garage door opener signal strength too good...help

rowlex · 01-31-2006, 3:57 PM

Hey guys...maybe someone knows more about this then me, anyway i have a craftsman 1/2hp garage door opener on my garage.

Problem is the signal strength is way too good, (I live in an apartment) and I can activate the opener all the way from inside my APT, and a lot of times my girlfriend will leave her opener in her purse on the floor. I am worried to hell I will step on it and open my garage for thieves. Now there is a wire on the side of it I believe to be an antenna...if I cut it shorter will it decrease the signal strength?

TIA!

navydevildoc · 01-31-2006, 4:07 PM

You have to be careful with that... antenna harmonics are a tricky matter... certianly cutting it will drop the signal stregnth, but it may also render the transmitter useless. Believe it or not, that wire is cut to an exact length that matches up with the frequency the remote uses.

Look on the label on the back, or possibly in the battery compartment. Does it list the frequency it uses? Or at least the FCC ID?

sheepofblue · 01-31-2006, 4:54 PM

Wear the battery down

Baketech · 01-31-2006, 5:00 PM

You could try the Tigerblade method and line your entire house with tin foil...

Silent_Assassin · 01-31-2006, 6:15 PM

coiling the wire up and just using a cable tie to keep it together may lower the range a bit.

rowlex · 01-31-2006, 7:49 PM

I'll try coiling it up then. FCC ID = HBW2028

TraumaOne · 01-31-2006, 8:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rowlex

I'll try coiling it up then. FCC ID = HBW2028

sweet, now we can all get in your garage!

j/k I have no idea what that # means...

navydevildoc · 01-31-2006, 8:19 PM

So it's a Chaimberlain Garage Door Opener? I am looking at all the FCC docs now.

navydevildoc · 01-31-2006, 8:36 PM

OK.... it looks like it's about 4.5" now? That would match up with the FCC documentation.

If the coiling doesn't work so well, you can cut it to half its length.

The problem is, if it's a small enough apartment, it may just reach even if you cut the whole thing off. Your opener runs at 315 MHz in the VHF band, which cuts through walls pretty easily.

TraumaOne · 01-31-2006, 8:40 PM

disconnect the battery when you come in?

ConqSoft · 01-31-2006, 8:41 PM

Do they make a remote with a "safety" on it?

iridered · 01-31-2006, 9:03 PM

I know this really doesn't solve your problem, but I believe Sears sells a device that tells you if your garage door is up from anywhere in your house. I believe it has a couple of LED's. When you garage door goes up, this wireless devices turns on a red LED to warn you that the door is up and then either shuts off or turns to a green LED when it is down. May not be a solution to your problem, but it may help.

sheepofblue · 01-31-2006, 9:20 PM

Get a decorative metal box for her to store her purse in

CBRVFR · 01-31-2006, 11:38 PM

Get a new girlfriend.

rowlex · 02-01-2006, 1:08 AM

lol this is the best girlfriend of found so far

Navydevil: thanks for looking into this so much! it is a craftsman door opener, and the antenna wire is about 12 inches long... My apartment is probably a block or so away from the garage so it's a pretty good distance.

iridered: i'll definently look into that

I have not seen a remote with a safety feature over the button. I had the remote in my jacket pocket yesterday when I was sitting on my bike waiting for it to warm up and I even accidently opened it...

You guys can try to get the bike out of the garage I also have it cabled to the wall

OSIRIS · 02-01-2006, 8:51 AM

http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/product.do?BV_UseBVCookie=Yes&vertical=TOOL&pid=00 953696000

Here's the thing that iridered might have been talking about. Could be worth a try

MACI4LIFE · 02-01-2006, 2:46 PM

why would she have the opener?? make her use the keypad if it's such a big issue. I'd assume that the bike and a car can fit in.

rowlex · 02-01-2006, 3:51 PM

that's awesome guys thanks a LOT! we are gonna buy that monitor!

rowlex · 02-01-2006, 3:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MACI4LIFE

why would she have the opener?? make her use the keypad if it's such a big issue. I'd assume that the bike and a car can fit in.

She doesn't like the keypad... "too much trouble i hate that thing" and it's pretty big/bulky, besides I like using it so I KNOW I can't screw up and leave the door open lol.

The bike and her car plus a bunch of my tools are in the garage.

Twincam · 11-12-2007, 6:04 PM

Isnt there a sort of box/cover you can get that will stop you from opening it? It is the cheapest idea ive heard so far, well apart from getting a new GF etc.

dattaway · 11-13-2007, 9:40 AM

Wow this thread woke up from the dead!

I had this problem with my opener in a bad way, so I ripped the rubber outer buttons off and pressed silicone sealant into the holes. No more button sticking out. Now I push my fingertip into the remote. No more walking into the garage and finding the door had been open all night!