My neighbors remote opens my garage door, what can I do to stop this from happening?

Coming home and finding your garage door open or having it open unexpectedly while you are at home

can be frustrating and even scary. Garage door openers use two basic types of programming for

remotes, the older being DIP switches and the newer utilizing a learn button.

If you have a learn button there are several frequencies your garage door opener operates on

depending on when it was manufactured and who the manufacturer is.

These frequencies are addressed in another article, but the programming procedures are basically the same.

If your neighbors garage door remote is opening your garage door the first thing to do is reset the codes

using the DIP switches or learn button. If this does not fix the situation then you may need to replace

the garage door opener or the circuit board to get to a different frequency.

DIP Switches

Older garage door openers used DIP switches to set the frequency of the garage door opener. (usually 9,10

or 12 Switches) If your garage door opener has DIP switches you will need to change the position of the

DIP switches on the opener(receiver) and then match the DIP switch positions on your

remote (transmitter). The DIP switches on the opener will be located on the back or one of the sides of

the motor. The DIP switches on the remote will be located under the cover usually in the same place you

install the batteries. Once you have changed the DIP switch positions on both the garage door

opener (receiver) and matched them to the remote(transmitter), this should stop your neighbors remote

from opening your garage door.

Learn Button

Newer garage door openers utilize a learn button to program your garage door opener(receiver) and

remotes(transmitters). To reset these units you will need to locate the learn button on the back or side

of the garage door opener motor. The learn button could be a number of different colors, but the

reprogramming should be the same. The color of the learn button indicates the frequency that the

garage door opener operates on. This color code is addressed in another article. To erase the memory

and reset the opener, you will need to press and hold the learn button for about 6-10 seconds, the light

should above the learn button should blink and then go off.

You are now ready to reprogram your

remotes(transmitters) to the opener motor(receiver). Follow the directions in the owner’s manual for

programming your remotes. Most models require you to press and release the learn button on the

motor first and then press the button on the remote you wish to program. When the receiver accepts

the remote(transmitter) the unit usually flashes and makes a clicking sound. Follow this procedure for

each remote you wish to program for this opener including the keypad if you have one. This should

change the codes and your neighbors remote should no longer open your garage door.

If these procedures fail to fix the problem you may consider replacing the circuit board or replacing the

garage door opener. New circuit boards cost around $150 plus the labor to install them. I recommend

having a garage door service technician make these repairs. The circuit boards must be installed

properly and care must be taken not to damage the electronic connections on the circuit board.