Why do my remotes only work within 2 feet of the opener?

expert EXPERT November 07, 2007

There are a few basics you can check. First, be sure you have good batteries in your remotes. If your opener was at the warehouse or store for a while before your purchase it is possible that the remote batteries are getting weak.

Once you are sure that the remotes are able to send their signal as they should the next step is to see if the receiver is getting the signal. If they work from 2 feet away and the opener works normally with the wall switch then the most likely problem is an interference in the area. See the link below for more information on interference and how to trace it.

If you cannot locate any source of interference then you may need to consult a professional with a meter that can confirm the signal strength of your remotes and help pinpoint a possible source of interference. That can be a frustrating process since it may be something that takes some time and experimenting to find or even be traced to something that you can do nothing to change.

Another possibility is that you have a problem with the receiver itself. Typically that would require the replacement of the logic board to fix but you should exhaust all other possibilities first as the repair is expensive and, if there is some other source of interference, it still might not solve the problem.