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Home improvement retailers like Home Depot sell a long list of gadgets that will help you in the garage, whether that’s working on a project, maintaining a car, or simply cleaning the space. Of course, a gadget that makes plenty of promises doesn’t always turn out to be as useful or capable as it claims. That’s where user reviews come in handy — they can help verify that the product in question is actually worth your hard-earned money.

These 12 garage-ready gadgets all get consistently good reviews from Home Depot customers. Many can also be found for under $100, and some cost less than $50. Each pick here is available through Home Depot’s website at the time of writing, but stock levels in stores might vary, so it’s worth checking before you head down to your nearest branch.

If you want to make your garage door opener smarter, there’s no need to buy an entirely new system. The Chamberlain myQ smart garage control is designed to work with most existing opener systems that were manufactured after 1993, yet it offers several advantages compared to a non-smart system. One of those advantages is its Amazon Key compatibility, which allows delivery drivers temporary access to your garage to drop parcels away from porch pirates. 

If you’d like to keep a closer eye on who’s using your garage and when they’re using it, you can also enable real-time notifications on the smartphone app to let you know when the door is opened. That’s a lot of additional functionality, particularly since the smart garage control retails for only $29.98. 

It’s a popular choice among Home Depot buyers, who have given it an average rating of 4.2 out of five stars from around 1,400 reviews at the time of writing. One reviewer calls it an “amazing upgrade for [an] old garage opener,” while another says they “would recommend it to anyone who needs to control their garage away from home.”

Retailing for $9.98, the Sensor Brite motion-activated step lights are a cheap way to ensure you can always see clearly in your garage during the darker hours. They use motion sensors to automatically activate when you walk within ten feet of them, and they run on battery power, so there’s no need to worry about wiring them in. Screwing them into walls or stairways isn’t necessary either, since they come with adhesive backing.

Each pack contains two lights, but they’re cheap enough that you could buy enough packs to completely illuminate even the largest of garages without breaking the bank. The lights are well-liked by reviewers, and they’ve accrued more than 500 reviews on Home Depot’s website to date. Overall, the lights achieve an average score of 4.3 out of five stars, with reviewers saying they make “great lighting for garage steps” and are “an added benefit to the home.”

Alongside its core range of power tools, DeWalt also makes a range of useful gadgets including the 20V Max portable inflator kit. It’s a good entry point into the brand’s cordless 20V Max line for anyone who’s new to the DeWalt brand, since it includes everything you’ll need to get started. Alongside the inflator itself, the kit includes a 3Ah battery and a charger that’s compatible with both 12V and 20V DeWalt batteries.

DeWalt is far from the only tool brand that makes a portable inflator. Its arch-rival Milwaukee also sells a similarly priced tire inflator kit, and which one is better comes down to personal preference as much as performance. Still, anyone who buys the DeWalt inflator kit shouldn’t be disappointed. It’s a versatile offering, since it can run off battery power but can also be plugged into an outlet if you don’t have any battery charge remaining. It comes with all the usual features you’d expect to see at this price point — think auto-shut off, a high-volume inflation mode, and a choice of nozzles to fit everything from tires to sports balls.

Buyers are very positive about the inflator’s capabilities and versatility, awarding it an average score of 4.7 out of five stars from more than 2,700 reviews. 

Spotty wi-fi in the garage can be a pain, but it doesn’t have to be. The TP-Link Wi-Fi 6 range extender adapter promises to increase your coverage area within your home, garage, or workshop, and it can connect to all TP-Link OneMesh compatible routers. The setup process is straightforward, with one reviewer saying they “set the relay up in our garage and everything from start to finish took no more than 15 minutes.”

Another reviewer explains that they “installed a couple of wi-fi cameras at the far corner of our garage that couldn’t connect with the router in the other end of [the] house.” They added that “while I was wondering what I’d have to configure to get it to work everything just started working.” Other reviewers are similarly positive, giving the device an average rating of 4.3 out of five stars from more than 100 reviews. While it might be a useful solution, wi-fi extenders do come with some drawbacks, so it’s worth considering whether a wi-fi booster or an extender is best for your network before you add the $84.99 TP-Link extender to your basket.

A good soundtrack can make even the most tiring jobs more bearable, and if your garage needs a speaker to provide that soundtrack, it’s worth checking out the Klein Tools jobsite speaker. It’s available from Home Depot for $38.76 and it has accrued an average score of 4.4 out of five stars from around 200 reviews at the time of writing. The speaker features a magnetic mount and so it can be securely attached to tool chests or metal shelving, but it’s also compatible with tripods and even lanyards too.

Since it’s designed for the jobsite, it’s tough enough to withstand all of the common hazards that garage use presents. It’ll survive getting dusty or getting showered with debris, and it’s also resistant to water splashes thanks to its IP45 rating. When the speaker is connected to your smartphone, it can also be used to answer calls using the built-in microphone.

Klein Tools says it has a 10-hour battery life, and it can be recharged using the included USB charging cable. The brand’s reputation for durability seems to have carried over to the speaker, too, with one reviewer saying, “I’ve had mine for over five years now and it’s been the toughest, longest lasting speaker I’ve ever had.”

To complement the myQ smart garage controller and build a comprehensive smart garage setup, buyers could consider the brand’s smart garage security camera. It’s available for $28.85, making it a cost-effective way to see who’s in your garage while you’re travelling or at work. The most affordable version of the camera needs to be plugged in to function, then connected to a wi-fi network. Its feed can then be accessed via the myQ app.

If you need to place the camera in a spot where there’s no outlet available, Chamberlain also offers a battery-powered option, but it’s considerably pricier. A two-pack of battery-powered cameras is available for $118.29. The cheaper option is more commonly reviewed by Home Depot buyers, and has received close to 1,000 reviews to date.

