If you’re out socializing, and someone starts raving about how cool their garage door opener is, your first instinct is probably to edge away a bit, make an excuse – “Damn, I forgot to change my smoke detector batteries!” and make a speedy exit. Garage door openers aren’t very glamorous, and with the exception of chain drives being replaced by belts, innovations are sparse. Until recently, that is, when the major players came out with openers that could be integrated into a home’s wireless network, and controlled remotely with a smartphone. The new Ultra-Quiet Ryobi Garage Door Opener (Model GD200) starts there – and then piles on more extras than a Hollywood zombie flick. Ryobi sent us an opener and several of the “extra” modules to evaluate – make sure your garage door is secure, and take a look.
Better known for their extensive lineup of power tools and outdoor equipment, the product designers at Ryobi apparently decided to make it easier to access your garage to get at ‘em. Once they got the opener done, they must have had a contest to see who could come up with the most useful accessories for a garage door opening system. So far, the module lineup includes a Bluetooth speaker, a fan, a laser remote parking assist system, and a drop-down power cord reel. A carbon monoxide detector is due out in summer of 2016. Here’s a quick overview video from Ryobi:
https://youtu.be/RMu0Kac79oE
The heart of the system, not surprisingly, is the Ryobi garage door opener itself. Ryobi went beefy here; the majority of garage door openers are ½ – ¾ hp. The motor powering the Ryobi garage door opener has a full 2 HP. More power translates into smoother – and quieter – operation, and enough oomph to open pretty much ANY garage door. An integrated, motion-activated LED light will illuminate that gorgeous garage interior, and a multi-function indoor keypad gives you push-button control over the opener – and all the extra goodies. Here are the rest of the specs from Ryobi:
• 2HP – most powerful motor for faster, smoother openings
• Steel reinforced belt drive for longer life
• Ultra-quiet drive system – 20% quieter than the leading garage door openers
• Includes two remotes, wireless keypad, and multifunctional wall control
• Lithium-Ion battery backup ready, with over 100 openings using a Ryobi One+ P108 4AH battery (sold separately)
• Easy to assemble 3-piece rail – less parts, less hassle
• Intelliport technology charges your Ryobi ONE+ batteries, protects the cells, maintains battery life and conserves energy
• Control your door remotely with the Ryobi garage door opener app; download for free in the iOS app store and Google play
• Lifetime LED light, with adjustable duration, to illuminate the darkest garages
• Wi-Fi and HomeLink compatible
• Ryobi lifetime warranty on the motor and belt
Out With The Old Garage Door Opener
The testing ground for the new Ryobi garage door opener was my daughter’s one-car garage. The existing opener was a functional but tired (and noisy) chain-drive Craftsman ½ HP unit.
My daughter and son-in-law were intrigued by the new quiet opener, and by all the extras, although my son-in-law was disappointed there was no Disco Ball module. We took a commemorative farewell video of the final opening and closing of the old unit, and got ready to yank that sucker out. (A video of the new opener is at the end of the post).
https://youtu.be/Wzy377syPyo
In With The New Ryobi Garage Door Opener
The instruction manual for the new opener has a pretty comprehensive list of the tools needed to install the unit. We gathered them up, and started by removing the old opener, which only took a few minutes. The manual doesn’t give any information on how to do it, but it’s pretty simple, and Ryobi’s comprehensive installation video shows you what to do. Their web site has several other helpful overview and how-to videos available.
https://youtu.be/pekN12dEQkw
We unpacked the opener, and laid out the numerous parts. It seems a little intimidating, but the steps go pretty quickly, and before you know it, most of those parts are up there dangling from the ceiling. If you’re replacing an existing garage door opener, which is likely the case for most buyers, the Ryobi garage door opener kit contains everything you need to complete the installation. Note: If this is a new installation, you’ll need to purchase inexpensive mounting straps, nuts and bolts, so you can hang the opener from the ceiling.
