A garage door opener that is very remote

— -- Has this happened you? You're on the highway, miles away from home, when suddenly you wonder: "Did I leave the garage door open?"

The folks at Craftsman are standing ready to save you a U-turn or a call to a neighbor. Their latest Liftmaster line of garage-door openers now includes a feature that lets you check on your door and raise or lower it from a smart phone or tablet.

The system was on display in a parking lot outside of the Las Vegas Convention Center, where Craftsman had set up a demonstration garage during the recent Consumer Electronics Show.

The garage door and a couple of interior and exterior lights were all wired into a home-control system Craftsman calls AssureLink. Like other home-control systems, AssureLink transmits radio signals to communicate with compatible devices like porch lights and the garage-door opener.

What's different about AssureLink is it's hard-wired into a home router using Ethernet cable. That makes it a little more complicated to install, unless you're building a new home, but it also adds a measure of security. No one will be opening your garage door by fiddling with your Wi-Fi network.

With the system in place, users can log into a website to control the light and the garage door or download an app for Apple, Android or BlackBerry devices to do it on the run. The app tells you the current state of the garage door, whether it's open or closed and how long it has been that way.

Derek Voigt, who was demonstrating the system in the Craftsman "garage," said remote access could be handy for opening the door to let in a friend, family member or someone making a service call.

The AssureLink system is sold through Sears stores. Prices start at about $290.

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E-mail Ric: ricman@courier-journal.com .