Having a garage for your car is an amazing convenience. It’s warmer in cold weather, cooler in the heat of summer, and shielded from rain and wind throughout the entire year. Unfortunately, a great deal of that convenience can be destroyed by one serious problem: the loss of the garage door remote.
If you don’t have your remote, you have to either give up your garage entirely or remove it from the track to raise and lower it–a serious inconvenience that can also leave you feeling as though your home isn’t adequately protected against the possibility of intruders in your absence. Your first thought on realizing that your garage door remote is missing is probably, “How do I replace a missing garage door remote?” Things happen, and like the other items that you carry with you every day, your garage door opener remote can disappear in the blink of an eye. Luckily, it’s not necessary to replace the entire assembly in order to make up for a missing remote.
Talk to Your Manufacturer
Look at your automatic garage door opener unit. Somewhere on it, there should be information about the company who produced the unit. If you’re really lucky, there will even be a phone number to go along with it! Call the company and ask about purchasing a replacement remote. In many cases, you’ll be able to purchase it quickly and easily over the phone. Make sure you have your model number on hand.
If you prefer not to put in the time and effort for a phone conversation, do a simple Google search for your manufacturer and model. In many cases, you’ll be able to purchase that replacement remote online, with no need to have a discussion with anyone. You can simply place that online order, then have your replacement garage door remote in your hands within a few days.
Try a Universal Remote
In some cases, you might have trouble acquiring a replacement remote. You might find that you have an old unit that is out of production or that your manufacturer has gone out of business. If you can’t find a replacement garage door remote online or by calling the manufacturer, you’ll need a universal garage door remote. There are two basic types of universal remotes that will work on your garage door. Like a television remote, they are intended to be fairly universally compatible, but you’ll need to be sure that you have chosen a remote that will work with your specific system.
A learn/smart button remote allows you to press a button on the unit and a button on the remote at the same time to sync them together. This is a quick and easy process that will only take a few minutes of your time (and, likely, a ladder that will allow you to reach the unit).
A DIP switch package uses a series of switches flipped on both the remote and the garage door opener unit to enable the two units to communicate. Typically, these are the type of remotes used by older units, which might not have the same wireless capability as newer units. They take a little bit longer to set up and may be more frustrating to install, but thankfully, there are still plenty of remotes available that fit this need. That means that no matter what type of garage door opener you have, you’re likely to be able to find a replacement remote that will work with your system.
Before deciding that you need to replace your garage door opener remote, it can also be worth your while to check your car. Many new models of cars come equipped with internal garage door opener remote systems that need only be keyed to your home’s specific frequency in order to enable you to enjoy the convenience of a garage door that opens automatically. This method, however, only works if you don’t need to pass the “remote” to someone who doesn’t drive your car.
Call a Technician
If you’re struggling to find information about the remote you need or having trouble getting it to work with your garage door opener, call in a technician who can help you through the process. Working with a professional from the beginning will let you know from the start that you have the right remote and take much of the stress off of your shoulders. Even better, there’s no need to worry about climbing up on a ladder or wrestling with tiny switches when you can hire an experienced garage door technician to take care of it for you.
Replacing the Unit
In some cases, you may find that it’s simply not worth your while to choose a replacement remote. You might feel that your unit is too outdated to be worth it, that you’re ready for an upgrade, or that you’re ready to replace the entire garage door for another reason anyway. In this case, instead of wrestling with everything needed to replace the remote, simply replacing the entire unit might be worth your while.
If you’re ready to replace your garage door or garage door opener, need a garage door opener upgrade, or need help learning more about how to find a replacement garage door opener remote, contact us! It doesn’t matter if you’re starting over and need an entirely new assembly or simply need some help installing your new remote. We’ll work with you to ensure that you have the garage door of your dreams.