Raynor introduced a new model of garage door that is excellent for businesses that have docks or bays where fork lifts and fork trucks move pallets. The door sections are able to flex if they are accidentally hit which could save a company from spending money on service calls and lost time from a door that is inoperable.
Samy
Kamkar, a security researcher, hacked a Mattel toy to scan every
possible garage door opener combination and open them in seconds. No
need to panic and unplug your operator though. It only works on fixed
code receivers and the hacker would also need to know what frequency the
receiver was.
If your operator is from approximately 1995
to present then you most likely don't have a fixed code receiver on your
opener. Check yours by opening the battery compartment on your remote.
If you see DIP switches (that can be moved to + or -) then you have a
fixed code otherwise you don't. Operators made over the past 20 years
have used a rolling code type of security so this hacked toy would not
work on them.
Fixed code was mostly used in the 1970's and 1980's
but is still in use today on thousands of garage door openers. I
wouldn't be too worried though since Kamkar disabled the code used to
hack the toy so someone couldn't copy it. The hacker would also need to
know if your garage door opener had a fixed code receiver and the
frequency of the receiver.
It's an interesting story and good to
be aware of but not something anyone should panic over. There's one way
burglars get into garages more than any other way...people leave the
garage door open! So if you really want to be safe then close the garage door. Even if you are just working in the yard or in the house it only takes a dishonest person seconds to steal your stuff. If you do have a fixed code receiver on your operator and you're still worried about it then either buy a new garage door operator or upgrade the radio receiver & remote with a secure rolling code receiver like the Liftmaster 365LM Receiverand 371LM Remote.
We all do it. Something breaks in our house so we pull out the yellow pages or do a quick search online and call the first number of a repairman or company we see. Most of the time the person shows up, fixes the problem, you pay the bill and they leave. No problem.
Were you just lucky or are most repairmen and service companies good honest businesses? In my opinion (and from my experiences) I would say that most companies are on the up and up. They'll do a good job for a reasonable fee. That doesn't mean that there aren't a few bad apples in the mix though. Do yourself a favor and do a little background check before calling the next service company. Ask your neighbors and friends who they've used and what their experience has been. Finding a recommended company or individual shouldn't be too hard. Rossen Reports from NBC did a hidden camera investigation on garage door repairmen. Watch the 5 minute below to see some of the "bad apples" you need to avoid.
That should give you something to think about before calling the next serviceman to your house. If the repair is small or easy you may want to try doing it yourself if you're handy. Some repairs (like the one in the video) are easy to do if you know what you are looking for. Do a little bit of research on the internet and you may just find the solution to your problem. Contact Us with you're problem and we may be able to help with a solution and the part you need. Shop at the Garage Door Zone for your garage door and operator repair parts.
Below is a short video on how to find out which remote or keyless entry will work with your older Raynor garage door operator. This basically covers the Raynor operators made pre-1998 and include the following models: Flitestar, R170, R270, R160, R260, R150, R250, R130, R120 and R110.
You'll need to remove the external radio receiver from the back of the garage door operator and write down the manufacturer, model number, radio frequency and any other information you find on the back of the receiver. Once you have that info send us an email and we'll try to determine which (if any) remote control or keyless entry will work with your operator.
How long does the battery last in the Marantec M3-2312 remote and how
do you get the remote apart to change the battery? These are common
questions so here is a quick video with the answers.
If you need a new Marantec remote or replacement batteries please visit the Garage Door Zone
With 1,800 different colors in the lineup there's no reason why you can't get just the right color of door for your home from Raynor Manufacturing. They have a pretty strict painting process but in the end you'll get a beautiful garage door that matches your home. They also paint the exterior vinyl weather seals and decorative glass inserts to match the door color.
Check out the video of the Raynor Post Paint Process:
Now you can monitor your garage door from any room in your house. Simple installation and setup. Visit the Garage Door Zone Store to find more information or to purchase the 829LM Garage Door Monitor.
You just installed a new garage door opener in your garage. The old opener is laying in the corner with a bag of empty cans. What do you do with this old junk? You turn it into a can crushing machine of course!
I'm not sure how long it took to make this or how practical it is (my foot does a pretty good job of crushing cans) but I'll give him kudos for using his brain.
