A garage door opener remote is a device that can open garage doors from a location outside of the garage. These usually work by sending a radio signal to the garage door opener, which is usually specific to an automatic garage door opener. The garage door opener remote usually comes with any new opener, but replacement models can also be bought, some of those being universal in nature.
The garage door opener remote is a vital piece of equipment. Most of the time, a remote is simply a button, or multiple buttons on an electronic device. In some cases, it may be a keypad. While keypads operate somewhat differently, they still send the same radio signal to the garage door. It simply just requires the correct combination before a signal is sent.
Some garage door remote models will have more than one button. This is especially useful if the garage has more than one door and, consequently, more than one opener. In such cases, each button can be programmed to send a separate signal to each opener.
Due to the fact that a garage door opener remote is very simply designed, the buttons have this capability of controlling more than one door. Each button acts as a toggle switch. This switch controls both the upward motion and downward motion of an automatic garage door. Many remotes have three buttons. In larger garages, it is not unheard of to have three overhead garage doors. In other cases, two garage doors could be operated with the garage door opener remote, while an automatic gate is also controlled by one of the buttons.
One of the major criticisms of the garage door opener remote is the issue of security. It is possible to intercept a signal and use that to open a garage door. This is called code grabbing. Also, it is possible for people with a garage door opener remote to simply drive down the street and try to find another garage opener that has the same frequency.
To combat this problem, there are a couple of alternatives. Usually, most modern garage door openers will also send a code with the radio signal. Both must match in order for the door to be activated. Some also include a roaming code, so that code grabbing does not occur. This will usually provide a billion or more possible combinations. While this may be a more expensive piece of equipment, many may find the additional security it provides well worth the money.
