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Start with the make, model and frequency of your existing remote(s), receiver or garage door opener. Openers over 10 years old normally have a separate small receiver box, externally mounted on or near the opener powerhead itself. SEE FIGURE 1 . The front, back or side of the opener powerhead should have three terminal connectors where the receiver connections are made. SEE FIGURE 2 . On the back of the remote or receiver there should be make and model information. SEE FIGURE 3 . Later Genie garage door openers have a seperate internal receiver card that slides into the power head chassis. SEE FIGURE 4 . Liftmaster, Chamberlain and Sears openers are equipped with a complete receiver/logic board panel. SEE FIGURE 5 . Frequency as in megahertz or mhz is the next consideration. Frequencies are manufacture specific and regulated by the F.C.C. . Liftmaster, Chamberlain, Sears and Genie use 390 mhz. Allister/Allstar use 288 and 318 mhz. Linear and Stanley use 310 mhz. Multicode uses 300 mhz. Both the receiver and remote frequencies must match. Another consideration is how to code or program the remote control to the garage opener or receiver. Earlier openers, receivers or remotes use digital technowledgy and are programmed by a series of small dip/switches to set the codes. SEE FIGURE 6 . Later model openers, remotes or receivers use rolling code technowledgy. Openers with rolling codes are programmed with a learning button. SEE FIGURE 7 . Both digital and rolling code external type radiocontrols can be installed as a replacement for early model garage door openers. For information regarding receiver/remote programming and installation procedures click here . For remote control products click here . |
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There are at least a few different garage opener makes and models on the market today. The two main companies are Chamberlain Group and The Genie Company respectively. Both companies offer retail do-it-yourself models as well as professionally installed models. Chamberlain Group manufactures garage door openers for Sears and has for many years. Inaddition Chamberlain Group also has thier own brand of do-it-yourself models. Chamberlain Group's high end openers go under the name Liftmaster Professional. The Genie Company also offers thier own retail openers sold under the name Genie. The Genie Companie's professional openers are sold under the name Genie Pro and Overhead Door. Actually Genie was bought by Overhead Door in the early 90s and then later bought by Sanwa Shutters. There was another great company worth mentioning that went under the name of Allstar, previously Allister then bought by Linear Corp. Allstar and Allister were well known in the Midwest and Eastern parts of the United States, they were around for many years. Allstar ( now Linear Corp ) only offered professionally installed robust garage door openers. It should also be mentioned that Linear has thier on line of professionally installed garage door openers as well. In addition there are also other emerging companies within the industry, such as Marantec, Sommer, Rhine, Hormann, Dominator, Seip, Wayne Dalton, Raynor and others. Lastly the companies out of business are Stanley-Vemco, McKinney Electronics, Heathkit, Crusader, Montgomery Wards, Sioux, Moore-o-matic, Access Master, Scientific Detroit, Automatic-Doorman, Ambassador, DoorKing, Electro-Lift, Crawford, Doorkeeper and more. Liftmaster or Genie ?... Up until about 1999 we had exclusively installed Genie openers. We now prefer Liftmaster Professional for all the right reasons. Liftmaster is fast becoming known for thier reliablilty, serviceability, design, simplicity, features, looks, security, parts availability, quietness and more. Judge for yourself... Just checkout and compare the parts diagrams for Liftmaster vs. Genie by clicking here . Also see the comparison matrix below by clicking here . Chain, Belt or Screw drive ?... We install certain garage door openers for certain applications. For example: on steel sectional garage doors we usually recommend chain or belt drive openers. For your carraige house or wood sectional garage doors, the Heavy-duty Liftmaster model 3595 3/4 Estate Series chain drive is the opener perfectly suited for that application. For heavy one piece wood doors the model 3595 is also a perfect match. Not only because of the power and strength but also because of the dual sprocket. The smaller sprocket of the two, runs at a slower speed, which is desirable for smooth operation on one piece garage doors. Both screw drive or chain drive openers have proven to work well for the lighter one piece garage doors. 1/3 , 1/2 or 3/4 horsepower ?... 1/3 and 1/2 horsepower garage openers have been around for many years. The required horsepower really depends on the weight, balance and type of garage door. 3/4 horsepower residential garage door openers were introduced by Chamberlain Group or Liftmaster in 2001. 3/4 horsepower openers have been used on commercial doors and applications for many years. Some of the time 1/3 horsepower openers can do the job, but work harder and make more noise in the process. Openers with 1/2 horsepower motors were considered to be top-of-the-line with more power, features and warranty. Than there are the 3/4 horsepower monsters. The 3/4 hp. Estate Series is Liftmaster's quiet, powerful, state-of-art flagship. Our two favorite Liftmaster garage door openers are the 3595 Chain Drive and the 3585 Belt Drive. Retail vs. Professional ... The main difference between retail openers and professionlly installed garage door openers are in the rail. Retail openers come equipped with multi-piece rail assemblies, where as pro model openers are installed with one piece rails only. Multi-piece rails make it possible for the retail consumer to fit a retail opener in the trunk of thier vehicle. It's pretty ingenious how these multi-piece openers are designed and packaged. However the problem with a multi-piece designed rail is the lack of strength and rigidity, in most cases they are downright flimsy. The pro model rails are far superior in strength and rigidity. With some makes and models there is not much difference between retail vs. professional other then the rail itself. Then there are the some professional models far superior in quality to retail openers. For the do-it-yourself customer, buying a retail opener can offer some savings if installed properly. Customers buying retail and then paying for installation may save very little. In some cases it actually ends up costing more then a professionally installed opener. Openers that are installed by a garage door contractor or professional can cost anywhere from a little less to a little more than a retail installed garage opener. Basically for about the same retail vs. pro price, a professionally installed garage door opener will be a superior product with an overall better value. Also the garage door itself should be balanced, safe and operate properly. The best garage door opener will not last as long and will not be safe, on a garage door that is not operating properly. The last consideration is the installation itself. You can have a good garage door opener with a bad installation or a bad garage door opener with a good installation. Why not have the best of both worlds ? |
| Liftmaster vs. Genie comparison matrix. | ||||||||||
| . | Posilock electronics * | Adjustable light delay | Motion sensor ** | Form fitted metal cover | Easy light bulb replacement | Protected compact clip-on safety-sensors | Long term parts availability | Ease of Service | Overall build quality | Modular design |
| Liftmaster | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes |
| Genie Pro | no | no | no | no | no | no | no | no | no | no |
| * Posilock electronics will automatically push the door closed during forced entry attempts. |
| ** Wall console with motion sensor available on Liftmaster Estate Series openers only. |
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