Most of us live in multi-person households with a garage that is often operated by numerous people living in the same household. With the modern garage doors that offer remote operation, it is only sensible that you program more than one remote for the garage door.
Can You Program More Than One Remote For Garage Door?
You can program more than one remote for a garage door but the main thing to keep in mind when it comes to programming garage doors is the frequency. As long as the frequency matches, you should be able to program virtually any transmitter to your garage door and have it operate. Certain brands might be a bit different and you could have to rely on a specialist to assist you in doing so.
I should mention that certain transmitters or coding switches will have pre-programmed codes that operate the garage door. This is when it becomes slightly more difficult and you will have to understand how to manipulate these codes. For some of these garage doors, you will need to have a transmitter from the manufacturer.
Read Garage Door Opener Flashing (Green, Blue, Red, Orange) Light
How Many Remotes Can Be Programmed To A Garage Door Opener?
| Garage Door | Remote Controls |
| Craftsman | 8 |
| Chamberlain | 8 |
| LiftMaster | 24 – 40 |
| Genie | 7 |
| Overhead | 4 |
| Linear | Unlimited |
The LiftMaster Elite will allow you to program up to 40 different remote control, but other brands can only offer up to 10 remote controls that will be programmed to open your garage door. The exact number of remotes that can be programmed will vary from the garage door to the garage door and you should check the manual to find out.
Most garage doors can connect to a variety of garage door openers and you will notice that Linear is one of the only brands that have unlimited access. Due to the basic nature of the frequency design that it uses to operate the garage door, you simply need a three-button remote that can be programmed to the right frequency.
One of the best features of these garage doors is that you need a specific remote from the manufacturer. You can buy a cheap remote for $15 and simply figure out how the frequency works and connect it.
How Do You Determine How Many Remotes Can Be Connected To A Garage Door?
Aside from taking a few remotes and trying to connect them all to the garage door, you can refer to the manual from the manufacturer. Each garage door will include a manual that shows you how it should be operated and how you can connect the different remotes to the door. In most cases, the manual will show you the exact number.
However, if there is no number stated, it is often considered to be unlimited. The Linear garage door manufacturer is one of the top brands and they offer unlimited connections for the garage door remotes. You should also keep safety in mind and I do not recommend connecting more remotes than you need.
How To Connect A Remote To A Garage Door?
If you have decided that it is time to connect your remote to your garage door, you also need to know how this is done. Fortunately, it should not take too much research and the process is straightforward. Keep in mind that some manufacturers might have specific remote control requirements. However, here is our step-by-step guide for connecting a remote control to a garage door:
1. Purchasing The Right Remote Control
The first step would be making sure you buy the correct remote control. At the back of your existing remote control, you should have access to a frequency on the label. The first step should be to make sure that you buy a remote control that matches the exact frequency found on your existing remote control.
2. Connecting The Coding Switches
The next step is to find the coding switches on your current remote control. To find this, you might need to unscrew the remote control to remove the battery cover. You should notice that various keys are exposed that operate like dip switches. These are often numbered from one to eight, making it easier to understand the coding process.
You will also want to do this for the new remote and make sure that you can access these coding switches. If you have bought the right remote control, the coding switches should look similar, but the number frequency might be different. You want to match the different dip keys in the same sequence as on the existing remote control.
Once done, the dip switches should look the same as those on the existing remote, which means they are matched and your remote control should be synchronized.
3. Close The Remote Control Cover
Finally, you will need to reassemble the remote control exactly as you would when you took it apart. If you have kept all the components in a secure location, this should be easy. Make sure that the battery cover is not damaged and you want to prevent any water or moisture from being present when closing the remote.
4. Test The Remote
If you have successfully adapted the dip switches, your remote control should be operating at the same frequency as the existing one. This should enable you to open up the garage door using the next remote control. If you want to connect more than one additional remote control, you simply need to rinse and repeat these steps.
Can I Program One Remote Control For A Different Brand?
While certain remote controls use a Wi-Fi connection nowadays, some of the older models still operate using a frequency method. If you have the frequency and you can access the dip keys, you can program virtually any remote control for any garage door. Making sure the garage doors operate on the same frequency will be the main challenge.
Most brands will have interchangeable compatibility for their remote controls and you will notice that once you have a certain remote control from one brand, the compatibility might be sufficient to work on other brands. Overhead and Genie are two prime examples and both these brands are the same since one owns the other.
With the introduction of the universal remote, you will find that each brand will offer its universal remote control. These universal remote controls tend to be compatible with one another and they should work on every garage door. The only thing you need to make sure of is the frequency and to match the dip switches.
Can’t Program Garage Door Opener – What Is The Problem?
If you are having a hard time programming your garage door opener to the door, there could be a variety of reasons that are causing this to happen. You should explore some of these possible problems to ensure that you can effectively connect the two devices. Here are a few possible reasons your remote control does not want to connect:
1. Incompatible Remote Control
One of the first things you need to check is the frequency of the garage door opener, which is often located on the back of the remote control. It is best that you note the frequency and when you buy a new remote control, both of the frequencies should match. Keep in mind that this is the frequency at which your garage door is currently operating.
2. Incorrect Dip Switches
Once you have a remote control that has the right frequency, you will need to reach the dip switches and manually adjust these up or down. If the dipswitches do not match, the remote control will not be connected to the garage door. One of the main reasons that people struggle connecting their universal remote control with the garage door is due to the dipswitches not matching.
3. Too Many Remotes Already Connected
If you have the same remote control and your remote control is perfectly set up, but it still does not open the garage door, you might have too many remote control connected to the panel. To reset your machine, you will need to disconnect it from the power source. Once you have it reconnected, you can clear the memory.
Unfortunately, this means you will need to reprogram all the remote controls, but you will be removing some of the remote controls that are not currently in use.
4. Faulty Garage Door
Finally, you might have a faulty control panel on the garage door. The faulty panel could be due to years of use or if you don’t service the garage door. Unfortunately, automatic garage doors will require some form of maintenance to ensure that they can operate at maximum capacity.