Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

My home was constructed in 1992 and was equipped with a pair of LiftMaster 1/3HP openers (single door, double door). Although the LIftMasters were still chugging along 26 years later, they were undeniably noisy and were unlikely to make it another 26 years (ditto for me). Time for an upgrade (for the openers, at least!). I contacted a nationally known firm specializing in garage door openers and installation services. It took some determined prying to obtain a preliminary estimate from a representative over the phone --- $700 (and up) for installing a single WiFi opener. Time to check out Amazon! I purchased a Chamberlain B503 opener. My plan was to install this on the single door. If that effort was successful, purchase a B550 with MyQ and let the B550 be the hub for the B503. I had never replaced an opener before, so I approached this project with a certain amount of apprehension. Being 79 years old didn't help, either! Since this was a replacement, rather than a new installation, I was able to use existing ceiling supports and door fittings. NET: Installed w/o problems, w/o reference to videos, w/o assistance from anyone else. Product manual was comprehensive and comprehensible. All parts were supplied, enough to cover a variety of installations. Final adjustments of the door travel were simple. Next step! Back to Amazon for a B550. I was unconvinced of the practical value of MyQ, but I love to tinker with technology, and the B550 included a wireless keypad for installation outside. The B550 installation was even simpler than the B503, since I was not proceeding from a base of pristine ignorance. I was very pleased at the simplicity of the MyQ setup. The B550 and the B503 played very well together, and the MyQ app on my El Cheapo Tracfone will allow me to open and close my garage doors from anywhere on the planet (why would I want to do that???). NET: Even easier than the B503 installation. Possible negative for some people: As I understand it, Chamberlain provides Alexa support through IFTTT. This is a subscription-based service reportedly costing $1/month. Alexa lives in every room of my house (OK, not the bathrooms --- my wife is picky about some things), in my garage, and in my car. But I am not sure why I need Alexa to fiddle with my garage doors. She has enough to do, managing my home lighting and responding to my frivolous inquiries. Also, I would advise Chamberlain that I will NEVER pay for a subscription-based service, on general principles. Just imagine if Jeff wanted 10 cents every time I asked Alexa to marry me! Bummer. Amazon rules because it values the customer experience above all else. Chamberlain's subscription-based support for Alexa is rightly a pathetic object of ridicule. If smart products cannot interface with Alexa MOL directly (w/o IFTTT), I will give them a pass. My home is nicely automated through the efforts of LIFX, TP-Link, and Philips Hue --- they all have a comfortable and productive relationship w/Alexa. FINAL NET: Chamberlain openers are a great choice! (But maybe not if you really need them to interface with Alexa --- I don't.) Note: This review appears under both the B503 and B550, since both products were involved in the installation.