Homelink Signal Strength weak

Hello Fish,
I have noticed this as well on my vehicle. Here is one thing that I found that helped quite a bit. My initial instinct was to grasp the mirror with my fingers while pressing the button with my thumb. I found that with my fingers on the back of the mirror like that it was somehow shielding (grounding?) the transceiver causing a decrease in performance. Try pushing the button with your pointer finger only and see if the range improves dramatically. For me it means I can hit the button from 100 feet away instead of when I get right to the door.

Hope that helps,
G

 

what kind of garage doors do you have?? ours are insulated and I've noticed that the homelink and my handhelds for my other cars all have to be very close to the door to work when the doors are down... Guess the insulation also cuts down the signal strength...

 

Hmm I was sure that would work. I think the signal strength is just weak. Make sure to hold the button for at least a full second (maybe two). Mine is definitely flaky as well and works from only half as far away. The only other thing I can think of is to find the antenna on the opener and attach a longer wire that will run closer to the door.
G

 

my homelink used to work fine...now it seems the range is terrible. has anyone had their's replaced through warranty?

 

The homelink sys is has the best range of any garage door remote I have used.

But; it is slow to issue the command. A quick button press/release does not work. Hold the button for a full second unless you can see the door start to react sooner.

 

I've followed all of the advice on this discussion. However, the homelink still doesn't work consistently.

It seems that the car needs to warm up before the button works fine. When I start in the morning, I have to push the button several times before it works. However, if I have been out driving for awhile, it works fine. Very weird.

Is there a separate battery for homelink that could be replaced? That's my theory...

Thoughts?

 

Try adjusting the antenna on the garage door opener it self and see if it helps -straight up and down worked great on mine there is a wire that hangs down from the unit

 

I don't know what frequency Homelink works on, but as a ex radio transceiver geek (build / mod your own) I can tell you in our modern environment, you wouldn't believe how many devices compete with YOUR device ... even things that are NOT supposed to be transmitting there. Anyone old enough to remember uhf - vhf TV with the hand turn knobs can tell you about that skum bag amateur radio operator one block over ... and how when he'd key up, it'd wipe out your incoming signal (it was probably me! )

All that to say it may not be YOUR equipment. We have bad reception for our cell phones at home. We're buying (what is in essence) a wireless signal repeater for our attic, that'll send out & bring in a stronger signal, similar to this:

CellPhoneAntennas: Yagi Antennas and Yagi Amplifiers Are Our Specialty

but we're buying from another seller, and less $$$. If you can find out the frequency ... and it matters enough to you, then you can do the same with the Homelink signal ... maybe close your garage from a neighboring city!



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I hear you, but the original transmitter works fine! So, doesn't that say that it's the Prius?

 

I’m having this problem now. My car (therefore, mirror) is 11 years old now. I live in a gated building with separate entrance and exits. I cannot get in the entrance anymore. At first I’d have to get closer...then closer...then angle juuust so to get the signal to connect. Then, it stopped working altogether (all occurring in an approximate 6 week time frame) this entire time I’ve been able to use the exit to both enter and exit (a little dangerous, but hey). No one else has this problem. I took the car to the dealer and they performed a test. They said the signal output is low and the only option is a new homelink mirror. New, these cost close to $300...then there is installation. I opted to order a used one on EBay (found one for $35) and install myself. There’s a shoe mount with a screw, along with a plug for the homelink connection. It seems super simple to replace. My only concern is that, if signals become low over time, how much time does a “new” used mirror have left? I didn’t invest much to find out. Also, I am still perplexed why it works so well at (either side of) the exit, yet not at all on the entrance side. The gates are not solid or insulated, but barred metal gates. Anyway, new homelink is probably the way to go.