The world is technologically savvy. Humans have an insatiable need to simplify their lives as much as possible but modern technology still fails us somehow, garage door keypads not exempted. Keypads are programmed with a security code that may require resetting once in a while.
To reset a keypad code:
- Go to the garage door opener and locate the light compartment.
- Press the button labeled “learn.” When you press it, a light comes on where you have 30 seconds to enter a new pin on the keypad.
- Enter the four-digit pin, then press “enter” to complete the process.
There are several aspects to a garage door; security, maintenance, versatility, and above all else, convenience. It has been established that many homes today that have young adults access their home more through the garage than their front door hence the need to install a keypad.
What Is A Garage Door Keypad?
A garage door keypad is typically a wireless universal miniature unit consisting of input digits used to access a building from the outside.
Gone are the days when people hide keys under doormats, rocks, or flower pots. Now the world is technology woke, and instead of carrying around and worrying about keys and remotes, garage doors are now installed with universal wireless keypads that are very convenient.
Initially, an individual had to go inside the house to input a code into the security panel installed inside the house. A keypad is unique as it enables one to access their home from the outside without the need to use either a key or a remote control transmitter.
Not so long ago, garage doors mainly came with only remotes control transmitters, and people were forced to have several sets for use by several household members.
But remotes and keys proved to be disadvantaged in many ways, so garage door builders designed the wireless keypad to counter the challenges posed by keys and remote units.
Today, garage doors come complete with a keypad installed as a backup system just in case you lose your keys or the remote fails.
Older residential premises with garage doors that do not have a designed keypad can now buy a separate keypad from the market and get professionals to install it for them.
How Does A Garage Door Keypad Work?
A garage door keypad is an entry system with an embedded dual radio frequency;
- The transmitter
- The receivers
The transmitter is in the keypad while the receiver is in the garage door opener. When you feed your identification number into the keypad, the command is sent and is received by the garage door opener.
Garage Door Keypad Troubles
As much as they are reliable and convenient, the keypad can sometimes misbehave, which can send you into a frenzy to find out where the problem could be.
Here are some of the reasons to look into if your keypad suddenly stops working:
- Your keypad might be old.
- Your keypad battery might be dead.
- The keypad needs to be refreshed and reprogrammed.
An Old Keypad
Like any other technological invention, garage door keypads outdo their usefulness after some years of use as they have a lifespan of about ten years.
The age factor plus exposure to different weather conditions make a garage door keypad wear off more quickly.
To be sure if the keypad needs replacing when it suddenly stops working, consult a garage door specialist to ascertain where the problem could be.
Keypad Battery Needs Replacing
The garage door keypad is powered by batteries that run out of power once in a while.
Other devices might alert you when the power in the battery is running low, but garage door keypads do not; maybe that’s the downside to this invention because they can go off without notice giving you some serious inconvenience.
It is wise and prudent always to have a set of new batteries stored away in your car for such unfortunate situations.
Keypad Needs Resetting
Several scenarios might happen and make you want to change the code on your garage door keypad.
At some point, your key is in your secret four-digit code, and nothing happens, and because the keypad and the whole garage door system are wired and powered by electricity, you may think that that could be the problem.
An example is when the keypad responds to open the door to the garage but fails to accept the close command. When this happens, the problem could be one of the following;
- Your keypad might be one of those that needs factory settings established and a new code reset whenever the battery is replaced.
- For example, when a keypad has been in use for quite a while, it may start misbehaving and losing memory. When you key in the code, it does not recognize it, yet it is the correct code, and no mistakes have been made. It is a signal to reset your code to boost its memory.
- There is also the issue of setting up a temporary code. Temporary codes only last for a while, and the system will stop recognizing them at some point, therefore, calling you to have a new code encoded.
How To Reset A Garage Door Keypad Code
Code resetting is a short process, but how to reset a new code depends a lot on the garage door opener type. But to make it less complicated, many garage door openers have a “learn” in their compartment.
When setting up a code to the garage door keypad, you must first make sure that nothing is lying around and no children are running around.
It is because resetting involves testing if the new has been accepted and is responding well.
Here is a step by step process to reset a new keypad code
Step One
Locate your garage door manual. The manual has instructions from the manufacturer on how to go about reprogramming your garage door keypad.
Read through the manual to understand how to go about it.
Step Two
Access the garage door opener using a ladder, then locate and open the light cover compartment. Inside the compartment is a colored square button labeled “learn.” The colors vary in different openers; they come in green, yellow, orange, or purple.
Step Three
The learn button bears your answer, and when you press it, a light will come on.
As we said earlier, the reset process is pretty short.
