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Remotes fail for five reasons. Testing them in this order takes ten minutes and avoids replacing the wrong thing.
Battery — and how to be sure
Fit a new battery from a fresh pack rather than the drawer. A remote can have just enough charge to light its LED and not enough to transmit, which is why "the light comes on" proves nothing. If you have two remotes and only one fails, you have your answer already.
Programming and the lock button
Remotes lose their pairing after a power event or a board replacement. Reprogramming is usually a press of the LEARN button on the opener followed by the remote button within thirty seconds. Also check the wall console: most have a lock or vacation mode that disables all remotes while the wall button keeps working — and it is easy to press by accident.
Range and interference
If the remote works from two feet and not from the driveway, that is a range problem, not a dead remote. Causes, in order of likelihood: an LED or CFL bulb in the opener emitting RF noise, a damaged or coiled-up hanging antenna wire, a new device in the garage on a nearby frequency, or nearby transmitters. Try a garage-door-rated LED bulb first — it fixes this more often than anything else.
Receiver and logic board
If no remote and no keypad works but the wall console does, the receiver section of the logic board is the likely fault. In Florida this is often surge damage: lightning season takes out receivers, boards and sensors regularly. A surge protector on the opener outlet is cheap insurance.
Keypads, cars and universal remotes
Exterior keypads have their own batteries and their own PIN memory, and heat and sun shorten their life. Vehicle HomeLink buttons need pairing to the opener directly, and rolling-code units sometimes need a bridge module. Universal remotes work with many older openers but not with all current rolling-code systems — check compatibility before buying.
The short version: New battery from a fresh pack, check the wall console lock, reprogram, then look for range causes — an LED bulb in the opener is a surprisingly common culprit. If nothing remote-based works but the wall button does, suspect the receiver.
