propwash Posted July 27, 2015 Share Posted July 27, 2015 I have a 2012 SEL with the Home Link garage door opener. To open my door, I have to be within about 75-100 feet of the garage for it to work reliably. There are times that I have had to push the button three times to get the door to open. Sometimes it opens so late that I have to stop in front of the door to wait for it to open completely before I can drive in to the garage. My wife's car does not have the Home Link setup. She just has the remote transmitter that came with the opener (this one is a Liftmaster brand). When I was driving her car last week, I noticed that I can open the door about two to three times farther away than I can with the Fusion. I was wondering if anyone else has noticed a reduced range with the Home Link system. It's not that big of a deal--more of a nuisance really, but after I press the open button, I have to keep looking at the door for a few seconds to see whether it's going to open or not. Like I said, it's no big deal, but I would like to know if anyone else has noticed this. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akirby Posted July 27, 2015 Share Posted July 27, 2015 75-100 ft is pretty far. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlueOval2010 Posted July 27, 2015 Share Posted July 27, 2015 Is it getting worse - battery ok? We have a lift master opener too, and my son raises it before he can even see the door. I tried to explain to him what a bad idea that is but it's like talking to a stone. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hermans Posted July 27, 2015 Share Posted July 27, 2015 I have a long 200 foot long driveway. I press the button at the end of the drive and the door opens every time. 75-100 feet does not seem very far. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
propwash Posted July 28, 2015 Author Share Posted July 28, 2015 Is it getting worse - battery ok? It doesn't seem to be getting worse. If anything, it's kind of inconsistent. Some days I can open the door from a greater distance than on other days. The battery tests OK, but how much influence does the battery have on the transmitter's operation? The engine is running and the alternator is putting out around 14 volts, so I would think that the transmitter is getting all the power it's going to get. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpyderByte Posted October 9, 2015 Share Posted October 9, 2015 I am in the garage door business, so I can speak to this with professional experience. Range differes due to weather, electronic intereference, and other factors. The FCC also put limitations in place over the years due to zero lot line properties as well. A positive side effect is the range limitation to criminal activity thru "grabbing" of codes. Another timing factor is the specific security system employed by the brand of motor, in conjunction with the other factors that limits the range. I tell my customers that you should always be stopped in front of your garage door (so you don't drive thru it) within 25 feet, and that you may need to hold the button for a couple seconds to allow the security (e.g. rolling code technology) to confirm that you, in fact, are using the authorized remote control (be it the car's built-in or a handheld) to activate the door. Pushing the button (remote or built-in) several times is actually just contributing to confusing the security feature of your operator. Push and hold is better than push, push, push. 75 feet is the usual range...anything beyond that is more than you need! It may take a couple seconds to allow the button to activate and approximately 12 seconds for the door to open...but waiting 15 seconds for the door to open completely is not a long time. You also don't risk the chance the door is not open fully and you slide on ice/rain slick asphalt in to the door...we make extra money in the winter from this exact situation. We have seen that some cars develop problems that interfere with the range and operability of the built-in remote, and even interfere with the handhelds...if any part of the cars' technology sends out signals it is not supposed to then the remote operation will not work properly. Always test a handheld remote first, and determine the maximum range with the garge door closed...then pull the vehicle within that range and try the cars' built-in without the vehicle running, and then try it again with the car running and try the handheld too. If there is any inconsistancy with the car on, then you are having issues within the vehicle itself. Try it on different days and you will notice a difference as well...those other factors. Hope that helps. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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