wireless keypad

[bemidjibeaver1]

I am having issues with a wireless keypad and remote garage door opener. They only seem to open/close my garage door at a far distance. Has anyone else had these problems? possible solutions? Thanks

 

[inphx]

Doesent seem to make sense - may be a line of sight so the radio signal has no inteference between point a and b ... did you un roll the recieving antnna wire?

 

[pepi]

Sounds like sun spots, how far is the distance, can you see the garage door open and close?

 

[pattenp]

This has got to be a first. So the remote won't open the door even if you're standing in the garage?

 

[justsam]

What type of opener is it and how new is it?

I don't know what country you are in, but if I assume the U.S.A. than your operating frequency will be in the 300 to 400 MHz bands, and can certainly be interfered with but that usually results in poor long distance usability.

A poorly designed receiver can have front end overload and not deal well with strong signals, but with today's RF devices it is pretty easy to make a decent receiver unless you are really cutting corners.

Do you ever have any false openings, where you did not trigger it?

You can try to reduce receiver sensitivity by leaving the antenna wire inside the metal enclosure if it has one. That should reduce any signal overload issues.

 

[ForceFed70]

Sounds like sun spots, how far is the distance, can you see the garage door open and close?

Care to elaborate on that? I cannot fathom how you could atribute this problem to sunspots.

To the OP: My best guess is that this could be caused by signal reflection of too strong of a signal. You may want to test by partially blocking the signal. What happens when you cover most of the transmitter with your hands? Or partially wrap in aluminum foil? This could tell if the transmitter is too strong.

The other thing you could play with is the antenae. Is the wire straight? If so, maybe try chainging it's orientation (IE: String it horizontally instead of vertically).

 

[madosta]

What orientation is your driveway (where you are opening the door successfully) relative to the garage door?

If the door is N-NW from the driveway this could be the issue. If the orientation is between 345 and 349 degrees from TRUE north then the remote actually will travel around the globe faster using magnetic hyperlubricity as opposed to just going towards your garage.

I know it seems far fetched, but try this. Hold the remote upside down and press the button. Make sure you are wearing no metal buttons.

 

[Gary S]

Wireless anything is flaky on its best day and totally fails to work on its worst day, so your experience is what you can expect.
If you want reliability with electronics, run wires. If you can setttle for less than reliable, go wireless.

 

[djjsr]

If the orientation is between 345 and 349 degrees from TRUE north then the remote actually will travel around the globe faster using magnetic hyperlubricity as opposed to just going towards your garage.

I agree with this.

The permanent fix is to rotate your house.

 

[Teken]

I agree with this.

The permanent fix is to rotate your house.

Teken . . .

 

[wrench409]

If the orientation is between 345 and 349 degrees from TRUE north then the remote actually will travel around the globe faster using magnetic hyperlubricity as opposed to just going towards your garage.

Great, now what does he do on windy days?

 

[GMBracing]

what do you have for bulbs in the opener, I had cheap leds and cfls and the opener got intererence from them/ changed them to regular bulbs and no more problems