The instructions were pretty good, although the instruction manual is fairly small. Probably not a huge deal for most people, but a larger format, like 8 x 11”, would be easier for us old farts to read. Luckily, my keen-eyed daughter was my assistant, and using a combination of the manual and the instruction video, we had the new Ryobi garage door opener installed in roughly four hours. The folks at Ryobi (or more likely, their attorneys) are super-serious about safety – the instructions included 61 WARNINGS, 8 NOTICES and 2 DANGERS!
The components of the Ryobi garage door opener are very robust, including the opener unit itself, which is enclosed in a sturdy steel housing. For the most part, the installation went smoothly. Once the unit was installed, we paired it with her home’s wireless router (Note: You will need to enter your WiFi password during this process).
Even though the router was at the far side of their house, the opener detected it and paired with no problems. Here are some random notes from the installation process that may make things go more smoothly for you:
The wall where the indoor keypad was to be located is a finished wall. The existing keypad had the wiring running inside the wall, and entering through the center of the rear mounting plate. The indoor Ryobi garage door opener is pre-wired, with the wiring exiting through the top of the unit; not ideal for a concealed installation. After removing the rear mounting plate on the new keypad, the wires can be easily accessed and removed, as they are attached to two screw terminals.
Unfortunately, the rear plate had no hole or knockout to route the wiring through, so we drilled a hole through the center, then mounted the mounting bracket to the wall. This allowed us to use the existing wiring and keep the wires hidden. No big deal, but a knockout would simplify the process for anyone mounting to a finished surface.
When you reach the point of mounting the outdoor control pad, Ryobi recommends programming the remote BEFORE installing it. I heartily concur, after ignoring this advice – save yourself some aggravation and unnecessary use of those special DIY adjectives by programming the outside control BEFORE mounting it outside. Note to the manual writers: It might be helpful to move the “Mounting” step back and include it as one of the “Programming” steps.
If your existing opener has safety sensors, as most do, you can easily re-use the existing wiring. Remove the old sensors, mount the new sensors, and run the attached wiring a few feet up the wall, to a convenient spot. Cut the existing wiring and the new wiring, being sure to leave enough slack to make a splice. Attach the new wiring to the old, being sure to attach the wires to their correct counterparts – grey striped to grey striped, white to white. Tape the splices, and use the included wire staples to secure that area to the wall. All the wiring attaches easily to the Ryobi garage door opener unit via labeled push-in connections.
Phone It In – The Ryobi Garage Door Opener App
Once your opener is installed and functional, the cool part starts. The Ryobi opener has WiFi built into the unit. If your home has a wireless router, you and your smartphone can rule over your Ryobi garage door opener and its modular minions from anywhere on the planet! Well, anywhere with cell service, anyway… To do so, you first need to download the Ryobi GDO app.
The app is available for both Apple (iOS) and Android platforms. Go to either the App Store or GooglePlay and search for “Ryobi GDO System.” The app downloaded and installed quickly on my iPhone, and the setup process was pretty fast and painless. Note: Be sure your Ryobi garage door opener is installed and working before you begin the pairing process with your phone. Once the app is installed, you’ll be able to verify that you closed the door when you stumbled off to work at 5 a.m. And if it turns out you didn’t (again!), push a button and all is secure.
https://youtu.be/gAm-qlK9RX0
But Wait – There’s More!
Giving your door a lift is only the beginning. The Ryobi garage door opener is the base station of a modular system capable of supporting a BUNCH of add-ons. The module attachment points are covered with black plates, which pop right off to expose them. The modules take just a few seconds to snap in, and once they’re in, they’re very securely attached. This is a good thing, because having random pieces falling off your garage ceiling onto your Ferrari, or your head, probably won’t put you in your happy place…
The modules can be controlled either from the indoor keypad or your smart phone. There are seven buttons on the keypad, corresponding to the seven numbered ports on the Ryobi garage door opener. They even provide little picture decals to put on the buttons to keep you from turning off the Bluetooth when you were trying to turn on the fan.
