# Homelink operation seems sporadic



## just4fun (Oct 29, 2006)

I have noticed my homelink seems to operate sporadically. Sometimes it will activate the garage door with one push of the button, other times it takes 2, 3 or even 4 pushes to activate. (I have tried quick push and release, and holding the button for a few seconds, holding works best)
I have watched closely, and the indicator light is blinking all times, so there appears to be consistent power to the unit, and a signal being sent.
Just wondering if this might be a compatibility issue with my particular garage door opener, or if others are finding the homelink operation similar?
(note: garage door opener is a Liftmaster, about 6-7 years old, and has worked well with any other homelink system I've tried)
Kevin











_Modified by just4fun at 6:22 AM 4-18-2007_


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## EOSmage (Feb 9, 2007)

*Re: Homelink operation seems sporadic (just4fun)*

I've noticed the same thing with the opener, and find that I have to press and hold the button for about 2 seconds to "activate" the garage door.
I thought this was normal, to ensure that the button isn't activated by mistake when "lowering" or "raising" the visor.
It has never failed to open the door, just that it takes a couple of seconds to be sure that I really want to "send" the signal out.
If you push and hold yours for 2 seconds and the door doesn't open, I'd try using another homelink transmitter to see if the door is working properly... perhaps try it on a friend's door and see if it is more consistent. At least that way you will be able to take some test results in with you to VW should you need to have the official doctors check it out.


_Modified by EOSmage at 7:53 AM 4-18-2007_


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## just4fun (Oct 29, 2006)

*Re: Homelink operation seems sporadic (EOSmage)*

Hi Jon, how's the weather on the wet coast these days?
The garage door works fine with the homelink in the van, and although my current truck doesn't have homelink, my past two did, and homelink worked fine with the garage door on both trucks.
Since yours seems to work consistently, I think I can narrow it down to either the homelink not transmitting properly, or, more likely, the rotating security codes in my opener doesn't like the homelink version in the Eos.
I think I may try programming one of the other buttons, just to see if it makes any difference.
Thanks
Kevin


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## RehwinkelEOS (Nov 5, 2006)

*Re: Homelink operation seems sporadic (just4fun)*

I haven't had any problem with our EOS Homelink. The garage opener was replaced last year with a new Liftmaster.


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## EOSmage (Feb 9, 2007)

*Re: Homelink operation seems sporadic (just4fun)*

Hey Kevin:
It's been rain followed by rain. We've had a few days of "hide the roof" weather, but not consistent enough for me yet. It is mostly warm (10-15 celcius) so I really shouldn't complain-- I think I'm happier with rain than with snow.
I hope you find the solution to your Homelink transmission issues. If you do enough research yourself, you might just fix the problem; if you don't, then you'll be able to give the Service specialists a super jump-start on the diagnostic process.
Good luck to you!


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## shawshank2 (Feb 26, 2007)

*Re: Homelink operation seems sporadic (EOSmage)*

i'd just bring it back to the dealer under warranty


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## neweosowner (Nov 25, 2006)

*Re: Homelink operation seems sporadic (just4fun)*

I seem to have the same behaviour. I attribute it in part to distance (as I drive through an underground parkade to reach my opener) - I don't recall having pressed it 5 or 6 times and the door still not opening. I haven't done a survey of when it works and why.


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## just4fun (Oct 29, 2006)

*Re: Homelink operation seems sporadic (neweosowner)*

I had the opportunity to experiment a bit last weekend.
I took Jonathon's suggestion and tried programing the homelink to a different garage door. This particular door had an older opener that did not use rolling code for security. The home link seemed to work consistently after several open and close cycles.
I cleared all programing from the homelink transmitter and then re-programmed it for our garage door opener. The operation is still a bit sporadic, opens fine on the first push a few times, then takes two or three pushes to activate the door, etc, etc.
After seeing the homelink transmitter work fine with the other garage door opener, I'm fairly certain the homelink transmitter itself is working fine, and the difficulty has something to do with the rolling code security feature of my particular door opener.
As long as it doesn't get any worse, I can live with it the way it is, and with a bit of luck it may get better as the homelink and the door opener "adapt" to the rolling codes.
Kevin


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## EOSmage (Feb 9, 2007)

*Re: Homelink operation seems sporadic (just4fun)*

I would still take it to a friend who has a rolling code unit and see if it works more regularly with another door opener. The rolling code is a tricky part of the homelink technology, so you probably want to be sure that the car is working 100%.
Testing with another door using rolling code will confirm that for you. I guess another test would be to get your local dealer to "test drive" another EOS over to your house, and see if another visor works better.