Across those reviews, it has been awarded an average score of four out of five stars. That’s less than most of the other products here, but it’s still enough to make the camera one of the best-reviewed products at Home Depot at its price point. Some of the more negative feedback focuses on the camera’s optional subscription fee to access features like video storage. However, one reviewer notes that “you don’t need a monthly subscription, it helps if you want to store a lot of video but [it’s] not necessary.”

Ryobi’s USB Lithium clamp fan kit will keep you cool in the garage, the house, or on the road. The kit retails for $39.97 and includes the fan, a 2Ah USB Lithium battery, and a charging cable. It can clamp to surfaces up to 1-¼ inches thick and can be attached to worktops and toolboxes, among many other things.

The kit racked up more than 1,800 reviews from Home Depot customers, and the vast majority are very positive. At the time of writing, it has an average score of 4.7 out of five stars. Even fans of other tool brands have been won over by its value for money, with one reviewer saying that “most of my tools for work are Milwaukee but Milwaukee doesn’t make a small [battery] powered fan.”

Surprisingly, the fan isn’t the only product that Ryobi makes that Milwaukee doesn’t either. The brand with the bright green tools also makes a power carver and a foam cutter, neither of which has a direct Milwaukee equivalent.

A range of manufacturers offer wet/dry shop vacs, but in our comparison of every major vac brand, it was Ridgid which came out on top. The brand’s reputation for durability and the useful extra features available with its vacuums were two reasons for its placement at the top of the pile. A third was the brand’s lifetime warranty, which covers key components against defects in their material or in the vac’s construction.

One of Ridgid’s most compact vacuums is its three gallon handheld wet/dry shop vac, which has an average rating of 4.6 out of five stars from more than 2,000 reviews. While a handful of reviewers report being irritated with the aforementioned warranty’s exclusion of the vac’s hose, most reviewers are satisfied with their purchase. One says that “From car to garage to shop, it is a champ,” while another says that it works “a lot better than dragging out my big Ridgid vac out just to do […] small things […] in the garage or in the house.” It’s available from Home Depot for $69.97.

Even if you’re not set on creating the perfect smart garage setup with app-connected door openers and cameras, there are still plenty of ways to add an extra dash of tech to your garage. The Chamberlain wireless garage door keypad is a great example: it costs $50.04, and it lets users with the correct code temporarily gain garage access. Temporary codes can be created for delivery drivers and can be configured to expire after a set amount of time.

Reviewers are generally in agreement that installing and programming the keypad is straightforward, with one calling it “a great product [that] works exactly as I expected.” Durability shouldn’t be a concern either, since according to one reviewer, their last Chamberlain keypad “worked for 22 years before I had to replace it.” At the time of writing, the keypad has amassed close to 2,000 reviews, with an average rating of 4.5 out of five stars.

Look beyond its tool range and there are a whole lot of underrated Ryobi finds that users swear by. One of the top-rated of the bunch is the USB Lithium magnetic clamp light kit, which has an exceptional average rating of 4.9 out of five stars from over 100 reviews at the time of writing. Home Depot reviewers say it “lights up the entire garage,” and that “the little clip that comes with it is very handy to hang it from anywhere you want.” Others call it “very convenient to use” and say that “the magnetic feature is especially helpful when you need both hands free.”

As well as its magnetic base, the light is also compatible with Ryobi’s Link storage system, and so can be hung on the wall with a suitable Link wall mount. The head of the light turns 360°, and it can also pivot up to 180°, making it easy to mount it in a wide variety of locations and still get the perfect lighting angle. The light is available as part of a kit for $49.97, and it’s bundled with a 2Ah USB Lithium battery and a charging cable.

If your garage door opener is in good working condition, the most affordable way to add extra smart features is to fit a myQ smart garage door controller. However, if you’re in need of a new opener system, the Genie Signature Series smart garage door opener is a worthy alternative. The system is integrated with the brand’s app from the get-go, and it also comes with two garage remotes for good measure.

When used with the companion app, the garage door can be opened using voice assistants like Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa. When it’s being lowered again, an infrared sensor cuts down the chance of the door accidentally coming into contact with a vehicle, object, or person by automatically stopping the door if it detects an obstruction. At a retail price of $379, the system is a larger investment than most of the other gadgets here, but it’s one of the best reviewed products in its category at Home Depot.

At the time of writing, it has an average rating of 4.2 out of five stars from more than 1,300 reviews. While some reviewers criticize its rail design and construction, others are won over by the system, calling it “one of the best purchases from Home Depot” and adding that it was easy to install.

Keeping a multimeter around is always a good idea, since you never know when it might come in useful. There are more ways to use one around the home and garage than you might think, from automotive diagnosis to battery testing. With any gadget, there can be a temptation to pay more for an example with additional features, but the Klein Tools 600V digital multimeter should strike the right balance of features and pricing for most people.

It offers lead alert protection, a backlit display, and a kickstand so it can stand freely during use or storage. Furthermore, it’s able to measure voltage, current, and resistance, and is designed to be easy to use for novices and professionals alike. Few reviewers have bad things to say about the multimeter, giving it an average of 4.7 out of five stars from almost 400 reviews. One reviewer summed up the tool’s appeal by saying it “works perfectly for my needs, [and] for the price and brand, [you] can’t really go wrong.”

Even the most attractively priced gadget is no good if it doesn’t live up to expectations when you actually start using it. To ensure that these handy garage gadgets were up to the task, we relied on feedback from reviewers at Home Depot. Each of the listed picks was among the top-rated products in its category at the retailer, with an average rating of at least four out of five stars from at least 100 reviews. All prices listed refer to the retail price on Home Depot’s website at the time of writing, and do not account for promotions or limited-time discounts.