Product Library / Garage & Access

Craftsman 1/2 HP Smart Chain Drive Garage Door Opener (CMXC1220)

Compiled by SmartHomeWorkflow Research · Craftsman · Garage & Access

⚠ Similar names, different products: Craftsman sells two generations of smart opener under model numbers that look nothing alike. The older line runs CMXEOCG572, CMXEOCG772, CMXEOCG981 and CMXEOCG982, and Craftsman titles those openers as working with myQ. This one is a CMXC number and its page names a Craftsman-branded app instead. Whether the two lines share the same connected platform is not stated anywhere Craftsman publishes, so do not assume an accessory, an app account or an integration carries across the two.

Compatibility

? Inconclusive means we researched that ecosystem and the evidence doesn’t settle it — the catch says why, and the sources are listed below. It is a statement about the available evidence, never a verdict on the product. A Setup Check researches your exact setup where the official sources don’t answer.

Protocols: WIFI^[1]

Needs before it works: No hub and no bridge — Craftsman states the wireless radio is built into the opener and that the door is controlled from anywhere through the Craftsman app. What Craftsman does not state is which wireless band the opener needs, whether an account is required, or whether the connection runs through a service or across your own network. Those are the questions to put to Craftsman before you buy if the answer matters to you.^[1]

What it can do^[1]

Listed capabilities are what we could establish from vendor documentation. An ability missing here is unestablished — not necessarily absent.

Subscription reality^[2]

? Works without a subscription: Not established — no source we accept has addressed fees for this product in either direction.

Vendor account required: Inconclusive — we read the vendor's own setup material and it does not say either way. Treat it as unanswered rather than as a no.^[2]

Not established, and this is a gap rather than a clean bill. Craftsman's page for this opener mentions no plan, tier or fee — and it also never says the app is free, never names the service behind it, and never sets out what the app does without an account. On this shelf that silence matters more than usual, because a competing maker charges a monthly fee for video history on its openers and another routes one popular integration through a paid third-party subscription. Absence of a price on a page that does not discuss the subject at all is not the same as a maker saying there is nothing to pay.

Maintenance reality

• Works without the internet: Inconclusive — we read the vendor's own material and it does not answer this either way. It does not mean the product fails without the internet.^[2]
• A direct-current motor on a chain drive with a 1/2 horsepower lift rating, which Craftsman qualifies as a comparison figure rather than a measured one: its own wording is that the lift capacity is similar to a 1/2 horsepower alternating-current motor. Lighting is a two-lamp system covering the front and rear of the garage, and Craftsman states bulbs are not included. The kit ships with two one-button remotes, one multifunction wall control described as a doorbell-style single button, and two safety sensors; Craftsman states the remotes reach up to 1,500 feet. Warranty is four years on the motor and one year on the chain. Craftsman publishes no rail length, no door height or weight limit, no wireless band and no battery backup for this model — the absence of battery backup is unstated rather than confirmed, so treat it as a question for the seller.

Security updates^[2]

Craftsman publishes no security-update support date for this model. That is a gap in what the manufacturer has published, not evidence either way — some makers declare a support period and some say nothing at all.

No support period is published. Craftsman's own page for this opener carries no security-update commitment, no end-of-support date and no link to a security policy, and no Craftsman product-security page could be found. The same silence covers the connected service behind the app, which is not named. Recheck condition: a Craftsman product-security or end-of-life page, or a manual for this model that names the service and its update policy.

The catch

Craftsman tells you this opener has wireless built in and an app, and then stops. Its product page names no voice assistant, no smart-home platform, no subscription, no wireless band, no rail length and no door size limit — so the one question this site exists to answer has no published answer for this model. The app Craftsman names shares its name with myQ, the connected platform run by Chamberlain Group, and that platform's own page says plainly that Apple Home, Google Home, Samsung SmartThings, Matter and Thread are not supported or have been discontinued. If the two are the same system, this is an opener for a household that wants an app and nothing more. But Chamberlain's page never mentions Craftsman and Craftsman never mentions Chamberlain, so that connection is a caution rather than a finding. One more unstated item worth asking about: Craftsman publishes no battery backup for this model, and an opener without one does not move when the power is out.

Who it's for

A reasonable pick for a household replacing a dead opener that wants app control and alerts and does not care whether the door appears in Alexa, Google Home, Apple Home or SmartThings. The kit is complete on day one — two remotes, a wall button and the safety sensors — and the chain drive with a direct-current motor is the quieter end of chain openers. Look elsewhere if you want the door in a smart-home platform, because Craftsman publishes no answer for any of the five and the platform its app is named after publishes a long list of ones it dropped. Also look elsewhere if you need the door to work in a power cut, or if you need to know the ongoing cost before you buy — neither is stated.

Sources & method

Numbered sources below back the facts marked with the matching number above. This is a research profile: compiled from manufacturer documentation, certification registries, and published testing — we state facts, not verdicts, and we have not physically tested this unit. How we work →

Compatibility and lifecycle information reflects the last-verified date above and can change without notice (firmware updates, cloud-service changes, discontinuations). It is provided as-is, for information — verify with the manufacturer before purchasing. Spot an error? Tell us and we'll fix it. Full terms: Terms of Service.

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