The quality of all the modules seems very good. Each module requires one port, with the exception of the cord reel, which takes two. The modules can be installed in any open port, and can be shifted around if you decide on a mini garage do-over. As I mentioned, a carbon monoxide detector module should be available shortly. Meanwhile, here’s a quick look at the four that are currently available.
Beam Me In, Scotty
Is someone in the family parking-challenged? Plugging in the Park Assist module can help reduce your drywall and fender repair budget. My daughter’s garage is the only place they have to store trash cans, the lawn mower and other yard tools, a gigundo stroller, a car-top carrier, and what appear to be portions of the space shuttle.
Oh, yeah – they have a car to go in there, too. Since the walls are lined with shelving, a tool box, and all the aforementioned stuff, the car has to be in just the right spot to be able to get all the car doors open, and to have enough room to get their two-year-old son into and out of his car seat. The Park Assist module only took a couple of minutes to install and set up. Now she can just pull in and position the car so the red dot hits the hood’s sweet spot, and – assuming no one has rearranged the garage in her absence – getting out of the car will be easy peasy.
https://youtu.be/h6QL5JH1OA4
Rockin’ The Garage
My daughter and her husband are like me, in that they constantly have music playing. They have a Bluetooth-enabled iPod, and they both have smart phones with Bluetooth capability. They occasionally do projects in the garage, and they have gardens along the side of the garage and in front of the house. They were very excited to try out the Bluetooth speaker.
Like the other modules, the Bluetooth speaker came with its own set of instructions. Within a couple of minutes, we had the Bluetooth speaker installed. Using my iPhone (so I could assume control of the musical selections!), I was able to pair it with the speaker quickly and easily.
I was skeptical as to how good the little speaker would sound. It certainly doesn’t have what you’d consider booming bass, but while music snobs may scoff, it actually sounds very good, for a speaker of its size. I was able to crank it up so it was easily audible from outside the garage. There was no discernable distortion, and the speaker was very responsive to commands from the phone.
https://youtu.be/kgGivWdi1t8
Feeling The Breeze
On the weekend we installed the Ryobi garage door opener, the temps were in the upper 80’s. After spending a bit of time in the non-air-conditioned garage, we were VERY interested in getting the fan module hooked up.
Talk about easy – hang the module in a mounting spot, press the corresponding button, and enjoy the breeze! When turned on, the fan starts out on high; press it again for medium, a third time for low, and once more to turn the fan off. The fan can be rotated to various positions, is very quiet, and moves a good bit of air.
https://youtu.be/WXSQLS8amJc
Bring The Power
If you’re a typical Home Fixated reader, your garage is the site of frequent DIY escapades. Many of these projects require power tools, which, as the name implies, require POWER. If your extension cords are stored like my son-in-law’s, you will spend approximately 20 minutes untangling each one before being able to use it. To be fair, he may have learned his cord-storage technique from me…
https://youtu.be/AL7TwyeriTY
Ryobi has a solution for this tangled web we’ve woven, with its Retractable Cord Reel module. The unit features a beefy 16-guage cord, with three outlets at its end. A little light lets you know the power is on, and the cord extends up to 30 feet, so you can use it in the driveway, and which should reach pretty much anywhere in most garages, unless you’re Jay Leno…
And while we’re on the subject of power, another unique feature of the Ryobi garage door opener is that it can be opened during a power outage by any One+ Ryobi battery. Just install it in the covered port on the opener, and the unit will keep the battery charged. If the power goes out, Ryobi says its P108 4AH battery will provide up to 100 closings. (Presumably it will open it as well…). It also means you’ve always got a freshly-juiced Ryobi battery on hand for those garage DIY projects.
Coming Soon – The “Peace Of Mind” Module
Even if you install all four currently available modules, you’ll still have a couple of available slots. Save one for the upcoming Carbon Monoxide module. After installing it, you’ll be able to monitor carbon monoxide, temperature and humidity all from your phone (Phone not required for carbon monoxide detection). The detector has a loud 85 dB alarm, to let you know it’s time to turn on the fan and blow out the bad air.
