to your garage. The smart garage opener systems usually come with backup battery features to allow you to get access to your garage whether or not there is electricity.
Factors to Consider When Choosing between the Genie Garage Door Opener and the Chamberlain Garage Door Opener
1. Home Automation Device Support
You need to ask yourself if you intend to purchase any home automation devices. If you already have home automation devices or if you want to purchase home automation devices such as a smart hub, then it may be a good idea to go for the Chamberlain garage door opener. This is because it supports the Wink Hub, and if you purchase this hub in the future, you will be able to carry out a great deal of home automation.
2. Motion Sensor/Panel
The Chamberlain garage door opener is able to offer more customization than the Genie garage door opener. If you are interested in being able to customize your home devices, then the Chamberlain may be a great option for you. It comes with a motion panel which is used to program the system to perform certain actions based upon the data that is provided by the motion sensors.
3. Ease of Installation
When purchasing any equipment, whether electrical, electronic or mechanical, it is important to ensure that it is easy to install and setup. This will save you hundreds of dollars that you will need to get a professional to install and setup the system, and it can save you from headaches that you may encounter if one of the professionals does a poor job that needs to be redone. Both the Chamberlain garage door opener and the Genie garage door opener are easy to install, but you may have a preference towards one of them. Choose the one that you are more comfortable with.
4. Amazon Key Compatibility
The introduction of home delivery services has brought forth great convenience as you do not have to leave your house to purchase any products. The Amazon Key service allows for you to have delivery men who come to your house and deliver your products in such a manner that they do not get stolen or affected by the weather conditions. If you are interested in such features, then the Chamberlain must be a very attractive option to you. If you are not interested and prefer using the good old method of driving yourself to a traditional brick and mortar store then the Genie may be a good option.
5. Voice Assistant Compatibility
Both the Chamberlain and the Genie can be used with voice assistants. These voice assistants include Alexa and the Google Voice Assistant. This means that you can control these garage door openers by just using your voice. This brings a host of benefits such as convenience, speed as well as great customization. The two products do differ when it comes to the Google Voice Assistant. Google Home is a free service and most products under this category come for free. The Google Voice Assistant comes for free. Chamberlain, however, decided to make its users pay a fee for this service. If you do not mind paying a subscription fee then the Chamberlain will be a good option for you to use. If you do mind paying a subscription fee then try going for the Genie Stealth Drive Connect garage door opener.
6. Design
The Chamberlain and the Genie are designed differently. The Chamberlain comes in a more aesthetically pleasing design than the Genie. If you are someone who is concerned about the beauty of your devices then the Chamberlain could be a very attractive option to you. In addition, it comes with a very good looking motion detector control panel. This panel comes with a modern design and will definitely be a stylish accessory to your house. The Genie does not look to bad either, but we found the Chamberlain to be better looking.
Genie Garage Door Opener vs. Chamberlain Garage Door Opener FAQs
Do I Need to Pay a Subscription Fee?
If you are using the Chamberlain then yes you do. It requires a fee for you to use features such as the Google Voice Assistant as well as IFTTT.
Do They Support Home Automation Devices?
The Chamberlain supports the use of smart home automation devices such as the Wink hub
Do They Come With Wireless Keypads?
Yes. Both the Genie and the Chamberlain come with wireless keypads. You do not need to worry about having any wires. You will need to buy batteries though.
Do They Have Battery Backup?
Yes. This allows for you to gain access to your garage in the event of a power outage.
Do They Have Smartphone Apps?
Yes they do. These make it easy to view notifications of the activity of your garage.
Conclusion
In this article, we explored the differences between the Chamberlain B970 and the Genie Stealth Drive garage door opener systems. We declared the winner to be the Chamberlain B970 due to its host of features. It supports Amazon keys, it comes with motion sensors together with a motion sensor control panel and in addition, it allows for you to connect the garage door opener system to your Wink hub.
We included a comprehensive list of features that you will need to consider when choosing between the two smart garage opener systems. This will help you to choose which smart door garage opener system best suits your unique needs for your particular application.
Check out the best smart garage door opener system, the Chamberlain B970 on Amazon.
