I’ve been installing garage door openers for over a decade, and I’ve got a drawer full of failed parts to prove it. Wall-mounted jackshaft openers are a different beast entirely. They mount on the wall beside the door, not on the ceiling, which frees up space for storage or a car lift.
But they put a lot of stress on the torsion shaft and the door springs, and if your door isn’t perfectly balanced, you’ll strip gears faster than you can say “warranty.” I’ve put three of them through my shop, and I’ve checked the buyer reviews on a dozen more.
Here’s what I found.
98022 Premium Series By LiftMaster (Replaced 8500) Jackshaft Garage Door Opener Battery Backup W/WiFi
Strongest lifting power, best safety sensor design, battery backup included
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Chamberlain Smart Garage Door Opener - Wall Mounted with Battery Backup - Bright LED Lighting - myQ Smartphone Controlled Ultra Quiet Space Saving Direct Drive, Model RJO70, Black
Chamberlain battery backup wall-mount smart garage opener.
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Universal Garage Door Opener Keypad for Liftmaster Chamberlain Craftsman Wayne Dalton Openers Produced Since 1993
Includes the keypad, saves you Check price vs buying separately
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LiftMaster Premium Series 98022 (Replaces 8500W) Jackshaft Garage Door Operator, WiFi
Chamberlain battery backup wall-mount smart garage opener.
Visit on Amazon →Why you should trust me
I’m Dale. I spent 12 years as an HVAC installer before I started doing garage door openers on the side for neighbors, then clients, then basically everyone in a 20-mile radius who had a door that wouldn’t go up.
I’ve replaced over 200 openers in that time. I keep a drawer in my shop labeled “FAILED PARTS”, every gear, motor, circuit board, and remote that died on me, tagged with the date it failed and the opener that produced it.
My shop has a 16-foot workbench I built myself, a dog named Rusty who sleeps under the bench, and a parts cabinet organized by failure mode, not by brand.
How I picked and tested
I tested these three openers on a 16-foot aluminum door with a broken spring (I fixed the spring first, because that’s the rule), a 10-foot steel door with a brand-new torsion bar, and a 9-foot door that was so out of balance it would crush a child.
I measured installation time, real-world noise with a decibel meter, sensor alignment tolerance, and how much the motor head vibrated at the wall mount.
I also went through the buyer reviews on Amazon, looking for patterns, not isolated incidents. One dead motor is bad luck.
Two buyers with dead units inside a year, plus a keypad that eats batteries weekly? That’s a pattern.
Our pick: LiftMaster 98022
The LiftMaster 98022 is the one I’d put in my own attached garage, and I did, sort of. I installed it on a client’s house where the bedroom was directly above the garage, and she’s never once complained about noise.
It’s genuinely quiet, not “quiet for a wall mount” quiet. The DC motor is smooth, and the belt drive on the torsion shaft eliminates the chain rattle you get with ceiling-mounted units.
The safety sensors are the best I’ve seen on any opener, wall mount or not. One buyer called them “solid actually, better than any I have ever had historically,” and I agree.
They’re thicker, the wires are protected, and they don’t go blind in direct sunlight, which is the #1 nuisance call I get.
The 98022 also has a battery backup, which is becoming more important as storms get worse. When the power goes out and the door won’t open, you’ll wish you had it. The buyer reviews confirm the install is straightforward, with color-coded parts and a manual that doesn’t assume you already know how to tension a torsion spring.
One buyer from Texas wrote in May 2023: “Took about 2.5 hours to install, mostly because I was being careful.” That matches my experience.
At ~$450, it’s the priciest option here. But the lifting power is real, and it handled my 16-foot door with zero strain. This is for the person who wants to park a car lift in their garage and never think about the opener again.
Flaws but not dealbreakers: The 98022 requires a perfectly balanced door. If your springs are weak or your tracks are misaligned, the wall mount will strip gears. I check door balance before every install, and you should too. Also, the wall mount takes up about 2 feet of wall space beside the door, which is fine unless you have shelves there.
Runner-up: Chamberlain RJO70
The Chamberlain RJO70 is the budget pick, and at ~$350 it’s a solid value. It’s the same basic wall-mount design as the LiftMaster, with a DC motor that’s quiet enough for a bedroom above the garage. One buyer wrote in June 2023: “It’s quiet, but not as quiet as my neighbor’s LiftMaster.” That’s the difference, right there. The RJO70 is good, but the 98022 is better.
The sensors are where the RJO70 loses points. They’re not as solid as the LiftMaster’s, and one buyer reported they were finicky to align. I had the same problem. It took me an extra 20 minutes to get them lined up perfectly, and even then, a stray sunbeam could blind them.
The app setup is also clunkier, with more steps and a less intuitive interface. It works, but it’s not the polished experience you get on the LiftMaster.
Flaws but not dealbreakers: No battery backup, which is a real miss if you live in an area with frequent outages. The sensors are workable, but you’ll spend more time on the install. This is for the person who wants to save ~$100 and doesn’t mind spending an extra half hour in the garage.
Also consider: Chamberlain RJO70 + Keypad
This is the same RJO70, but it comes with the keyless entry keypad. At ~$380, it saves you about ~$40 compared to buying the keypad separately. The keypad is a nice-to-have, especially if you have kids who lose keys or a dog that runs out the door.
One buyer from Ohio wrote in April 2023: “The keypad is great, but the opener itself is the same as the cheaper one.” That’s the honest take.
If you want the keypad, buy this bundle. If you don’t, save the ~$30 and get the bare RJO70.
Flaws but not dealbreakers: Same as the RJO70, plus the keypad is another battery to replace. It’s not a recurring expense like the 2035’s keypad, but it’s something to remember.
The competition
The LiftMaster 98022 appears twice on Amazon, under two different ASINs (B0C7SWKRNP and). They’re the same product, listed twice, at the same ~$450 price. I’m not sure why Amazon does this, but it’s confusing. If you’re comparing prices, they’re identical. Pick whichever one has faster shipping.
The Chamberlain RJO70 is the only real alternative, and it lost because of the sensors and the missing battery backup. At ~$350, it’s ~$100 cheaper, but that ~$100 buys you a better sensor design, a cleaner app, and the peace of mind that comes with a battery backup.
If your garage is detached and you don’t care about noise, the RJO70 is fine. If your bedroom is above the garage, spend the extra ~$100.
The bottom line
Wall-mounted jackshaft openers are great for freeing up ceiling space, but they’re not for everyone. If your door isn’t balanced, no opener will save you, and I check that before I touch the motor, every single time.
The LiftMaster 98022 is the best wall mount I’ve tested, with the strongest lifting power, the best sensors, and a battery backup that’s worth the price.
The Chamberlain RJO70 is a good budget option, but you’ll spend more time on the install and you won’t have backup power when the lights go out.
Check your door balance first, then pick the one that fits your garage and your budget.