The module comes with two AA Lithium batteries for backup power, and you can test and silence the unit from your phone or the module itself.
Wait For The Beep
There are just a couple of minor quibbles to mention. In the features list, Ryobi mentions that the powerful motor provides faster operation, but both closing and opening times were pretty much identical to those of the old opener. It’s definitely smoother and quieter, though – with the exception of the beeping the unit makes when it closes. While some people find this annoying, it seems like a prudent safety feature for a door that can be remotely closed at any time.
The beeping isn’t really all that loud, and according to Ryobi, it’s actually a legal requirement. Hearing the beeping and seeing the LED lights flash give the kiddies – or the local punks going through your Ryobi tools – notice that the door is coming down, ready or not. If the setup could be modified to beep only when the unit is controlled from the phone app, that would probably make a LOT of people much happier…
The only operational issue we had was that the exterior pad quit working after two days. I contacted Ryobi customer support, and after pressing 1 to speak to a human, the soothing music came on, and I settled in for the wait. I didn’t get to enjoy the tranquility for long – after 90 seconds, Theresa came on. She was friendly, knowledgeable, and a native English speaker – kudos to Ryobi for that! After explaining the problem and steps I had taken to try and resolve it, she arranged to have a new keypad shipped. It showed up about ten days later, and seems to be working fine.
Other than that, I was very impressed with the Ryobi garage door opener. The quality is good, and it’s a pretty simple intermediate-level DIY project. The GDO app works well, and the optional modules are inexpensive and decent quality. My daughter and her husband are very happy with it, aside from the beeping. They’ve gotten a lot of use out of the modules, especially the speaker and power cord. I think the ability to control and monitor the door from hither and yon is pretty sweet, too. Now if they’d just get working on that Disco Ball module…
And here’s a short video of the new Ryobi Garage Door Opener doing its thing:
https://youtu.be/H3qrSU2VwCU
The Ryobi garage door opener is available exclusively at Home Depot at just under $250
I have two of the Ryobi garage door openers installed and they have been working very well. I have a question. Is there a way to wire a simple indoor, normally open pushbutton to open and close the door?
Be glad you got the wired indoor keypad! They now come with the wireless keypad and it is a piece of junk. Pushing the button pushes the batteries out of their contacts. The wireless receiver has to be opened up and the antenna routed through a hole (only after contacting customer service do they tell you this.) You have to push the button from 5 to 10 times and maybe it will respond.
Gotta love it when they decide to “fix” something that isn’t broken. The wired keypad on the unit I installed has held up great, along with the outdoor keypad. Hopefully if they get enough negative feedback on the wireless units, they’ll “unfix” it and go back to the good, sturdy, reliable wired keypad.
Chris – I have had the same issue. I tried to figure out how to add a backplate to the batteries but rather I purchased a separate AA battery holder and wired the leads from that to the back of the remote. Now the batteries sit outside of the keypad and I haven’t had any issues. I would still rather have a wired keypad but this has solved my issue for the time being.
Would anyone happen to know the pinout for the Ryobi cam that going with the opener. I only have the cam an want to use it without the opener. So if anyone can please help thank you.
Old thread I know, but my opener stopped working 2 days ago, it’s throwing the continuous beeps / 11 “down arrow” flashes, so I re-solder everything and got the same code, I then swapped the sensors to the other sides and then got the continuous beeps / 11 “up flashes” so now I am lost.
Unless another reader with some expertise on these units has a suggestion, I’d give Ryobi’s service techs a call at 877-205-5714. The openers have been around for a couple of years now, and they’re likely to be familiar with some of the issues like this. Good luck, and if you have a moment, let us know what you find out – you might just help the next reader with a similar issue!
