Why do you have a garage door opener? Because you don’t want to get out of your car and open the garage door manually, right? You want to be able to just push a button and have the door open for you so you can pull in and get in the house.
There are a number of reasons for this, like safety, comfort, and just plain convenience. But the important thing is making sure you know how to get it done.
Note: This guide will go over how to setup HomeLink with your car. If you have a newer vehicle that handles the software via a touchscreen, the first few steps will be different than for those with the traditional 3-button HomeLink panel.
Getting Ready to Start Programming
When you’re getting ready to start the process you need to look at the area and prepare the space around your vehicle and your garage door. This means clearing out the area surrounding both.
Make sure that your car is turned off, so you’re not releasing exhaust fumes into your garage or near any of your family or pets.
Make sure that the area around and especially under the garage door is completely clear of items and, more importantly, people and pets. You are going to need to open and close the door multiple times during this programming process, so make sure everyone is safe.
Check your garage door opener to make sure that it complies with current U.S. federal safety standards. This means it should be able to detect if something is in the way of the door being able to close completely. It should also have an automatic stop and reverse if it detects something in the way.
Change the battery in the handheld device to make sure that it is fully charged and ready to go while you are programming and after.
Programming may seem like a simple process and you may not think that any prep work is necessary, however anything could interfere with the process and then you’ll have to start over. No one wants to do that. So make sure you don’t have to by taking the necessary steps earlier.
Let’s Get Programming
Once you’ve got the area cleared and everyone around is safe it’s time to take a closer look at your vehicle and the system that you’ve installed into your garage.
The steps we’re going to outline will presuppose that you have installed the motorhead into your garage and attached it to your garage door. From there, we’re going to look at what you need to do to make sure that the system is actually working.
Pre-Step: Find the HomeLink icon in your vehicle. This will likely be up above your head at the front of the vehicle. It will look like a small house, except the house will be a light that can turn on and off.
Step One: There are actually three buttons next to the HomeLink icon in your vehicle. To get started programming you will need to push the outer buttons until the HomeLink icon light blinks. This is only done the first time you are programming your vehicle.
Step Two: Push the HomeLink button in your vehicle and the transmitter button on the handheld device until the icon blinks rapidly. This will tell you that the two are synced together and that they will work in the same fashion. It allows the two to read one another. The light will blink more slowly at first and then speed up.
Step Three: Press the HomeLink button you’ve just programmed until you see the light. If it is solid then it means you’re done. If it blinks for a couple seconds first then turns solid you have a few more steps to go.
Step Four: Go into the garage to the unit you’ve installed and look for the button labeled ‘learn’ or ‘smart.’
Step Five: Go back to the vehicle and press the HomeLink button that you’ve just programmed. You will need to do this within 30 seconds of pressing the button on the system inside of your garage. You may have to push the button in the vehicle more than once in order to get the door to open and close properly.
Do You Need a Garage Door Opener?
The short answer is, not necessarily. After all, you could choose to get out of your car every day, let yourself into your garage, turn on the lights, pull the garage door open manually, exit your garage, pull your vehicle in, exit the vehicle, pull the garage door closed manually, and then go into your house.
Are you tired just reading that because we’re tired just typing it all out.
So, no you don’t have to have a garage door opener. But won’t it be a whole lot easier if you can just pull up to the garage, push a button, pull the car in, push another button and be done? That definitely seems easier.
You can be ready to get on with your day in no time and that’s the most important part, right? All you need to do is install the motorhead in your garage and follow the steps that we’ve outlined above to get the remote and the buttons on your vehicle programmed. From there, you’re going to be ready to go, no matter the weather outside.
Find What You Need
HomeLink is likely already available in your vehicle, which means it’s super simple for you to program and be ready to go. All you need to do is get it set up for yourself. Luckily for you, the professionals at HomeLink can take care of everything for you. You just sit back and relax. What could be easier than that?
If you’re looking to get your garage door opener working these five steps are going to make the process as simple as possible. You’ll then have two different ways you can open your garage door. The first is by pushing the programmed button directly in your vehicle. The second is by using the handheld transmitter, which can be moved or used wherever you want. It’s going to make things a whole lot easier for you.