Hi everyone - I’m trying to figure out if I can add a new remote or receiver to my old Craftsman garage door opener. Google hasn’t been much help. I don’t really want to replace the opener since it still works fine; I just want something more secure than a universal remote. Has anyone here done this?
For reference, it’s one of those older Craftsman models you might have seen in '80s or '90s houses.
I know I could buy a new opener, but I’d rather keep that as a last resort.
I also thought about adding a smart outlet to the opener’s plug and using that as a lock, but I can’t find one that works only locally (without internet). Setting up something like a Raspberry Pi feels a bit too advanced for me.
If you search on Amazon for “HomeKit garage door opener,” you’ll find several relays available. You can connect these to the motor, and they’ll let you control most garage doors. As long as your garage door has a physical switch, these should work for you.
A garage door opener signal usually works by broadcasting a signal between 300MHz and 390MHz. On older models, there’s usually no verification or encryption, which means they aren’t very secure. You can find the frequency listed on your garage door opener or its box. In fact, your opener might even open other garage doors in your neighborhood if you drive around, which is a limitation of the older technology.
To make it more secure, you’d need to upgrade to a newer model that uses a rolling code for added security.
Getting the remote control part is straightforward, but disabling the current wireless function might be more challenging. Most likely, the “wall control” for your garage door opener just shorts two wires together. You could try using a wireless receiver and pair it with a CodeBump transmitter. This setup should work for opening and closing the door.
The tricky part would be disabling your old opener’s wireless receiver. You’d need to check if that’s possible or maybe even remove the antenna or wireless board.
That was my first thought as well. Disabling the old receiver and connecting something to the indoor switch seems like a practical solution. It should allow you to keep using the opener while adding a more secure remote system.
Great, thanks for the advice! The switch is just as simple as you mentioned—it shorts two wires together. I’ll check it out tomorrow to see if the receiver can be removed or disabled, and if it looks possible (which I’m betting it is), I’ll go ahead and order the products you recommended. Since they’re from the same manufacturer, they should work well together.
I should have mentioned that I actually have two openers, so I’ll get the appropriate remote and receiver for both.
Yes, you can often add a new remote or receiver to an old garage door opener. Check the opener’s manual for specific instructions on programming a new remote, or consult the manufacturer’s website for guidance.