We've researched the latest garage door openers, asked the experts, and sifted through thousands of specs, features and user reviews to find the best garage door openers around. Here's everything you need to know about the RYOBI GD201 ultra-quiet garage door opener.
RYOBI GD201 ultra-quiet garage door opener: What you need to know
The RYOBI GD201 is a smart, modern-looking garage door opener that's brimming with features and expansion possibilities. All the basic things you'll need are here, including lights, sensors and remotes, and you can buy an additional accessory kit for the RYOBI GD201 that enables you to play tunes and park your car using lasers, if you really want to go that extra mile in terms of customizing your unit.
The mechanism the GD201 uses is a modern belt drive, which means it's quieter in operation than older chain drives. It's got a 2 horsepower motor as well, which is the most powerful in our group test by a long way and ensures smooth operation.
RYOBI GD201 ultra-quiet garage door opener: Price
Home Depot are currently listing the RYOBI GB201 at $248, which is the same price as the Chamberlain B970, also reviewed in our buying guide, which includes a backup battery. This puts the RYOBI at the higher end of the market, and once you factor in the cost of a battery, it's clear that this is not a budget model.
RYOBI GD201 ultra-quiet garage door opener: Features
We're quite impressed with what the RYOBI GD201 offers. It's got all the basics, plus an LED light is included, which is superior to the bulb alternatives found in other models. In the box you get all the accessories you need, with the exception of a backup battery, which is a bit disappointing for the price. But what you do get covers all the bases. There are two remotes for your cars, a wireless keypad and an outdoor keypad and safety sensors. You also get a rail assembly kit, integrated LED light and a manual.
Dimensions: 42 x 12.6 x 15.5-inches, rail length 10ft
Weight: 45 lb
Type: Belt drive
Motor horsepower: 2 hp
Battery backup: Yes, but not included
Remote controls: 2 included
Warranty: 3 years
As we mentioned, you'll need to purchase a RYOBI ONE+ backup battery separately, but because the RYOBI GD201 garage door opener is part of the RYOBI ONE+ 18-Volt Tool System you might already own one that you use with another RYOBI device.
The RYOBI has also got Wi-Fi built in so it can connect to a RYOBI GDO app for opening and closing the door on your smartphone.
When it comes to customization options, RYOBI offers the most accessories of all the models we test, but they're all additional puchases. You can buy a camera, bluetooth speaker and parking lasers, for example. Unfortunately, the backup battery is also one of the extras you need to purchase, while a lot of the other models we tested include it as part of the unit.
RYOBI GD201 ultra-quiet garage door opener: Performance
With 2 horsepower, the motor on the RYOBO GD201is the most powerful in our buying guide. A more powerful motor means smoother operation. It's also a belt drive model, which means it's quieter than the chain drive solutions.
One point that consistently occurs in the user reviews is that the is a beeping noise when the garage door is lowering that you can't seem to turn off. While some might see this as a good safety feature, it can be annoying for people who want silent operation.
RYOBI GD201 ultra-quiet garage door opener: User reviews
Looking at the Home Depot user reviews for the RYOBI GD201, the results are a bit of a mixed bag. There are plenty of recent 5-star reviews from people who love the product and have had no issues with either installation or operation, but also a swathe of people who seem to have had terrible problems.
On the negative side, people have reported problems mainly with operating the unit. There are reported issues with connecting to the app, beeping noises, the unit losing connection to the Wi-Fi network and the sensors failing in strong sunlight. But in contrast, the positive reviews all report flawless operation, easy installation and no problems.
It's unusual to have such an equal split of very positive and very negative reviews for a product, and this is reflected in a recommendation rating of only 65% on the Home Depot website. Overall it scores 3.7 out of 5 stars as a customer rating.
Should you buy the RYOBI GD201 ultra-quiet garage door opener?
The RYOBI GD201 is absolutely packed with features and upgrade possibilities, and it's got everything you need from a garage door opener. We admit to being a little thrown by how polar opposite the user reviews are for this model though, and that does give us some pause. If you're familiar with RYOBI products then we would suggest a tentative recommendation.
Alternatives to the RYOBI GD201 ultra-quiet garage door opener
There are many things to like about the Chamberlain B970, but we can sum it up like this: It’s one of the most full-featured models in our comparison and it has a great warranty.
The Genie 1035-V is a budget garage door opener that gets the job done without breaking the bank. There's no backup battery or Wi-Fi built-in but you can't argue with the price.
If you're looking for a budget garage door opener and can live without battery backup, then consider the Chamberlain B510. It's chamberlain quality at a more reasonable price.
