- Learn when you might need to program a garage door remote.
- Discover how garage door remotes work.
- Learn how to program a garage door remote control.
We've all been there before. After a long day, bad traffic on the commute home, all you want to do is relax in the comfort of your home. There's just one thing standing in your way—your own garage door. The remote refuses to communicate with the garage door opener and you're at your wits end.
One possible cause for the unruly remote may be its connection. Or if it's new, you may need to learn how to program a garage door remote control before you can trust it to work as you need it to. Whatever the reason, programming your garage door remote is a simple way to make your garage easier to utilize.
Why Program a Garage Door Remote
There are a range of different reasons why you may need to know how to program a garage door remote control and why you'd want to use one in the first place. Most garage door openers will come with a wall mounted opener that you can use to automatically open the garage door from inside the house. But that only gets you so far.
Depending on the brand, they may also provide you with a remote control to open and close the door from the outside. However, you may still need to purchase additional remotes for other household members, or purchase a remote that better matches your lifestyle, such as a visor clip remote or a key fob remote. In any case, you'll need to program these remotes to the new opener to ensure that these are the only remotes that can open and close your garage door.
You might also need to program or reprogram a garage door remote after a power outage. It's possible that the lost power caused the garage door system to reset. The remote communicates with the wall-mounted receiver mentioned earlier using a set frequency. When you lose power you might find that the frequency has changed and the remote no longer functions no matter how close you get to the sensors.
How To Program a Garage Door Remote Control
Whether you have a new garage door remote, a new garage door opener, or recently lost power to your house, you'll need to program the remote control. The process can vary slightly depending on the brand of the garage door opener itself, the model of the opener, and the remote itself. However, generally speaking these are the steps you'll need to follow to program your remote control.
- Prepare the area and materials: Make sure there are no cars or other items underneath the garage door opener you'll be programming the remote control to. Also, have a ladder on hand that you can use to reach the garage door opener once you've cleared a space.
- Locate the "Learn" button: Climb the ladder to reach the garage door opener. Be sure to bring the remote up with you. Once there, look for the learn button. Depending on the make and model of the opener this button may be a set color and may be underneath a light cover. The button is usually found above the wire that hangs from the motor head.
- Press and hold until it blinks: Once you've found the learn button, press and hold the button down until it blinks. Once it blinks, you have 30 seconds to program the remote control, which is why it helps to bring it up the ladder with you.
- Press the button of your choice: Press whichever button on the remote you want to use to open and close the garage door. After you press the button, the opener should flash or make two clicking sounds.
- Test the remote: Move the ladder away from the opener and stand clear of the door. Then, test the remote by pressing the button you selected.
Garage Door Opener Program Didn't Work?
If after testing the remote it isn't working, there are a few troubleshooting tips to get the remote up and running for good.
- Check batteries: Make sure the batteries you placed in the remote are fresh and functioning. Try reinstalling them to make sure the remote is powered on.
- Reprogram: Repeat the steps listed above to reprogram the remote. It may be that one step or another didn't go as planned on the first run.
- Check that it's the right remote: Generally, remotes provided by the manufacturer or their dealers should work with that brand's opener. However, universal remotes or remotes purchased online may not work with the garage door opener installed at your house.
- Check the sensors: It's possible that the problem isn't with the remote control at all. Your garage door sensors, located near the bottom of the door itself may be the issue. If these sensors believe something is in the path of the door, they may keep it from opening and closing.
Still Having Trouble? Call Balanced Garage Door
If you're still wondering how to program a garage door remote control or tried unsuccessfully to program one, call Balanced Garage Door. Our fast, reliable expert technicians can come out to your garage and determine why the remote or opener isn't working properly. You can trust our professionals to work just as fast on a solution.
