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Question:
My daughter built a new home a year ago equipped with a LiftMaster Garage Door Opener. It turns out when the neighbor across the street opens/closes his garage door, hers is activated as well. Is this a frequency problem? Can you suggest how to remedy this? Thank you.
– Frank R.
Answer:
If your neighbor’s remote or keypad can open your garage door, or vice versa, it is unlikely to be a frequency problem. It is possible that your neighbor’s opener and your opener have similar signatures.
The opener’s signature is a code that helps identify programmed remote controls and enables the garage door opener to distinguish signals from different remotes and keypads. The unique signature associated with a particular remote control allows the opener to interpret and respond to the transmitted signal accordingly, opening or closing the garage door.
To address this issue, you can follow these steps to reset the opener memory and erase the opener’s signatures:
- Locate the opener’s smart button or learn button. This button is typically found on the opener unit itself, on the motor’s control panel.
- Press and hold the opener’s learn button for 5-10 seconds. Make sure to keep the button pressed until the diagnostics LED turns off.
- To verify that the reset was successful, test a remote control that was previously programmed to the opener. If the remote control no longer operates the garage door, it indicates that the reset was effective.
Erasing the opener’s memory will render any previously synced remotes, keypads, and cars inoperable. To reprogram remote controls to the opener, press the smart button once, followed by pressing the button of the desired remote control several times.
What Should You Do If Your Remote Opener Opens Your Neighbor’s Garage Door?
If your garage door opener remote or keypad opens your neighbor’s garage door and you’ve already tried resetting your opener memory using the steps above, your neighbor will need to reset their opener.
I have the same problem but wouldn’t my remote open the neighbor’s door? it doesn’t
Hello Peter, the fact that your neighbor’s remote opens your garage door doesn’t mean that your remote will do the same.
I have 2 garage doors. One is programmed for a particular remote. Never a problem before but now the second door is opening when programmed door is opened using remote.
Hello Keith, if your garage door opener remote opens both garage doors, reset the memory of both openers and reprogram the remotes using the steps above.
Hello
My remote control and keypad (at times) opens my neighbours garage door (only one of them)
We both have double garage doors. I have a remote control and a keypad, he only has a switch inside the house and one in the garage.
How can he remedy the problem so that we do not inadvertently open his garage door while accessing ours
Hello Lulu, please follow the steps in this article to reset your opener memory and erase its signatures.
My other post seemed to have gotten lost when I posted this second problem: let me start again: SUDDENLY My neighbor’s garage door opener has started opening my Liftmaster model 8065 garage door opener. This neighbor has been been living next to me for seven years (I live in a townhouse where all units are attached) and during those years his opener never opened my door. I don’t mind doing all the things you mention above: but that will only disable my garage remotes and keypad not my neighbor’s remote that is now opening my door. I read somewhere that these openers cycle. I read somewhere that the lifmaster has over 100 codes and that they sort of “cycle”: does that mean even if I reset everything my neighbors signature may become the same as mine again?
Hello Judith,
The signatures of your garage door opener remain the same; what changes is the code. Your opener uses an algorithm that generates a new code (out of billions of possible codes) each time you use a remote device. This code functions like a secret key shared between the remote and the opener. You can learn more about rolling codes here.
When you reset the opener, you essentially change its signatures, which should prevent your neighbor’s remote from opening your garage door. The only way to confirm that your neighbor’s remote no longer opens your door is to ask them to try it.
resetting the memory and reprogramming the same remote only does my door to the same remote that still opens the neighbors door. he has reprogrammed to several new remotes.
Make sure you reset both your and your neighbor’s openers to ensure that there are no overlapping codes. Before you reprogram the remotes, confirm that the reset was successful by testing them.
Why does this happen in the first place? If your neighbour is able to have same frequency etc to open your door, is this a security issue with product. The bad guys now have access by cycling thru the frequencies.
Therefore, the solutions provided are inadequate and must be addressed by Garage Door Opener manufacture
My led light will not shut off. I hold the button but the light never goes off
Hello Kevin, are you referring to the garage door opener’s LED light? The opener’s LED usually takes about 3–5 minutes to turn off. Additionally, if your wall button has a motion detector, the light will turn on automatically.
I just bought a new pair of remotes, which now open and close my garage door just fine. My neighbour’s remotes now also open and close my door, though mine do not affect his door. I tried repairing my remotes, but nothing changed. My neighbour is a friend and very helpful, so I’ve removed his codes and reconnected his remotes, but nothing’s changed. My opener is a Sears Craftsman from 1993 and I don’t think I can reprogram it to new codes. If I buy new remotes instead of a new, updated opener, am I likely to resolve this problem?
Hello Mark,
Unfortunately, it’s not possible to erase the signatures on your current garage door opener, and getting new remotes for yourself likely won’t solve the issue. However, you can try the following solutions:
1. Get your neighbor new remotes.
2. Find a way to disable the receiver component inside your garage door opener and use an 850LM receiver instead.
If these options don’t resolve the problem, you may need to replace your garage door opener unit.