After 2 days and several calls to ryobi tech support my unit will come down and go back to home depot for a refund. The phone app never worked for me and ryobi couldn’t figure it out either. Its not that I have old equipment, I have an Ubiquity AmpliFi mesh router and it runs WPA2 as required. There is plenty of signal at the GDO. I thought that this was a really good idea, but I am going to get a liftmaster instead. I hope ryobi can solve the engineering problems and update this. Good idea, poor execution. BTW the beeping IS annoying. Mine beeps both up & down. The liftmaster only beeps going down and only when commanded down by the phone app.
Both my sensor lights are on with no interruptions but the opener will not move down
Not quite sure what the problem might be, William, Again, we don’t have any expertise on the inner workings of this system; your best bet is to contact Ryobi’s service techs at 877-205-5714. They deal with these issues all the time, and hopefully can get you back up (or down) and running quickly.
after a year of using 2 of the units will say they have been a good purchase–along with a couple of new doors too! Only problem is trying to re-install the app after changing routers—-bought most of the add-ons too
My daughter and her husband have been very happy with theirs, too. They also like the add-ons; the Bluetooth speaker gets a regular workout when they’re working in or near the garage, and the drop-down extension cord has come in handy several times.
Oh no! Having a challenge with the opener.. Sometimes it will just not open or close. If I wait about 30 minutes it seems to engage and we are set. I had this problem yesterday and had to close it manually. I then re engaged it and it would not work. Took out the trusty manual and tried all the trouble shooting. I had connection but no action for the first couple of tries on the indoor keypad and now I have nothing..no noise. The keyboard lighting is still on but I get no sound when I press the pad. I have pulled the rope and opened and closed the door manually several times. Help!
Yikes – having to wait 30 minutes for the system to re-engage isn’t very convenient! Is the problem just with the indoor keypad? Can the door be operated with the car remotes? We don’t have any expertise on the inner workings of this system; your best bet is to contact Ryobi’s service techs at 877-205-5714, and see what they suggest. They were fast, friendly and helpful when we had an issue, and got new parts out to us quickly. Let us know when you get the issue resolved, and good luck!
Has to be the quitest garage door opener I have ever used. it is a bit twerky with open and close. If you touch the button and don’t hold long enough or touch it twice to quickly it really acts weird. Realized that you have to press the keypad hold for 1.5 to 2 seconds and release and always works. Also, the GDO app is not ready for primetime. Mine keeps locking up. It still opens but, since the app status always says Closed when I open with the app and try to close the CLOSE button is disabled because the app status is locked on close. A few glitches I am sure they will work out but, have had for about 3-4 weeks now and still one of the best garage door openers I have owned.
I am going to start trying the accessories now and see how they work. I hope they find a fix for the app soon.
I agree, Tony, the door opener unit itself is a good, beefy unit. My suggestion for your issues with the app would be to go to the app store, rate the app, and leave comments documenting the specific problems you are having with the app. Hopefully the app developers are working to resolve the issues you and others are having; I’m sure Ryobi is putting some pressure on them to do so.
I installed 2 Ryobi GDOs in my garage in May 2016. Now the Wi-Fi and Indoor (wired !) keypad have stopped working on the same unit. The other unit works fine.The remotes work fine. Any ideas? Have there been any reliability issues with these components? Thanks in advance.
Hmmmm…that’s kind of a bizarre combination of things to stop working. I checked online, and couldn’t find any other references to a similar problem. My suggestion would be to contact Ryobi support at 877-205-5714. They were very knowledgeable and responsive when we had the issue with the outside keypad, and may have a suggestion to fix your issues. If they determine parts are needed, they’ll get them on the way. Please let us know how you make out – maybe you can be the problem solver for the NEXT person with this issue!
Love my new Ryobi garage door opener. I have a home warrant but they wouldn’t work with me on this unit. It had to be one of theirs. I checked out the Ryobi at Home Depot and had to have it and got the fan for free and purchased the pulldown unit. I have the fan and the pu;; down unit. I love them both. I vac my car often and this is so handy.