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## ashbinder (Nov 27, 2006)

*Re: Homelink operation seems sporadic (EOSmage)*

Hi Kevin,
I have a garage door with rolling code tech and Homelink - I find the remote buttons in the vehicle to be less responsive than the ones in my Jeep Liberty, but they work fine!
Yes, it did arrive - I will be posting a little something later about that!


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## just4fun (Oct 29, 2006)

*Re: Homelink operation seems sporadic (ashbinder)*


_Quote, originally posted by *ashbinder* »_Yes, it did arrive - I will be posting a little something later about that!

Congrats Mike!!
You are aware that if you have owned the car for more than 15 minutes, and you haven't posted pictures yet, you are in direct violation of forum protocol.
Kevin


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## PanEuropean (Nov 3, 2001)

*Re: Homelink operation seems sporadic (just4fun)*


_Quote, originally posted by *just4fun* »_I have noticed my homelink seems to operate sporadically.

There are a lot of variables involved with garage door openers, however, the power output of the opener is not one of them... the FCC regulates how much transmission power the opener can put out, and every manufacturer constructs their opener to transmit at "maximum power".
When I purchased my first VW with Homelink, I found that it didn't seem to work as effectively as the stand-alone opener that had before. This is probably because the stand-alone opener was clipped to the underside of the visor, and thus had a clear shot - direct line of sight - out the windshield. The Homelink openers are embedded in the visors, and I am sure that the visor must attenuate a bit of the signal.
Two suggestions for you, based on my own experience:
*1)* You probably don't need all three buttons on the Homelink, so, program all three of them to open the same garage door, and then experiment to see if one button works better than the other two. The original garage door opener that you use to program the Homelink is not exactly a precision piece of electronics, thus it is possible that there might be a tiny variation in the frequency that is memorized when you program all three buttons. Exploit that variation to your advantage.
*2)* Experiment with moving the visor downwards (or even upwards) slightly before you press the button. That might give the transmitter in the visor a better line of sight to the antenna inside the garage.
Michael


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## ashbinder (Nov 27, 2006)

*Re: Homelink operation seems sporadic (just4fun)*

lol...I am aware of that Kevin - however, I won't get access to a digital camera until the end of this week!
However, I think it will be informative for anyone looking for a base 2.0T Eos, since I was surprised a little when it arrived.
Anyways, I digress - more details later!
Thanks! Hopefully, you've be enjoying the nice weather we're going to get!
Mike


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## just4fun (Oct 29, 2006)

*Re: Homelink operation seems sporadic (PanEuropean)*


_Quote, originally posted by *PanEuropean* »_
Two suggestions for you, based on my own experience:


Hi Michael,
As always your suggestions are well thought and welcome. I have tried both suggestions already (except I only programmed two of the three buttons).
There does not appear to be any difference if the sunvisor is up or down. This may make a difference if trying to open the door from a distance, but I'm always within 4-6 meters of he door.
On a positive note, the homelink may be getting "in synch" with the door opener. I haven't had to push it more than twice over the past couple days, and it seems to working more often on the first press. Too early to tell for sure, but maybe the opener is "adapting" to the homelink.


