Help! How Do I Change My Garage Door Frequency?

Published on By Champion Garage Door Repair.
(Last modified on May 23rd, 2024)

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Question:

I’m having problems with my remote controls working intermittently or not working at all. We suspect it’s due to frequency interference. How can I change the frequency of my garage door opener?

– Danny S.

Answer:

Fundamentally, you cannot change the frequency of your garage door opener, but there is a workaround available.

Some sources may incorrectly suggest that pressing and holding the opener’s smart (or learn) button for 10-30 seconds can change the frequency. However, this method only erases the garage door opener’s memory and changes the signature for wireless devices like remote controls, keypads, and cars, but it does not affect the opener’s frequency.

The workaround to change the frequency of your garage door opener is to use an external receiver that operates on a different frequency. With this method, your remote control transmits a signal to a hardwired receiver, which then triggers your garage door opener to open or close.

To do this, first find out what frequency your opener uses, then retrofit a receiver that uses a different frequency. For example, if your Liftmaster, Chamberlain, Marantec, or Genie garage door opener operates on 390 MHz, an effective way to change its frequency is to use a Liftmaster 850LM universal receiver, which operates on 315 MHz. In addition to changing the frequency, this receiver can significantly improve the range of your remote controls, eliminate frequency interference issues, and enhance the overall security of your garage door’s daily operation.

10 comments

  1. Someone stole my garage door opener out of a car. I bought two new universal garage door openers. Can I change the frequency on the actual motor so that the old one won’t open the garage?

    • Hello Greg, in your case you’d want to reset the opener’s memory and signatures (not frequency). You can do this by pressing and holding the opener’s learn (or smart) button for about 30 seconds. This will make sure that any remote controls and keypads that were previously programmed to the opener will no longer work.

  2. This article provides details about how to change the frequency on a garage door opener. This blog happens to be one of the best blogs, which gives proper details about it. I enjoyed reading this blog and would suggest others too.

  3. Hi, my neighbor has been opening our garage door for quite some time, so we installed the new garage door open, and the neighbor is still opening the doors. We did change the codes many times. They are doing it intensively to be bad neighbors, n they also kicked out the two previous house owners. They own the radio shop store, and this is how they are taking advantage of harassing the neighbor and using the radio frequency. She said she holds the cops; Cops don’t care. We need help. We are very concerned.

    • Hello Tina, thanks for reaching out. Would you be able to share the make and model of your garage door opener? Modern openers use secured rolling code technology which prevents replay attacks by generating a new code each time you use the remote control, so it’s unlikely that your neighbors are operating your garage door. Learn more about rolling code technology.

  4. Our garage door opens I think from someone else in our development when they push their garage door opener. I have never had this issue until the new people mived in across the street from us. How do I change my openers, I have 4 of them?

    • Hello Mark, you can resolve the issue by pressing the opener’s smart button for 15-30 seconds. This will erase the garage door opener’s memory and change the signature for any wireless devices.

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