Like anything, your garage door remote is susceptible to loss or theft. At Neighborhood Garage Door Service of Tampa, FL we’ve seen this happen often. If you think you’ve lost your garage door remote, here are some steps you should take right away.
Some Basics
It’s important to understand how your automatic garage door opener works so that you can better handle the situation. Your opener system is based on a transmitter & receiver setup to allow you remote access. Your remote transmits a code via radio signal to the receiver inside the automatic opener.
The opener is programmed to only respond to signals that match those in your remote transmitter. If a thief has your remote, they can easily use it to gain access to your garage and therefore your home. You need to block this access as quickly as possible.
Erase The Codes If You’ve Lost Your Garage Door Remote
By erasing the codes stored in the memory of your garage door opener, you will essentially make the opener “forget” the remote. It will also erase the codes for all your remotes, meaning it can only be activated by your wall switch. To do this, look for a button on the back of the opener that says “Learn.” Hold that button down until the light blinks and it will erase all codes stored.
To reprogram your remotes, you simply hold the button again until the light blinks and then push the button on the remote you want to activate. When the light blinks again, it has received and stored the code. Repeat this for all remotes that you plan to use. If you have multiple doors, you can program the different buttons on the remote to open different doors.
Other Methods
If you aren’t sure the remote has been stolen and just need to take the opener offline temporarily, you have two options. First, locate the lock button on the wall control switch and press it. This prevents the opener from activating except by using the control switch.
If you don’t have a wall-mounted control switch, you can also simply unplug the automatic opener. This will erase your existing codes because most doors have a battery backup. If you find your lost remote quickly, you can simply unlock or plug in the opener. If you don’t, use the steps above to reprogram your opener.
Prevent Future Theft Of Your Remote
The best way to deal with this situation is to prevent the remote from getting lost or stolen in the first place. Always keep your opener remote out of plain sight and make sure your car doors are always locked. Another way to prevent your opener from being stolen is to get a keychain remote that always stays with you.
Contact Us To Help With Your New Remotes
If this process seems too challenging, Neighborhood Garage Door Service of Tampa, Florida is here to help. Give us a call and one of our technicians will gladly come out to reprogram your remotes. We can also do a safety inspection while we’re there!