So when the light comes on when you press the “learn” button, it is your cue to start entering the new pin as you have approximately a 30 seconds window to complete the process before the light goes off.
Step Four
Feed your new pin into your keypad. It should be a four number digit.
Immediately press the button “enter,” which is labeled on the keypad. When you press the enter button, the keypad will signal that it has received the new code by either clicking or flushing once.
Step Five
Test if the new code is working by keying the new code to open and close the garage door.
If it responds well, then your reprogramming was successful.
Advantages & Disadvantages Of A Garage Door Keypad
The remote control is required to access mechanical garages, which means you can prevent thieves and make your car, garage, and home considerably safer. One disadvantage is that the electric garage door’s maintenance requirements are more complex than manual garage doors. You must carefully maintain them if they are to survive a long time.
Discoveries of technologically savvy gadgets simplify and ease our modern lifestyle in so many ways. Still, no matter how modern an idea or something is, it always has a few things that weigh it down.
As long as the good qualities outweigh the gadget’s challenges from time to time, many are sure to be accepted and adopted. A garage keypad is such a gadget.
Advantages Of A Garage Door Keypad
You drive home late at night, and on getting there, you realize that the portable remote control you usually carry with you by keeping it in the car refuses to work. It probably could be the outcome of a dead battery.
The issue here is that you do not have an extra pair of batteries in the car to help you sort out your impending predicament.
You are now locked out of your home, and if there is no one else at home, then you do not have any other alternative but to drive back to town to get yourself a new pair of batteries, but given the late hours, you are not even sure if you will get a store that is still open.
- It is recorded that most people who get locked out of their homes did not have a garage door keypad installed on their premises. Still, after facing the above scenario, they took the initiative of installing a keypad so that they have a backup system just in case something like that happened again.
- When you have school-going children under your custody, it is perfect to have a keypad installed. Children tend to lose their keys, and you might find it inconvenient when you are called over to open the door for them when they get home from school.
- Installing a garage door with a keypad has the added advantage of linking it to a remote alarm system that can go off if an intruder tries to mess with it.
- Remote controls and door keys get stolen most often, with the thief having the intent of breaking into your home when you are not around.
- Garage door keypads were designed with this kind of insecurity in mind; keypads eliminate the need to have several sets of keys or remotes for every household member and the need to change locks every time someone loses their keys or remote.
- The good thing about having a garage door keypad is that whenever there is a security breach, it is easy to gain back security by changing the codes, e.g., when someone outside of the home has access to the keypad, code can change without spending a dime.
Disadvantages Of A Garage Door Keypad
- Like remotes, garage keypads are powered by batteries; if you fail to replace the batteries from time to time, the keypad might fail at a painful time.
- Garage door keypads are programmed with a code that is four digits long. And because we have several gadgets with us that need security codes, e.g., phones, it always becomes a challenge to have memorized different codes for different devices. If your mind is not alert, you may input a wrong code several times, which may jam the system.
- Aside from mixing up codes in your head, you must create a unique code that young school-going children can easily cram and easily remember.
- Children may not be able to grasp the importance of not divulging the keypad security code to their friends and others as a means of ensuring security at home.
Garage Door Safety Measures
Your remote transmitter is not a plaything, so do not entrust it in the care of small children as they may make a game out of the opening and closing the garage door without supervision and may end up hurting themselves.
It is advisable to mount the keypad a least five feet above the ground. It is to make it accessible to young adults of age and adults alone, not children.
Make sure to be around every other time the garage door is being opened and closed. It is to supervise younger children and to make sure they are safe.
Caution
For security reasons, do not input the 1234 digits or any other digit that is easy to guess as to your garage door secret code. You will be risking a lot.
These digits are the type of digits strangers and intruders in their guesswork might try to key in at random. Instead, go for a unique choice of numbers that no one can easily guess and get right.
Also, make sure that you set different codes for different gadgets in your home; this ensures that a code that has been infiltrated does not get used again elsewhere within your home. It is a breach of security.
If you do this, you will be making it harder for someone to break into your home.
Final Thought
A garage door keypad boasts several benefits. The good thing about having a garage door keypad is that it is easy to gain back security by changing the codes whenever there is a security breach.
It is also prudent to have an extra pair of new garage door keypad batteries somewhere safe in your car just in case you may urgently need it.
There are also days when you can’t figure out where the instructions manual is; if you find yourself in such a situation, it will not hurt if you call a professional to help you out as they are experts in these situations.
You may have to pay a small fee, but a small fee is nothing compared to the amount of inconvenience you may otherwise face when you cannot drive in or out of your garage. Hopefully, if you find yourself in trouble over the keypad, the guide above will be your savior.
