Rolling code vs fixed code garage remotes, explained
Why a cheap universal remote works on some garage doors and never on others, and how to tell which kind you’ve got before you spend any money.
Why the £12 universal remote didn’t work
Garage systems made in roughly the last fifteen years use rolling code. The signal changes every single time you press the button, so there is nothing fixed for a universal remote to copy. It cannot be taught, however many times you try.
Somfy RTS, Hörmann BiSecur and Chamberlain Security+ 2.0 all work this way. If yours is one of them, no universal will ever work, and the listing won’t tell you that before you buy.
DIP switches or a single unchanging signal. A universal can copy this, and usually does. Buy the cheap one.
Nothing to copy. You need the genuine remote for your system, paired to your motor. This is what we do.
Fixed code: the same signal every time
A fixed-code remote sends exactly the same signal every time you press it. On older systems the code is usually set with a row of tiny switches (DIP switches) inside the remote and a matching row in the receiver. On others it’s set at the factory.
Because the signal never changes, anything that can record it can play it back. That’s how most universal and copying remotes work: you hold your old remote next to the new one, press both, and the new one learns the signal.
The downside is that anyone else who records it can play it back too, which is the main reason manufacturers moved away from it.
Rolling code: a new signal every press
A rolling-code remote (you’ll also see it called hopping code) sends a different signal every time. The remote and the receiver share a secret key and a counter. Each press moves the counter on and produces a new code. The receiver knows which codes to expect next, and it won’t accept one that’s already been used.
So a recorded signal is useless. By the time anything plays it back, it’s already been used. A copying remote can record it perfectly and the door still won’t move.
Adding a rolling-code remote to a door is called pairing. Usually you press a learn button on the motor or receiver, then a button on the new remote, and the receiver adds it to its list. Some newer systems, Hörmann BiSecur for one, encrypt the signal as well.
Side by side
| Question | Fixed code | Rolling code |
|---|---|---|
| What it sends | The same signal every press | A new signal every press |
| How it’s set up | DIP switches, or a code set at the factory | Paired to your motor or receiver |
| Can a universal copy it? | Usually, yes | No |
| Typical age | Older systems | Most systems from roughly the last fifteen years |
| What you need | A cheap copying remote usually does the job | The genuine remote for your system, paired to your motor |
How to tell which one you’ve got
- Open the battery cover. A row of tiny numbered switches inside the remote almost always means fixed code.
- Look at the motor or receiver for a button marked learn, prog or code, often with a small light next to it. That usually means rolling code.
- Think about when it was fitted. If the door or motor went in within roughly the last fifteen years, assume rolling code until you know otherwise.
- Read the label. If it names one of the systems above, it’s rolling code.
Still not sure? Send us a photo of the remote, motor or receiver and we’ll tell you.
If yours is rolling code
Don’t buy another universal. You need the right remote for your exact system, on the right frequency, paired to your motor. Tell us what you’ve got and we’ll tell you which one that is, free. Where your system allows it, we program it before it leaves us, so it arrives working.
Not sure which remote you need?
Send us a photo of the remote, the motor or the box on the wall, whichever you can get to. We’ll reply the same day with the exact model and what it costs.
It’s free, and you don’t have to buy it from us.
Send us a photo
We reply the same dayYour remote, motor or control box
Whichever you can actually get to. The label matters more than the picture.
Email us a photoFree, and no obligation. We’ll tell you what you need even if you buy it elsewhere.