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Along with adding a new VersaTube garage to your property, comes picking out a brand new garage door opener. With so many technological advances since the openers of the 80s and 90s, picking out a new one can be a lot of fun. Not bringing home a new VersaTube garage anytime soon because you already own one? It still might be time for you to upgrade to a new garage door opener!

Old openers aren’t as safe

Your old garage door opener may still be operating okay, but did you know safety features have changed a lot, especially since the mid 1990s? Before the upgrades to openers that happened around 1993, garage door openers really only had one safety feature. They were designed to reverse at the slightest pressure from running into anything or anyone. But, bad maintenance, aging mechanisms, and malfunctions meant that accidents were unfortunately common. Openers now use safety sensors: two small devices placed on either side of your door, close to the ground. One aims a beam at the other and if the beam is broken, the garage door won’t lower, or will reverse mid-cycle if the beam is crossed during the lowering cycle. If your garage door doesn’t have these two units, upgrading your opener is the safest thing you can do.

Old openers aren’t as secure

As technology meant to improve our daily lives advances, so does the technology available to thieves, and if you have a very old opener that is programmed with a DIP switch, a criminal, with the right tool, can intercept your signal and easily enter your garage. Since the mid-90s, most openers use rolling codes, which means that every time you use your opener, a new code is created for the next time you press the button. Protect your vehicles, belongings stored in your garage, and even the access to your home, by switching out an old garage door opener for one that uses rolling codes.

Today’s technology is smarter than ever

You probably have devices that make your home “smart”, and your garage door can get in on the action, too! Today you can upgrade to an opener that can be used remotely from an app on your computer or phone. Some can even be voice-operated. Or, choose a garage door opener with battery backup, so if bad weather knocks out your electricity you can still raise and lower your door with ease.

There are so many options for garage door openers compared to the choices available just a short time ago. Not sure what type of garage door opener you have or if you need an upgrade? Find a local garage door specialist in your area, and you’ll undoubtedly find someone who’d love to show you all of the options on the market today!