If you have noticed that your Garage remote has stopped working, you changed the batteries with no effect you will then need to look at your new LED lights. As the problem may be caused by the electromagnetic fields in the LED bulb interfering with the garage door wireless device.
The LED frequency produces a signal that interferes with the ability of the door to open. Now that you have changed the light bulbs, you may be stuck in your garage all weekend, so it is time to take them out and change them to ones that do not cause any interference to the signal.
WHY DO LED BULBS INTERFERE WITH GARAGE DOORS?
The control circuits within the bulb are causing the problem with the garage door as they operate on a frequency of 30-300 MHz interfering with the frequency of the door.
Some LED bulbs have been known to prevent garage doors from opening, or even to open them on their own.
CAN YOU STILL USE LED BULBS IN YOUR GARAGE?
Yes, you can, it is just a matter of using light bulbs that don’t cause interference, and to do that you will need to pay a bit more for your LED.
In the cheaper LEDs, manufacturers are not using the shielding which cuts back on interference, and so the customer gets the best price, but the quality of the product is sacrificed.
Both the LED bulbs and the garage door operate on around 28-360 MHz causing them to interfere with one another. To solve the problem switch to a quality bulb and read the direction it should say, “This product blocks radio wave interference”. If the bulbs are Federal Communications Commission compliant and have an (FCC) logo, they are the correct bulbs.
LED bulbs are long-lasting, so the slightly increased price will make no difference to your budget.
Radio Frequency Friendly LED Bulbs For Garage Door Openers
| Brand | Type | Price | Rating 1-5 |
|---|---|---|---|
TORCHSTAR | 15W Garage Door Opener LED Bulb | $ | 4.6 |
Genie LED | Garage Door Opener Bulbs - Made to Minimize Interference with Garage Door Openers | $ | 4.7 |
Hamilton Hills Garage Door LED Bulbs | Replacement Lights for Opener - Damp Weather Resistant | $ | 4.6 |
Other Solutions For Garage Lighting If LEDs Still Cause Problems:
- Use an A 19 incandescent bulb if you still have one.
- Fluorescent lights are also a good choice for garage spaces.
- Buy a big flashlight and keep it in the garage.
- Large Christmas lights may also interfere with the frequency.
SETTING UP YOUR GARAGE LIGHTS
We have established that we don’t want our light frequency to intersect with our remote control opening garage doors, and now that we have realized what the problem is it is time to change the light bulbs again.
Your wife and kids are already convinced that the garage is haunted, as the door goes up and down seemingly of its own accord when you switch the light on, so once you have explained the reason, (it is a good basic science tutorial for the children who love this type of information), go and buy new (FCC) approved LED bulbs.
Install the new LEDs and you shouldn’t have any more problems.
An LED Bulb called a Genie light bulb is been specifically designed for garages and creates no radio frequency to interfere with the door opening.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What kind of bulb goes in a garage door opener?
An A19 incandescent light bulb or an LED bulb, but don’t forget to buy the FCC approved brand if you get a LED bulb.
Can LED lights affect WiFi?
All electrical devices emit electromagnetic radiation, but not strong enough to affect your WiFi.
How many lumens do you need in a garage light?
50 lumens per square foot in residential garages and 300 lumens per square foot in workshop areas.
GARAGE DOOR REMOTE CONTROL REPLACEMENT
If you have had your garage remote for years, it may be time to get it serviced or even to buy a new one. They get dirty, dropped, and don’t last forever, so like everything else they need to be maintained. You can buy a universal remote control and have it programmed to open your garage and turn on your lights when you are arriving home.
Garage doors are also much lighter and streamlined than they once were, and go up, or open very easily, especially with your new remote control.
In the old days when we only had incandescent lighting, there was no problem with radio interference, and many people are still learning about it and what can happen.
CONCLUSION
If the opener system has historically operated reliably and after changing the lighting to LED it begins to act unevenly, it is a good chance the light bulb is the problem.
A little shielding inside the LED can hold most of the Radio Frequency Interference (RFI) from escaping and can enable your garage door to work just fine.
You can see that LED light interference is not that complicated and we just have to reach an understanding of how it all works, and then do our best to fix the problem.
As with everything else if you are unable to resolve the problem, call in the experts as you don’t want to be electrocuted trying to fix anything complex yourself.
LED lights have been around since the late 1960s but like many other things they have got better and cheaper. So there is no reason why your garage should not be well lit without interference to the operation of your garage door.