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View Full Version : Compatibility Bridge Necessary for Interfacing Older BMW Homelink to Garage Door Opener with Security 2.0



wstr75
01-10-2018, 09:19 AM
The purpose of this post is help my fellow BMW owners should they encounter the same frustrating issue I experienced last night. Our garage door opener bit the dust recently and we had a new Liftmaster Model 8587 installed. https://www.liftmaster.com/for-homes/garage-door-openers/elite-series/model-8587w

We all know the routine for reprogramming a rolling code Homelink garage door opener to a new car. Homelink programming went well with our two daily drivers (Lexus and Acura) built in 2013 and 2016. After about 60 minutes of intense clearing, setting and re-setting following various instructions found on the Internet eventually convinced me my 2004 BMW would not link to my new garage door opener. I finally came across one well hidden forum discussion where the term "Homelink compatibility bridge" and older car issue was discussed. Yep, this was the explanation for why my BMW's Homelink transmitter acted as if nothing was happening during the usual programming steps.

It turns out our older vehicle Homelink systems do not have the ability to interface directly with new Homelink Security 2.0 garage door openers. The link below gives a description of this technology.
https://www.liftmaster.com/liftmaster-security-2-0-garage-door-openers-homeli

The answer is a "compatibility bridge" for interfacing between an older protocol Homelink vehicle and a newer Homelink Security 2.0 protocol garage door opener.
https://www.chamberlain.com/homelink/compatibility-bridge

This was ordered last night: https://www.liftmaster.com/catalogresourcesv3/en-us/shared/files/tucmanuals/sbgdo201120.pdf . Will report how it works when it arrives.

wstr75
01-10-2018, 09:26 AM
My previous garage door opener had an "orange" learn button. The Security 2.0 Homelink protocol garage door openers have a "yellow" learn button. In my hurry to get back to the office I should have lingered a minute to ask why the installer needed to replace the existing outside key pad for my garage. It would have given me a heads up as to the new garage door opener having a totally different signal management protocol.

KevinC
01-10-2018, 09:43 AM
Lovely - we are building a new house right now so I ASSume our new opener will have this latest technology.

My Golf R doesn't even have Homelink, a travesty in a $40k car!

BMWCurves
01-10-2018, 11:55 AM
Thanks for the info!


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wstr75
01-13-2018, 01:44 PM
The Homelink® Compatibility Bridge worked like a charm! Car Homelink programming involved using the special Homelink transmitter and first holding it adjacent to the vehicle's Homelink system. In the instructions it said do this first BEFORE energizing the Compatibility Bridge. I plugged the Compatibility Bridge in and moved my car far enough away so that the programming step above would not be received by the Homelink Compatability Bridge as I've got a feeling to do it within receiving distance of the bridge and door opener screws up the rolling code assignment. I then moved the car close to the door, pushed the door opener learn button, jumped back into the car and the programming immediately transferred.

The Homelink Compatability Bridge is plugged into the ceiling outlet in the picture.

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