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## PanEuropean (Nov 3, 2001)

*Re: Homelink operation seems sporadic (just4fun)*

I wonder if we have any forum members who are electronics or RF engineers by profession - folks that could perhaps give us some guidance about improving the functionality of the antenna on the garage door opener (not the Eos).
I have occasionally looked up at the garage door opener in my house, seen a little dinky wire about a foot long dangling down from it (the antenna, I presume) and wondered if there could be some way of "extending" this antenna so that it was on the outside of the house. I'm sure that would be a more effective and practical way of improving the efficiency of the Homelink device - but the problem is this: I know squat-all about the design and function of the reception antenna on the actual garage door opener.
So - do we have any specialists here on the forum?
Michael


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## ehdg eos (Sep 9, 2006)

*Re: Homelink operation seems sporadic (PanEuropean)*

Well I finally figured out how to program my Homelink. Granted I haven't driven the car much and finally had some time to really sit down read closely and have the time to figure it out. What I was doing wrong was a couple of things. First off I didn't have the the key in the ignition and it turned to power up the car. Secondly you really do need to hold the buttons down for a while and be patient. It takes some time and isn't a quick 1 2 3 thing. But at least I finally have it programmed for one of the garage doors.


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## Svenborg (Jan 22, 2007)

*Re: Homelink operation seems sporadic (ehdg eos)*

I battled with my Toyota 4Runner Homelink setup for a couple of Saturdays when I first got it...and it never really worked very well at all. I have a SteelCraft opener that has the Homelink rolling code built into it so I am going to try to get this here EOS to make it work as the second controller from the SteelCraft opener does not work as well as I was hoping.... oh and Kevin...I too have violated the no pics rule.....







...







.


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## just4fun (Oct 29, 2006)

*Re: Homelink operation seems sporadic (Svenborg)*


_Quote, originally posted by *Svenborg* »_
.... oh and Kevin...I too have violated the no pics rule.....







...







.

I take it this means you got your Eos. Congrats.
Shame on you for not posting pics. I just got back from a couple days in GP, I didn't see your car around town.... Double shame for not cruising around and showing it off.


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## just4fun (Oct 29, 2006)

*Re: Homelink operation seems sporadic (just4fun)*

Just a quick update.
The homelink seems to be getting more reliable. It activates the door on the first push most of the time now, but occassionaly it still fails and requires two or three pushes.
Not sure if the homelink is adapting to my opener, or if I'm adapting to the homelink.
Kevin


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## PanEuropean (Nov 3, 2001)

*Re: Homelink operation seems sporadic (just4fun)*

Kevin, don't feel bad... my garage door doesn't always open on the first push, even if the bumper is 2 feet away from the door. In my case, the problem is with the garage door opener, not with the Homelink device. I have button 3 of the Homelink programmed to open the garage door leading into the service department of my VW dealership, and it works from 50 feet away, because the installation at the VW dealer is a commercial (professional) installation, and it has an outside antenna.
Michael


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## solarflare (Mar 28, 2007)

*Re: Homelink operation seems sporadic (PanEuropean)*


_Quote, originally posted by *PanEuropean* »_I have button 3 of the Homelink programmed to open the garage door leading into the service department of my VW dealership, 
Michael

This probably isn't good advertising for VW quality







Seriously, I understand your relationship with your dealer. I could have used one of these on my previous pontiac http://****************.com/smile/emthdown.gif


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## Svenborg (Jan 22, 2007)

*Re: Homelink operation seems sporadic (just4fun)*

Yes Kevin I have picked it up....and it was on the streets on Wednesday....but just for a couple of short runs....and she got real dirty.....hence the lack of pics. That has now been rectified...see the Canadian owner post...


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## just4fun (Oct 29, 2006)

*Re: Homelink operation seems sporadic (Svenborg)*


_Quote, originally posted by *Svenborg* »_Yes Kevin I have picked it up....and it was on the streets on Wednesday....but just for a couple of short runs....and she got real dirty.....hence the lack of pics. That has now been rectified...see the Canadian owner post...









Just ribbing you a bit. I was in Grande Cache / Grande Prairie area Mon. thru Thurs. and with the exception of Thursday the weather was pretty darn crappy.
Hopefully the weekend will co-operate and you can get in some top down driving.
Kevin








PS Did your dealer lube the roof seals before delivery??


