LM3800 Interference?

[jeffj78]

I have a pair of 3800's in the garage...everything works fine except the motion detecting/automatic light feature.

I can walk in the garage from the house and the lights may or may not come on. Even pressing the button yields Vegas odds...- couldn't get lights to come on today unless I opened the doors! Does anyone else have this problem?

Spoke with Liftmaster support today and they said the controls are to close to each other and interfering with the motion detection. After questioning this I was told they don't detect motion but they detect body heat. I have a heated garage so this doesn't help the issue. I was also told that there may be some "bleed over" between each wall control which is leading to the poor operation of the remote lights even thought they are hardwired.

Keep in mind, the door buttons and lock buttons operate over the same wires without issue...

They want me to run through 2 steps to determine what is going on:

1. Run the openers, the lights should come on - which they do.

2. Disconnect one wall control and move it over (difficult in a finished garage with conduit in the wall) to check if it actually is "bleed over".

Support did tell me this is a known problem (consistently inconsistent) with the 398LM and the engineers don't have a fix other than telling people to keep the controls at a distance from each other.

My wife and I are tired of dancing in front of the controls hoping the lights will come on.


Any ideas?

 

[LennyTheLizard]

I don't have any good advice, but I do have the same exact problem. I have a little space between my controls (almost one control button width of empty space) and still have the same problem. I guess that they work correctly about half the time. ...And the other half they just may never turn on unless you open the door.

 

[Rye425]

Funny mine stopped working too and I have them side by side.

 

[Sarki]

I've got 2 liftmaster 3800's with the same remote openers hardwired as well. The remotes are mounted directly next to each other on the wall next to the man door and I have the exact same problem.
Have to admit I feel better knowing I have company as far as activating the lights.....sure is frustrating

 

[jeffj78]

Well, I guess it's comforting (at some small level) that someone else shares my pain.

I cannot believe they don't have a fix for this. If my memory is correct, the 3800 has been out for years. My old Liftmaster openers never had this problem.

 

[AndyL]

Unfortunately I think you guys might be in the 1% range - multiple 3800s was probably not overly considered, as 99% of their users have just one door/opener...

Try taking out some lights, program One light to one wall station, leave the other two disconnected. I'd expect its the wireless comms that aren't designed for multiple installs...

You folks are honestly the first people ive met who actually installed the light so

 

[jeffj78]

Andy, if you don't install the light, what's the alternative?

 

[AndyL]

Depends on how you use the garage, and with what... some people have motion sensor halogens, some just flick on the light switch (most new cars keep headlights / drl on for a min or two after shut down). Some have used that light relay liftmaster/Chamberlain throw in with some openers...

 

[jeffj78]

Well, I wasn't able to get anywhere with LM support. I am going to extend the antenna wires this weekend. Compared with the opener, the light antenna's are extremely short. Perhaps this is the solution?

Does anyone else have short antenna wire on their remote lights?

 

[AndyL]

Do not adjust the wire length.

As odd as it sounds, the length of the wire sets the frequency... Increasing or decreasing the length will make reception worse...

 

[Mytwocargarage]

I have interference problems with my LM 3800 since it was installed, it's so random that most of the time LM support just sends me another logic board (board 3) but I know it's not the logic board. I'm surprised this wasn't a class action issue against them because I read all over the web that people have reception problems and the signal is random sometimes seems fine then others its BAD! I have to get out of the car and get close to the side of the opener and push the button. I've tried multiple remotes and batteries it doesn't make a difference, I think these openers were plagued with this poor reception problem that's why they upgraded the radio system in the new 8500 model. If someone was going after them for this issue I would jump on board because I honestly feel like they have pushed many to buy separate receivers claiming it was our faults. I had another Genie opener before I bought this one and it was working fine and never a problem with the reception, my neighbors have the same one and theres is still going strong, I replaced mine after I got a new door and this one seemed to be the best option at the time but reception has always been a problem. I honestly believe LM should have solved this problem for all of us 3800 users but I think we alone are cheap to pacify if we were all together we could force them to provide a solution to this problem. I'm familiar with the upgrade panel 888LM that may resolve this problem but irritated that it's not provided to us as a solution instead they will keep throwing logic boards like it should fix it. I also have 3 remote lights and they randomly don't work or stay on it's just crazy I thought I was getting a Premium/Elite product but it has been plagued with issues of reception. I tried an antenna extension and ran it to the outside of my house and it didn't resolve. I have to believe that the 8500 and it's new RADIO were not by accident they knew they had a problem and made a new receiver security+ 2.0 and new MAX remotes to resolve it. Mine hasn't worked correctly out of the box I wonder if anyone has upgraded there control panel and resolved these problems? or purchased the external universal receiver and fixed the problem? After all these problems no matter how much I thought LM was a good product If there is another choice I will buy there's when this one dies.

 

[larry4406]

I have this same problem in a single opener application, so there is not a second control to "bleed over' from. I have not tried to fix it yet. For a while, the light would stay on all the time, but I could manully turn it off. Now it does not come on at all via the sensor but will manually or when the door is opened.

 

[pattenp]

Are you just talking about the wireless remote lights not working correctly. I had a problem with my remote light at times not turning on and off and found out it was the magnetic ballast from my old ceiling lights interfering with the signal when the ceiling lights were on. At least I think that was the problem. I upgraded my ceiling lights to newer electronic ballast and the problem went away.

 

[porschedude996TT]

I never installed the lights that came with my two 3800's. They are both in the same building 40 feet away from each other. Never have problems with fided openers or remotes. Suggest putting an occupancy sensor on the light. I know they should work right out of the box, but it is a solution...

 

[Blk88GT]

I have 3 3800s in my shop and the lights are installed. I set them up to all come on if any one door is activated. I don't use any of the motion stuff.

I will say, the reception with the remote opener control from the car is really hit and miss.

 

[jeffj78]

Wow, this thread came back from the dead......

I never got anywhere with LM on this. I called in multiple times, even shot some video of it for them and supplied the link. They still say I have the controls too close. They have refused to replace any parts and I've offered on my own dime to buy parts but they won't sell them to me.

I have gotten used to being annoyed with them and the openers.

The current fix when the motions don't turn on the lights is to press the light button on the controls multiple times - that seems to work well after 6-8 clicks.

Besides the motion/light issue the latest snag is sometimes the doors will be operating and the lights never come on at all!!!

 

[Pootie]

I'm having the exact opposite problem. My lights never turn off!!!!!! Just gave up and turned off motion sensor.

 

[NewShockerGuy]

I've had hit or miss issues with my 8500's with the stupid wireless lights since day one.

At first the one unit would turn on when I walked into the garage and the other one I would have to jump around and then it finally turned on... then it got to the point that one control unit would actually turn on both lights, called Chamberlin and they said that the lights are horrible and that they are sending me a new one.

I unplugged the one that was causing issues and sometimes not turning on or off and replaced it with the one they sent me. Turns on now but still sometimes has issues with me walking into the garage and not turning on until I am almost jumping, where the other one turns on almost immediatley when I walk in... They are both side by side so I would think that one would turn on and same with the other, but it might be the angle or something? NO clue. But the tech from chamberlin says they have nothing but problems iwth the wireless lights. He didn't even question me when I said I had a problem, he just said "arg, yep" we will get you out another one... week later there it was on my porch..

-Nigel

 

[Cryptic1911]

Hm, we never installed ours