What's all this talk about Homelink® 3, Homelink® 4 and Homelink® 5 you see in many of our listings?
These are different versions of Homelink® that have been in use for many years, some going back to the early 2000's.
Homelink® version 3 will generally work with garage & gate openers made prior to approximately 2013 or 2014. Why do we say "approximately"? This is because the changeover from version 3 to version 4 was not an all inclusive overnight complete change. Changeover dates varied not only by manufacturer, but by specific opener...as inventories of Homelink® version 3 componentry were depleted, those specific products then switched to Homelink® version 4.
What if I have a mirror that has Homelink® version 3 built in, and my opener is newer? Homelink® "repeaters" (also known as "bridges") are widely available from a number of online retailers for around $25-30. This will allow you to use an older Homelink® devices with newer openers.
So what about Homelink® version 4? Will it work with my older opener? Yes! Homelink® version 4 works with all openers current AND prior - it's backward-compatible.
Ok...so version 5? What's this all about? Homelink® version 5 also works with all openers, current and prior, just like version 4, and it is also backward-compatible, so it'll work on any opener. About the only notable difference with Homelink® version 5 devices is the addition of the garage door up/down arrows, as indicated by the presence of these either in the lower part of the mirror frame, behind the glass, or elsewhere. Please note, though, that these will only work with openers that are new enough and also have the ability to transmit the garage door status information to the mirror. So while you can still use a Homelink® version 5 device with an older opener, the up/down arrows will not be functional when used with an older opener.