Using Homelink with Liftmaster Openers

[Samir]

Well, last night while I was having fun discovering I had a rms leak, I also tried to program our gate and one of the garage openers into the Homelink. The gate worked fine, but I can't get the garage opener to work.

I read the section in the manual on the "changable code section," but I can't really figure out what those instructions are in relation to. :( Any assistance appreciated.

[Eric (Plug Guy)]

Well, last night while I was having fun discovering I had a rms leak, I also tried to program our gate and one of the garage openers into the Homelink. The gate worked fine, but I can't get the garage opener to work.

I read the section in the manual on the "changable code section," but I can't really figure out what those instructions are in relation to. :( Any assistance appreciated.

You may have to erase all codes, then hit the 'programming' button on the motor overhead, at the same time hitting the homelink button on the vehicle. Takes two people. I've done this on some of my other vehicles (I have 3 liftmasters).

[Samir]

Well, last night while I was having fun discovering I had a rms leak, I also tried to program our gate and one of the garage openers into the Homelink. The gate worked fine, but I can't get the garage opener to work.

I read the section in the manual on the "changable code section," but I can't really figure out what those instructions are in relation to. :( Any assistance appreciated.

You may have to erase all codes, then hit the 'programming' button on the motor overhead, at the same time hitting the homelink button on the vehicle. Takes two people. I've done this on some of my other vehicles (I have 3 liftmasters).

Ahh, so you do have to actually do something on the opener unit. It sounded like that from the instructions, but it seemed a little far fetched. I guess it's the same procedure for adding a regular remote control to the opener. I've done that before. :D Thank you for the assistance.

[dphil66]

Samir,

I used to have an Audi A6 with HomeLink, and a "rolling-code" type garage door opener. The procedure is the same as for what you're describing.

"Rolling code" means that every time you push the button on the remote a different coded signal is sent out to the opener. This is a higher security design of garage door openers than the old dip-switch type, where your neighbor's opener might have the same code and your door would open whenever he opened his. I've actually experienced that with an older opener.

With the "rolling code" type, the garage door opener mechanism / controller actually has a "learning" mode, so that if you lose your remote control, you can buy a new one, and then "train" your garage door opener to recognize the new remote.

This is exactly what you need to do with HomeLink. When you program the HomeLink in the car, all you're really doing is telling your HomeLink what signal to shoot out at the garage door opener. You're basically teaching HomeLink in your car to act just like your remote control.

But once you've done that, your garage door opener mechanism in the garage sees HomeLink as a new and different remote control. Thus, you have to "teach" your garage door opener to recognize the signal coming from your car's HomeLink transmitter.

So, first program your car's HomeLink as you've done. Then, get up on a ladder in your garage, unscrew the light cover if you need to, and there should be a button that you push that puts your garage door opener in "learning" mode. (On mine, all I have to do is push the button once, and it stays in learning mode for like 120 seconds or something. This give me time to get back into the car, and press the HomeLink buttons until the opener works. Check with your opener's manual to be sure.)

Once you've pushed the button on the opener, come down off the ladder, get into your car, and push the HomeLink button (and maybe hold it for a second or two.) If your opener still doesn't operate, push the HomeLink button again. If still nothing, try it a third time. Maybe a fourth. My opener would always recognize my Audi's HomeLink signal and start rolling the door up and down on the second or third push of the programmed HomeLink button once the opener itself was in learning mode.

Hope this helps,

Dan

[Samir]

Thank you for explaining the theory behind what is going on. So putting it all together it makes a lot of sense. I've been familiar with rolling codes controls (which I knew the Liftmasters were), and am familiar with assigning a control to a door (we have 4 so I got used to that quick).

So this isn't that hard, except for one thing--the ceiling height is about 14'. :eek: My Corvette doesn't have any type of homelink system, so I've got the controls in the center console. I guess it won't hurt to keep one in the center console of the Porsche as well. :D

Thank you very much for the replies. It clears up a fairly vague section in the owners manual.

[dphil66]

Dude! You must get one of these. I can barely live without my Model 26:

https://www.ladders.com/index.asp

[Samir]

Dude! You must get one of these. I can barely live without my Model 26:

https://www.ladders.com/index.asp

Interesting. I've always wanted to play with one of those.