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## Svenborg (Jan 22, 2007)

*Re: Homelink operation seems sporadic (just4fun)*

Yes the weather WAS crappy all week. It was'nt until Thursday afternnon before it finally smartened up......so I washed her down. Yes the dealer DID lube the seals....but I think they used the whole bottle on them....well at least they kept the remainder of it as I did not get the leftovers. The dealer said they had a bit of trouble doing them...and that was with the printed tutorial that Micheal had prepared. There was a bit of residue on the windows and the dealer did say the stuff was tough to get off on the places they over applied the Krytox. All the seals are soft and pliable so I guess I now will see how long the stuff will last before I have to buy a bottle.


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## just4fun (Oct 29, 2006)

*Re: Homelink operation seems sporadic (Svenborg)*


_Quote, originally posted by *Svenborg* »_ The dealer said they had a bit of trouble doing them...and that was with the printed tutorial that Micheal had prepared. .


Well, it's a good sign that they at least provided the seal lubrication as part of the pre delivery service.
I'm not sure why they would have found it difficult, I did my own and there was no rocket science involved. It takes a bit of time if you are being careful not to get (much) lubricant on adjoining surfaces, but it certainly wasn't a difficult task.
Forecast for Red Deer is around 20 for both Sat & Sun. Hope you get similar weather. Get out and enjoy your new toy! 
Kevin


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## mark_d_drake (Aug 17, 2006)

*Re: Homelink operation seems sporadic (just4fun)*

Celcius I assume ....


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## kpiskin (Apr 6, 2007)

*Re: Homelink operation seems sporadic (mark_d_drake)*

Do any of you live by a military base or by someplace that could be causing radio interference?


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## just4fun (Oct 29, 2006)

*Re: Homelink operation seems sporadic (kpiskin)*

I don't live near any type of installation that would be likely to cause interference. Any other vehicle I have (or had in the past) has worked pretty much 100%.
Kevin


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## just4fun (Oct 29, 2006)

*Re: Homelink operation seems sporadic (just4fun)*

Another quick update:
The homelink now seems to work 99% of the time on the first push of the button, but.......
When you activate homelink the indicator light flashes rapidly for a couple seconds, then stops flashing and stays on steady. (for as long as you hold the button)
Originally I thought that once the light stopped flashing, the homelink stopped transmitting. This is not the case, I often have to hold the homelink button for several seconds after the light stops flashing to get it to open the garage door. Occasionaly I still have to push the homelink 2-3 times to get it to work, but most of the time it will open the first try, if I hold the button long enough.
So, although the homelink seems to work most of the time with a single activation, it is still sporadic on how long you have to push and hold the button. Sometimes it works immediately, sometimes you have to hold the button for 3-10 seconds.
Kevin








_Modified by just4fun at 1:33 PM 5-18-2007_


_Modified by just4fun at 1:33 PM 5-18-2007_


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## just4fun (Oct 29, 2006)

*Re: Homelink operation seems sporadic (just4fun)*

Another update,
The homelink on my recently acquired Honda Ridgeline is behaving exactly like the homelink on the Eos, often requiring 2-3 pushes of the button before activating the garage door opener.
As a test,I have also programmed the second button on both vehicles to a different garage door, and both work flawlessly.
I have come to the conclusion there is nothing wrong with the homelink on the Eos, rather there is a compatibility issue between the homelink version and the rolling security codes on my particular garage door opener. 
Oddly enough the homelink on the Odyssey works fine. (older vehicle, older version of homelink??







)
Kevin


_Modified by just4fun at 4:23 AM 1-12-2008_


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## Sealy (Jul 13, 2007)

*Re: Homelink operation seems sporadic (just4fun)*


_Quote, originally posted by *just4fun* »_I have noticed my homelink seems to operate sporadically.

Posted elswhere on the board, but equally appropriate here:
*EOS* = Electronics Operate Sporadically


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## just4fun (Oct 29, 2006)

*Re: Homelink operation seems sporadic (Sealy)*

lol







http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif 
Kevin


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