WHEN THE SOUND of my garage
door opening went from a
GRR-RRRR-wha-wha-ding-pop-
pop-GRRRRRRR that woke not only
my sleeping children but my neigh-
bors, too, to a barely audible and
sorta-comforting whirrrrrrrrrr, I
knew the $198 Genie was a keeper.
Its ¾-horsepower motor and quiet
belt drive are a big improvement over
my creaky, greasy, chain-driven
model. Of course, almost any newer
belt-drive opener would be. But the
SilentMax Connect stands out in
other ways.
Setup is relatively simple for
any DIYer, with clear directions
that require basic tools and fortu-
nately not an advanced engineering
degree. The kit comes with two
remotes, a wired controller, and twowired safety sensors that prevent
the door from closing if anything
gets in their way. The wired devices
take some care to connect, but the
remotes are a snap—they come with
batteries and are pre-programmed.
A remote keypad costs extra, but
installs in less than 10 minutes if
you pick one up.
The opener is juiced with Genie’s
Aladdin smart tech, which allows
you to operate it through an app over
your home’s wireless network. It’s
convenient and a stress reliever, too,
because I can see whether I left the
door open right on my phone, while
lying in bed or working at the office
miles away. That brings me to some-
thing else, just as comforting as the
sound this opener makes: The motor
has a limited lifetime warranty.Genie SilentMax Connect
M Y G A R A G E J U S T G O T S M A R T E R
BY PAUL SCHUMANPOPULAR MECHANICS X GENIE©Woodland Power Products, Inc. • 72 Acton Street • West Haven, CT 06516POWERFUL PROPERTY CLEANUP
Call: 1-800-557-9680
Visit: CycloneRake.com
GET YOUR FREE INFO KIT
TO LEARN MORE!THE TOOLS FOR THE NICEST YARD ON THE BLOCK
Put your trust in a company whose products have proven themselves for
over 20 years. The Cyclone Rake, Nut Rake, and SuperHauler are the last
tools you’ll ever need to make your property clean-up a breeze.
We’ve got you covered!