Door Industry Journal - Spring 2017

THE door industry journal spring 2017 Also online at: www.dijonline.co.uk 37 garage doors feature What role do consumers play in making sure their home is safe and secure? While LiftMaster applies multiple security layers to its MyQ technology and user accounts to ensure the strongest levels of security, homeowners have an important role to play as well. The home network is the gateway to a wide range of personal information and devices that can be breached if the Wi-Fi network is compromised. As the connected home becomes more prevalent, one of the best things homeowners can do is to keep their home Wi-Fi networks secure by using strong passwords and security settings. What is your main consumer base like? What’s the uptake and usage like among them? “We have found the typical MyQ user has an active lifestyle with or without children. MyQ crosses a broad demographic and provides users of all ages peace of mind that while they’re coming and going from home, they have the ability to know their garage door, the largest entrance point to the house, is closed and their home is secure. “People with garage door openers are using their door to enter and leave the house up to 10 times a day. A majority of our users receive smartphone alerts when their door is activated. Alerts are one of those features you do not realise the value of until you start using it. In addition to notifying users their garage door has opened, it gives them insights that their family left for work on time, that their kids are home from school, or that the door is definitely closed when they went on holiday. These are incredibly valuable peace-of-mind insights that are unique to our products”. How popular do you think the smart garage door will be in the next five or ten years? Do you see smart garage door openers as being the automated garage doors of the future? “This is absolutely the garage door of the future – and the home of the future. Already, there are millions of connected devices in consumer homes today, and analysts expect about 30 billion devices in just the next five years. “Smart companies look at the ways their customers want to use their products, and they develop to those needs. LiftMaster not only does this, but also creates innovations for customers even before they know they need them. This is the impetus for MyQ”. What is next for LiftMaster? “A connected home begins with a connected garage. This is where home activity begins and ends every day. Our goal is to make smart connections with other devices and platforms that will bring more convenience, control, safety, and peace of mind to people’s lives”. Andrew Buckler is the Territory Sales Manager for the UK & RoI at the Chamberlain Group, a global designer and manufacturer of residential garage door openers, commercial door operators and gate entry systems. For further details please contact Andrew at: andrew.buckler@chamberlain.com Tel: 01935 823900, Mobile: +44 ( 0 ) 7796 148 957.