Why can't I use any remote on my gate

Why can't I use any remote on my gate

This is a question often asked. Aren't all gate remotes the same? why can't I use my old remotes on my new gate??

Remote controls for automatic gates or otherwise known as: hand held transmitters, zappers, clickers, buzzers, keys or do-hickys, we just prefer to call them remote controls to keep things simple. These days remote controls are small enough to fit on a key ring, have two or four buttons in case there is more than one gate or garage door and are digitally encoded for security. 
Are all gate remotes the same?
Will all remotes work on all gates and doors? Short answer no! You need to buy the correct remote control to match the receiver you intend using.
I have seen self learning remotes on ebay, will they work ?
Sometimes yes mostly no.. We get varying reports on these. Some get them to work but more times than not they do not.
What is rolling code for some gate remotes
Have a look on your remote transmitter to see if the words SECURITY+ or Rolling Code can be found. In my experience they don't say anything.. If you have been told that the remotes for your gate opener have the built in rolling code technology. This means that after every single use of your gate or garage door, the code on your remote transmitter changes. So can you see, it can be very hard to copy some remotes because of this, or one of the reasons you cannot use just any remote on any gate system.
In my experience, a lot of gate maker companies will not release the exact code they are using for their system, because they don't want anyone to hack it or use another brand of remote.  They want to sell their brand as part of their overall warranty.
Having said all that, You can install a small $39 universal receiver to your gate or garage door controller and use any remote you have. Just be aware that some receivers have a low limit to the amount of remotes they can take, but in one case I needed 50 remotes, so I just installed 3 receivers ...it all worked well. If you have any questions on this , just ask me...

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