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Seven Foot Rail product guide

Genie Chain Drive 500 Smart Garage Door Opener, Model 1135-VM

Lighter sectional doors where app control matters more than extras

A factory-assembled chain drive opener with a half HPc DC motor and Aladdin Connect Wi-Fi built into the powerhead, so no separate door sensor is needed. The kit is deliberately short: one one-button remote, a lighted push button and the Safe-T-Beam sensors.

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Published specifications

  • Listing: model 1135-VM, part 41942R, UPC 050049024413, 29.6 lb
  • Maker page: half HPc DC motor, five-piece tube chain drive rail
  • Both sources: sectional doors up to 350 lb; height stated as 7 or 8 ft
  • Maker page: integrated Aladdin Connect; HomeLink and Car2U, no bridge
  • Maker page: one bulb, 60 W max; manual sets a 40 W minimum
  • Warranty table: 5 yr motor, 5 yr chain, 1 yr core parts and accessories

Fit and limits

Strengths

  • Wi-Fi is in the powerhead, so no extra door sensor or bridge is needed
  • Genie's page and the listing agree on the five year motor and gearbox term
  • Pairs with up to 16 wireless devices, so keypads can be added later

Caveats

  • Genie's own page says 8 feet in one place and 7 feet in its footnote
  • The kit holds one remote and a push button; no keypad or backup
  • Core parts and accessories carry only one year in Genie's own table

A short kit list, and two names for one model

The listing gives the model as 1135-VM, with manufacturer part number 41942R, UPC 050049024413 and a weight of 29.6 pounds. Genie's own page for Model 1135 calls it Chain Drive Wi-Fi rather than the Chain Drive 500 name the listing title uses, so both names point at the same model number.

What ships is a short list. The listing's included components field names the opener with Wi-Fi, a single one-button pre-programmed remote, a lighted push button wall control and the Safe-T-Beam system. There is no keypad, no multi-function wall console and no battery backup in that list.

Genie's page adds one detail the listing does not spell out: this opener carries a single light bulb, not a pair, and Genie recommends its own LED bulbs with a 60 watt ceiling if an incandescent bulb is used. The listing description also treats the lighting as one bulb.

Genie's own page disagrees with itself about door height

This is the thing to settle before you order. The feature paragraph on Genie's Model 1135 page says the half HPc DC motor can operate residential sectional garage doors up to 8 feet high and 350 pounds in weight. The footnote at the bottom of the same page says the opener is for residential sectional garage doors up to 7 feet high, with an extension kit required for 8 foot doors.

The listing takes the lower figure, saying the motor operates residential sectional doors up to 7 feet high and 350 pounds. So two of the three statements say 7 feet and one says 8 feet. We are not going to guess which is right; ask Genie whether your 8 foot door needs the extension kit, and get the answer before buying.

The weight limit is the one figure all three agree on, and it is 350 pounds. That is the number to measure your door against, and Genie lists an extension kit among the accessories it recommends for this model.

Aladdin Connect is built in, but check the Wi-Fi first

The listing's first bullet makes the point that matters: the opener has an integrated Wi-Fi connection, so no additional door sensor is required. Genie's page agrees that Aladdin Connect is integrated, and adds that the opener is HomeLink and Car2U compatible with no external repeater box or bridge needed.

The manual sets a condition before setup begins. It says to place your phone where the opener will be mounted and check that the signal there shows at least two bars. If it does not, it suggests moving the router into the open, moving it closer, or buying a Wi-Fi extender.

Genie's page describes what the app gives you: knowing whether the door is open or closed, an alert when someone operates it whether authorised or not, the ability to open the door for a delivery or repair person, and a history for each opener of when the door was used. The manual also states that the system is designed for unattended operation and the door could move unexpectedly.

The warranty row, and the conditions on it

The listing's last bullet reads five year motor and gearbox warranty, five year chain, one year parts and accessories. Genie's own warranty document sets the same model out in a table, and the two line up rather than contradicting each other.

The row covering 1135 and 1035 reads five years on the motor and gearbox, one year on core parts, one year on accessories and other parts, five years on the chain, and one year on the battery backup where one is fitted. Genie defines the core unit as the powerhead, the wired or wireless wall control, the Safe-T-Beam system, the J-arm and the rail.

The conditions are worth reading first. Labour charges are excluded and fall to the purchaser, the warranty is not transferable, it applies only to residential installations in the United States and Canada, and it does not cover batteries, use of an extension cord, missing or damaged parts from clearance or open box sales, or repairs to door components.

The bulb window is narrower than it looks

Because Aladdin Connect is built into the powerhead, the manual sets a floor as well as a ceiling on the bulb. It calls for A19 bulbs at 60 watts maximum and says models with integrated Aladdin Connect require a minimum of 40 watts or the equivalent, so a very dim bulb is ruled out along with a very bright one.

It also says not to use bulbs with a short neck, and warns that standard LED bulbs may reduce the range of your remote controls. Genie recommends its own LED bulbs, and the listing description says the powerhead shape directs light toward the rear of the garage.

The remote runs on a CR2032 coin cell. Genie's page says the opener pairs with up to 16 wireless devices including remotes and keypads, so there is room to add controls the kit does not include, such as the keypad and multi-function console absent from this box.

Monthly checks, sensor rules and who to call

Genie's maintenance table is mostly monthly: the contact reverse test, lubricating rollers and hinges with a light weight general purpose grease, a Safe-T-Beam check for loose connections, cracks or worn insulation with the lenses cleaned, a door balance check and a battery backup test where one is fitted. The chain is inspected yearly for excessive slack.

On the sensors the manual is absolute. Only the Safe-T-Beam sensors included with the opener may be used, and it says not to fit photocells from another manufacturer or from another opener. It also sets the mounting height at 5 to 6 inches above the floor; the alignment rules that go with that are in the manual and are not reproduced here.

The wall control goes within sight of the door, far enough from it that you cannot touch the door while using it, and at least 5 feet above the floor. On door hardware the manual hands off entirely: springs, cables, brackets and pulleys are under extreme pressure and tension, and a trained door system technician does that work.

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Primary sources

  1. The Genie Company page for Model 1135 Chain Drive Wi-Fi
  2. Genie belt and chain drive Programming, Operation & Maintenance Manual 42598.02135, linked from the Model 1135 page
  3. Genie limited warranty document, with the model table row for 1135

Primary sources checked .

Compare with

Side-by-side pages, this model next to: Genie SilentMax 1200 Belt Drive Garage Door Opener, 4042-TKH, Genie Chain Drive 500 Garage Door Opener, Model 1035-V.

Keep comparing

Use the Seven Foot Rail product index to compare other models, or read the full buying guide for category-level advice.