Garage Door Repair: How do Garage Door Outdoor Keypads Work?

With modern houses almost always equipped with automatic garage door systems these days, the garage door itself often becomes the main access to the home, replacing the front door as the place where the family enters and leaves. Kids coming in with bikes, Dads coming in with lawn mowers, Moms coming in with gardening tools, everybody uses the garage. It’s not just for parking the car anymore. However, not everyone can be expected to carry around a garage door opener remote. Systems generally come with one or two, and it is best that they stay in the car. But if the cars aren’t around, or the battery’s dead or, heaven forbid, one of the remotes gets lost, one can’t generally just turn a handle and open a garage door like in the good old days. The system is set up to work electronically. Because of this, most homes come with an electric keypad system for easy entry if a remote controller can’t be had. How Do Garage Door Outdoor Keypads Work? Outdoor keypads are a great solution for easy and safe access to a garage through the automatic door. Most systems come ready to be set up with a four-digit code, which, when entered, will make the door raise or lower. An outdoor keypad is, simply, a remote just like the one in the car but instead of a button, it uses a code. This, of course, makes certain that only people with the code can access the garage. It lets your family in and keeps burglars out. Some automatic garage door openers come with these already set up for use. The homeowner presses an access button set on the garage door motor which allows a pass code to be set. Once the keypad has been programmed with the code, it will always activate the garage door when the code is pressed. The keypad uses a battery for power and is mounted outside the garage, often on the wall right by the door. Easy safe access is available with the press of a few buttons. Even if your system did not come equipped with remote keypads, it is possible to buy a universal kit from a reliable manufacturer. In this instance, the code link is not set up at the factory, so the universal remote has to be made to learn the codes from the existing system. There are two ways that can work. Some keypad makers have access to the manufacturer’s keypad codes, and the remote is programmed by coding the wireless remote to the different model numbers available. Once you have access to the system’s radio signal code, you can program the keypad to your own four-digit code. The other option for a universal keypad remote is a “learning” feature. In this system, you program the keypad controller using the system’s existing garage door remote. You press a specific set of buttons on the keypad while holding your existing remote near the pad. The keypad learns the radio signal and can then be programmed with a custom entry code.