Learning how to clone a garage door opener is a must for homeowners with an automatic gate. Since remote gate openers are usually very small, it’s very common to lose them. Don’t wait for your current remote control to get lost. You have to start cloning it so you’ll always have a spare control.
Cloning a remote gate opener is not as easy as you think. There are certain steps that you need to follow and there are a lot of things that you need to prepare. We created a step-by-step guide to help you clone your garage door opener unit.
Steps to Clone a Garage Door Opener
Tools for Cloning:
- Screwdriver: This is used to open the garage door remote.
- Old Garage Door Remote: You need the old one for cloning purposes.
- New Garage Door Remote: For the new garage door remote, make sure that you only use a remote with a fixed code. Remotes with a rolling code will not be used for cloning.
Step 1: Check the Old Garage Door Remote
Check the original remote control and make sure that it is working properly. Test it out a few times on your gate to ensure that it is issuing the right commands.
If it’s not working properly, open the battery cover and try to switch out the batteries and see if the performance would improve. If there’s a problem, you need to get the old remote fixed before you start cloning.
Step 2: Look for an Area to Clone the Remote
You have to make sure that the area where the cloning process will take place doesn’t have any outside interference. Wireless devices should not be in the place where you will clone the remote controls.
The cloning process will only be successful if the new and old remote controls are working at the same frequency. To do this, you need to be far from devices that send signals. The garage would be a perfect place to do this.
Step 3: Clear the Code from the New Remote Control
The next step is to clear the previous code from your new remote control. This is a very easy process.
You just need to press two buttons on the remote-control clone at the same time. You will notice that the LED will flicker to tell you that the code has been cleared.
If the LED light did not flicker even after you press one of the buttons, it means that the code has not been cleared. If you press one of the buttons and the LED flashes, it means that the code has been successfully cleared. Repeat this step a second time to clear the code.
Step 4: Start the Cloning
Once you’ve cleared the code on the new remote control, it’s time to start cloning. Grab both of the remote controls. Make sure that you grab one on each hand because they have to be very close to each other.
The goal is to clone the code from the original remote to the new remote. Press one of the corresponding buttons from the original remote and you should do the same with the clone remote and press the same button.
You will know that you successfully cloned the original remote if the LED on the clone flickers.
Remote Troubleshooting Tips
If you followed the step-by-step guide and the new remote is still not working, there are a few simple steps that you can follow.
1. A New Battery is Needed
There is a possibility that your new garage door opener only needs new batteries. Remove their current battery and replace them with a new one.
2. You’ve Pressed the Learn Button for a Long Time
Your new remote will not work if you pressed the learn button for too long. Basically, you need to watch out for the LED to know if the code has been cleared or not.
A long press of the learn button will clear the memory of your garage door opener. There’s a chance that you’ve pressed this button during the programming stage. Because of this, instead of cloning the code from the other remote openers, you cleared the memory of the new remote again.
To reprogram the remote, follow the instructions from step #4 above and just repeat the process.
3. The Remote Has to be Reprogrammed
If you start using the new remote control, signal disruptions can happen from time to time. This would happen between the garage door machine and your remote control.
The best thing to do in this situation is to rebuild the communication between both devices. You can do this by clearing the code on the remote control and redoing the programming.
4. The Remote is not Compatible with Cloning
We’ve mentioned earlier that you need a compatible opener with a fixed code. This kind of remote control can only have a single code and it won’t change unless you do it manually.
If you used a remote control with a rolling code, the cloning process mentioned above will not work because of compatibility issues. It means that no matter what you do, the new remote won’t be able to open your garage door.
A different code is issued every time you use a remote with a rolling code. It is meant to improve the security of your home.
You can check the remote control and see if there is a “rolling code” label anywhere on the surface. This would indicate that the remote control is not meant for cloning. If you need a replacement, a remote with a fixed code is the right choice.
Final Thoughts
Cloning a garage door opener is one way to make sure that you don’t get locked out of your garage door. Although there are other ways to open your garage without a remote, it would be more convenient and less hassle if you have spare remotes in case you lose the original one.
Besides, cloning a remote is not too difficult. You can clone a few remote controls and always keep a spare one.
If you have any tips or suggestions when cloning a garage door opener, you can comment down below.
