Remote-control garage door openers near the Blue Grass Army Depot in Richmond K.Y. may stop working due to military radio systems switching to a new frequency range. The U.S. military will switch all land mobile radios (LMRs) to new frequencies, which are also the same frequencies used by certain unlicensed consumer devices, like garage door openers.
These frequencies have been reserved for the U.S military and government since World War II, yet some garage door manufactures claim their risks of interference are low and chose to operate on the same frequency, which is between 380 MHz and 399.9 MHz, according to the news release.
“The military is authorized to use these frequencies, particularly for LMR systems needed for force protection, law enforcement, firefighting, transportation management and emergency medical first responders on military bases and installations. Because garage door openers operate as unlicensed devices under Federal Communications Commission Part 15 rules, they must accept any interference that may be generated by “authorized” users of radio frequencies,” according to the Richmond Register.
The interference will not cause garage doors to randomly open and close by themselves; the interference will only prevent the garage doors from being opened via wireless remotes. However, hard-wired controls inside or outside of garages are not affected by the interference, the news release stated.
It is possible that after the depot radios transition to the new frequencies that garage doors’ wireless remotes may still experience interference and problems, a corporate representative said.
Consumers are instructed to contact their garage door manufacturer for assistance.
“The manufacturers are ready to help consumers resolve interference issues. In some cases, the manufacturers will make replacement transmitters and receivers that operate on a different frequency available for consumer purchase,” according to FCC Public Notice DA 05-424.
