Sears Craftsman garage door opener. Remotes not working anymore

13 years ago

Hi!!

I just joined because I have a problem with my garage door opener.

Pretty simple: installed since years, it was working perfectly from the outside (even through the metallic garage door). Last week-end my neighbour installed the same model of garage opener (but newer!). Since then, none of my remotes (3) work from outside (of course I checked the batteries). It works inside the garage, or if the door is open, but as soon as the door is closed the range is too low. The garage of my neighbour is very close (shares a wall with mine).

So my first guess is interferences (I'll ask my neighbour to unplug his door opener for a while to check if my remotes work), it's just wierd Craftsman did not consider such a situation!! I think the only way to fix this problem would probably be to add the antenna extension kit (Sears part 41A3504)...

What do you think? Do you agree with interferences, does it make sense? Can 2 garage openers from the same brand work that close without interferences?

It's getting colder and colder, I don't want to get out of my car to open my garage !!! ;-)

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Comments (4)

don_1_2006
13 years ago
You are doing the right thing by asking your neighbor to unplug his opener temporarily. It is not common for one opener to interfere with another. I am including some additional information for you to consider.

Limited range of your remote controls could be related to radio frequency interference that comes from something in your home or in the surrounding environment. Certain electrical devices can radiate interference; this could be almost anything that is plugged into an electrical outlet.

Please keep in mind that the device can be brand new, or can be an item that has been in use for quite a while. Also, the item may continue to function properly as far as you are able to tell. The only problem with the item may be that it has started to broadcast the interference, with no other symptoms noted.

Some devices are more likely to generate interference than others. This includes TV cable, cable amplifiers, surge protectors, fluorescent lights, battery charging devices (power tools, golf carts, etc.), anything that utilizes a timer (sprinkler systems, lights, alarm systems, etc.), and a myriad of others. If the problem seems sporadic, we can safely assume that the device responsible for the interference is only being operated during these times. Again, please keep in mind that the age of the device does not determine if it is capable of broadcasting unwanted interference. Any electrical device can be the source of the problem.

Limited range of your remote controls could be related to radio frequency interference that comes from something in your home or in the surrounding environment. Certain electrical devices can radiate interference; this could be almost anything that is plugged into an electrical outlet.

Please keep in mind that the device can be brand new, or can be an item that has been in use for quite a while. Also, the item may continue to function properly as far as you are able to tell. The only problem with the item may be that it has started to broadcast the interference, with no other symptoms noted.

Some devices are more likely to generate interference than others. This includes TV cable, cable amplifiers, surge protectors, fluorescent lights, battery charging devices (power tools, golf carts, etc.), anything that utilizes a timer (sprinkler systems, lights, alarm systems, etc.), and a myriad of others. If the problem seems sporadic, we can safely assume that the device responsible for the interference is only being operated during these times. Again, please keep in mind that the age of the device does not determine if it is capable of broadcasting unwanted interference. Any electrical device can be the source of the problem.
mehcoib
Original Author
13 years ago
I did the test with my neighbor, but no change. Indeed, my neighbor's son told me his opener can not interfere with my system since the box doesn't broadcast any signal (that makes sense), only the remotes do when pressing the button.

So I tryed to extend the antenna from the middle of my garage to the wall (~13 feet), with the last foot going done (for polarization). Connection is ok, but no range improvment.

My 2 last ideas are:
* using a shielded wire for the antenna extension instead of a simple low voltage wire ;
* or, maybe the logic board of the opener is going bad. In that case, do you know how I get a new one?

Thank you.
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jimhanseng
12 years ago
I had this probelm with a band new top of the line Craftsman battery backuped up unit. After weeks of researching and service folks coming out. I figured it out... CFL Light Bulbs. Those little floresent bulbs give off radio interference signals. I removed them and the problem went away. I went from needing to be right up against the garage door to get it to open to being able to open the door from inside the car half way down the block.
mikemcjr
12 years ago
I have two craftsman garage door openers (model # 139.53629SRT) with three function remotes, outside remote keyless entry pad, and single button inside wall controls, and also remotes in our cars. Recently one opener stopped working with the remotes (original, keyless entry pad, and car remotes) but still works fine with the wall control. Reprogramming did not help, and the remotes (original, car, and keyless pad) all work fine for the other garage door. Is this a logic board problem? That is the only thing I can figure, but wanted to ask before replacing, as that is expensive. Thanks!