Garage Door Remote Range Issue Eagan, MN

Recently we came across an opener that had been working great for years and then all of a sudden the door would only work if the remotes were within a couple feet of the garage door opener. This can often be the issue if a bad battery is being used in the remote, but what has been becoming more common is Frequency Interference. This can be caused by a multitude of reasons and is and extremely tough problem to resolve without changing either the radio board or the entire opener. After going over all the options it was decided that replacement opener that runs on a new frequency would be the best bet. After the Garage Door Opener Replacement the door worked better than ever and our Eagan customer was happy to be back in business.

What is Radio Frequency Interference?

Radio Frequency Interference or RFI is a common problem do to the fact that Garage Door Openers are at the bottom of the food chain when it comes to the FCC Regulations on licensed radio controls. They operate on limited power and have limited range to begin with typically a maximum of 50ft. Garage door openers can only respond to 1 signal at a time and can become easily blocked by devices that operate near or on the same frequency as their Remotes. So if you are having to get closer and closer to your opener in order for your remotes or homelink to work, you are most likely experiencing RFI. Here a just a few of the many examples of devices that cause RFI:

• Appliances Typically within 25ft of the garage door opener
• Airports
• Cell phone towers
• Radio or television towers
• Computers
• Cordless house phones
• Copy or fax machines
• Ham Radio’s

These are just a few of the many culprits that cause RFI, trying to track down the specific one can be a very daunting task. Often times the easiest answer is to replace the Garage Door Opener. LiftMaster has recently changed the frequency that their openers operate on to a much less busy Frequency, and for now seems to have far less issues regarding RFI. If you are having issues with your garage door remotes call 612-886-9606 today! We offer free onsite estimates and same day service is always available in the Eagan area.