5 Important Things You Need To Know About Garage Door Opener Remote
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Garage Door Opener Remote is a small part of the complete automatic garage door setup. Yet it is crucial and makes your life so convenient. Unfortunately, we usually think of it only when it does not work!
What are the Buttons on a Garage Door Opener for?
The buttons on a garage door opener remote are used to open & close garage doors.
The remote is basically a radio transmitter and the garage door opener is a radio receiver. When the button on the remote is pressed it sends a radio signal to the garage door opener. The garage door opener is activated if, and only if, the two frequencies match.
To ensure that your garage door opener is not hacked by burglars, the frequency is automatically and randomly changed after each use. This is an important reason to upgrade to a newer model of garage door opener if your garage door opener still uses the old technology of a single fixed code.
Why are there 3 Buttons on a Garage Door Opener?
A 3-button universal garage door opener remote allows you to operate upto three garage doors with the same remote.
If you have three garage doors then you can program each button to open & close a specific garage door. They do not even have to be in the same place.
For example you could use two buttons for your two door garage at home and the third one for the garage at your cottage by the lake.
The buttons, in addition to garage door openers can also be programmed to operate gate operators and myQ® Light Accessories.
The Chamberlain 3-button universal garage door opener remote comes in 953EV Series or the 956EV series and works with almost all garage door openers by Chamberlain®, LiftMaster® and Craftsman®.
The Liftmaster 3-button universal garage door opener remote comes as 893LM, 893MAX, 890MAX or 373LM.
What Kind of Battery does my Garage Door Opener Take?
Every now and then you may be faced by a garage door that refuses to budge at the press of the remote. Hopefully, it is a really simple problem of dead batteries.
Most garage door remotes use either a lithium ion or 1.5-volt alkaline battery, which will need to be replaced about every two years. It is best to open your remote and check.
Once you know, buy one or two and keep it in the glove compartment of your car. It could be a lifesaver!
Also ensure that your garage has at least two other ways of opening, other than the garage door opener remote.
- A door control switch, installed inside the garage next to the small door leading to the house.
- A keypad installed outside the garage. It is secure as it uses a 4-digit security code. It is a great complement to a traditional visor and/or compact personal remote.
- Homelink’s built in remote control technology in your vehicle can let you conveniently access your garage door .
What is a Learn Button on a Garage Door Opener?
The “Learn” button on your garage door opener is used to put it in the programming mode.This allows you to program the remote to your garage door opener.
The “Learn” button on your garage door opener could be green, red/orange, yellow or purple. The color of the “Learn” button is actually a code for the # of presses and the technology as under:
| COLOR | # of PRESSES | TECHNOLOGY |
|---|---|---|
| YELLOW | 1 | Security+ 2.0 Technology |
| PURPLE | 2 | Security+ 315Mhz Technology |
| RED / ORANGE | 3 | Security+ 390Mhz Rolling Code Technology |
| GREEN | 4 | Billion Code Technology |
The “Learn” button is located above the antenna wire that hangs from the garage door opener motorhead. It may also be under a light cover.
On Chamberlain garage door openers you can find it using the diagram below.
The “Learn” button is also located on the garage door control. This is very helpful as then you do not have to get a ladder and climb up to the garage door opener, every time you want to program the remote.
How do you Program a Garage Door Opener Remote?
You can program a Chamberlain 3-button universal garage door opener remote (953EV Series or 956EV) by going through the following steps:
STEP 1
Locate the “program” button on the remote. It will be under the clip in the 953EV series and on the side in the 956EV series. PRESS & HOLD to activate it using the clip or a paper clip. The LED on the remote will come on.
STEP 2
Now PRESS the button on the remote that you wish to program. PRESS and release it the number of times, as dictated by the color of the “Learn” button color.
- Once for YELLOW
- Twice for PURPLE
- Thrice for RED/ORANGE
- Four times for GREEN
STEP 3
To exit programming mode, press any other button on the remote.
STEP 4
Locate the “Learn” button on the garage door opener. PRESS to activate it. The “Learn” LED will come on.
DO NOT HOLD. This will erase all the earlier programming.
STEP 5
Now, within 30 seconds, PRESS and release the button (the one you are programming) on the remote. The garage door opener light will flash or two clicks will be heard. Programming is complete.
The method of programming is similar for other models by Chamberlain®, LiftMaster® and Craftsman®. However, do consult the user manual for confirmation.
Do check out When A Wall-mounted Garage Door Opener May Be Better?
Thank you very much for reading the post. I do hope you found it informative and useful.
