Security and Your Garage Door Remote

Are you concerned about the security of your garage door remote?

It’s wise to take a long hard look at the security of your wireless garage door opener and remote. A potential thief could access your garage, and perhaps even your house unless you follow some simple security steps.

Different radio frequencies can be used for communication between your remote and opener. Small switches referred to as dip switches are used to adjust the frequencies used. It’s a smart idea to reconfigure the dip switches to make certain your garage and home are safe.

A dip switch is really a small block of plastic about as big as a dice cut in two. They’re usually colored blue or red-colored with eight to ten small white switches that are set up or down. Only when the up / down switch match on the remote and the opener, do the unites communicate.

You can easily locate the dip switch on the opener and on the remote control clicker.

If the dip switches aren’t located in the battery compartment, you may need to open it up to access them. Remove the screws holding the remote together, or carefully pry it apart if there are no screws. Once you have access to the switches on the remote, scramble the switch positions, then match the positions on the garage door opener’s dip switch block. You need to use a random pattern that would be difficult for someone to guess.

After changing your frequency, if it’s not working, verify that the dip switch patterns are the same on both units. If that doesn’t work check the remote battery, and obviously, make sure the opener has power, and operates normally using the control panel inside your garage. If all else fails you may have to read the manual.

Even if you just got had a new garage door opener installed, you will want to change settings, just to make sure everyone is honest. Don’t forget, even the installer knows your frequency switch settings unless you change them. So go ahead and mix up settings and test that it works.

Even if you are a do-it-yourself type, you’ll want to make the same changes.

You don’t want to just stay with the factory default settings. If you do, then anyone could just drive down your street with a compatible remote until he/she finds a door that opens. Make sure that’s not your garage door.

This is also useful for anyone buying or renting a new home. For the same reasons you would change locks to guarantee there are no spare keys floating around that could compromise your home security.