Review: Wyze’s Garage Door Controller is IoT garage simplicity

Some final thoughts

These, though, are minor complaints. I'm impressed at how well the system works and, crucially, how easy it was to install. Wyze has already figured out how to make its cameras a breeze, and the garage portion adds basically zero overhead. I even like the shrill little beeps the Controller makes before opening the door, while the integrated light on there is impressively bright.

Now, whenever I'm out in the yard and need something in the garage, I can quickly open it from my phone. Then, when I realize hours later that I forgot to close it again, I can do so from the couch. I can even open the door remotely to receive a delivery—while watching from afar and even talking through the camera if I want.

The Wyze app also supports configurable rules to, say, automatically close the door at 9 pm, and it's compatible with both Alexa and Google Assistant.

Yes, saying "Okay, Google: Open Pod Bay Door 1" works.

And, if all that's not enough, I feel remarkable peace of mind knowing I can tune in and see the big dumb wing on the back of my Subaru sitting there, unmolested. (If it's not too sunny outside, anyway.)

Given my misgivings about Cam Plus and its ever-encroaching paywall, I'm glad to say that none of the above features require a Cam Plus subscription. The only reason to pay extra is if you want full-motion replays of motion events captured on camera. Without the sub, you just get a still.

Words of caution

Finally, a few notes on IoT devices in general. Allowing something on the Internet to open a physical portal to your home is not something that should be done lightly. Wyze's security record is far from pristine, especially this massive data leak in 2019, but I give the company credit for providing frequent firmware updates and its support for two-factor authentication.

If you use a device like this, I suggest setting up a second wireless network if possible, separate from anything containing sensitive data. Make sure that you take advantage of that two-factor protection, use a unique, secure password, and make sure you're applying those firmware updates frequently.

And remember, your typical garage wireless door opener from the '80s and '90s offered just 4,096 unique codes, meaning anyone with a wireless device could open everyone on the block in seconds. If you still have an opener like that, installing something like this is actually a massive security upgrade.