I have had a problem with the outdoor remote functioning when I program the car remotes though. I think I have the answer from another happy customer so I will call Ryobi and see if a replacement is all I need. This is a fun item and both the installer from Home Depot and the people on the phone at Ryobi were awesome. Boys have their toys, but I am in charge at our house since my husband’s stroke last year and this is MY toy! I love it! the colors are great too! Geri 76 year old “do it yourselfer”.
Everybody needs toys! Glad you found one that you love, and that (mostly) works well. Hopefully Ryobi will get your issue with the remotes resolved; I’ve always had good experience with their customer service reps. Sorry to hear about your husband, but luckily it sounds like there’s still a very competent DIYer in the house!
Really like the garage door opener. I don’t mind the beeping and flashing light, it gives the kids a good warning that the door is coming down. Biggest problem is it won’t pair with my Silverado with Car2U system (2012). Also remotes don’t like to work if left in a hot car in summer.
I agree, the beeping isn’t that bad…As to the fact that it won’t pair with the Car2U, unfortunately the Ryobi GDO, like many others, is only compatible with the HomeLink system. It won’t work with my F150 for the same reason. Be nice if they’d come up with one standard…grrrr.
I recently purchased and installed one of these, and it works great! A couple of things, though–the instructions are generally very good, but some operations are kind of complicated and time sensitive, so things like the programming bits may require more than one try. Second, the parking assist module didn’t work in my unusually short garage (it was impossible to aim at a good stop spot on both cars). But I resolved that by attaching chopped-off dental mirrors to each head to direct the laser lights more straight down. And then, there’s the annoying tweeting, which I’ve learned to live with. But it surprised me how noisy the door (not the opener) is in your “finished” video. With a little lubricant in all the right spots, mine is so quiet, I understand the tweeting requirement.
You’re right, Schuyler – some lubrication is definitely called for. That’s on my hit list for the next visit. It’s not a very high-end door to begin with, which doesn’t help…
Been mulling on picking one up before the intro offer expires. I will finally be able to secure my old garage door with more than a pair of vise grips blocking the wheels on the track.
The free module makes this an attractive unit. While I own no 18V Ryobi tools some 40V, but a few of the 18v tools are unique offerings. This will be a good intro.
I read the reviews and the disco atmosphere when you open and close the garage almost kept me from buying.
I also don’t understand why they don’t include wireless keypads inside/outside considering how cheap wifi modules are an how much simpler to install, i.e. not having to fish wires to install the hard wired pads. Esp since this unit is tied into a Wi-Fi oriented GDO.
Overall it is a most innovative setup. I would say If only DeWalt offered a 20V or flex-volt GDO. Only downside is that it would come with a Black and Yellow price tag.
So this will be my first 18V Ryobi tool, lol.
Vise Grips to the rescue again! I have a pair in pretty much every toolbox I own, always coming up with new uses. I’ll add garage door security to the list.
If you do decide to make the Ryobi GDO your first 18V purchase, and you decide to get a backup battery, I would suggest checking into purchasing a tool, or even a combo kit, that comes with a charger and a battery or two. The batteries can be expensive, and often there are great deals, where for not much more than the cost of the battery, you can pick up a tool or two. Look for one that comes with a 3.0 or 4.0 Ah battery.
The outdoor control panel is wireless. As to why they don’t use a wireless control panel for the inside unit, I’m not sure. I would guess it would be for safety purposes, as well as convenience, so a dead battery in the control panel doesn’t stop you from opening the door. In an emergency that could be bad news.
i like it its under 250 a great price for this
Lots of bells and whistles but the door opens the same way with a 1/2 hp motor.
More or less; it all depends on what you’re after. You can get a basic chain-drive opener for about $120. Spending a bit more gets you a belt drive instead of the chain, which is definitely quieter. Spend still more, and you can get connectivity, and in the case of the Ryobi, “bells and whistles.” And all the options are available separately, so you can buy only those you think will be useful. Choice is always good!