Merlin remote programming starts with the model
The Door Hero is not connected with Merlin. The steps here come from Merlin's own manuals.
Merlin's New Zealand site says the company began here in 1984 and now belongs to the Chamberlain Group LLC. Chamberlain is another brand in the same group. Merlin says its own openers are meant to be installed by professionals, while Chamberlain openers are designed for DIY installation.
Each Merlin opener below stores remotes its own way, with its own button, signal and memory limit. The manuals quoted are the copies Merlin puts online, so put these steps beside the manual that came with your opener and go by that one if they differ.
Merlin openers covered here
| Merlin's manual | Button to press | Remotes it holds | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Commander Ultimate (sectional) | MJ3800MYQ | Yellow Learn button | Up to 40, plus 2 Smart Control Panels or 4 other door controls |
| Commander Elite (sectional) | MS105MYQ | Yellow LEARN button | Check the manual for your model |
| SilentDrive Elite (roller) | MR855MYQ | Yellow S (SAVE) button | Check the manual for your model |
| Commander Essential, Commander Platinum II, Commander Extreme II, SilentDrive Essential, WeatherDrive | Check the manual for your model | Check the manual for your model | Check the manual for your model |
Commander Elite (MS105MYQ): adding a remote
Hold down the remote button you want to use
Merlin's manual for the MS105MYQ starts at the remote. Press the button that should run the door and keep holding it.
Press and release the yellow LEARN button
Give the LEARN button on the opener one short press while your other hand stays on the remote.
Let go when the opener light flashes
That flash means the code has gone in. Release the remote button.
Run the door once with the opening clear
Test from a spot where you can see the whole doorway and nobody is under the door.
What comes in the Commander Elite box
The same manual lists E970M four button remotes and an E148M four button wireless wall mount remote in the box, already programmed to the opener, so the steps above are for a spare or a replacement. Merlin's New Zealand opener list includes a Commander Elite: check that your manual says MS105MYQ before you start.
SilentDrive Elite (MR855MYQ): using the S button
Press and hold the remote button
On this roller door opener, Merlin's MR855MYQ manual swaps the LEARN button for a yellow S, short for SAVE.
Press and release S on the opener
One press is enough. Keep holding the remote the whole time.
Release when the courtesy light flashes twice
Two flashes confirm the remote is saved. The opener also beeps on every button press, a sound Merlin's manual says is switched on at the factory and can be turned off, so watch the light rather than listening.
Commander Ultimate (MJ3800MYQ) with an E975M remote
Hold the E975M button
Merlin's MJ3800MYQ manual gives these steps for its E975M four button remote.
Press and release the yellow Learn button
Do it once, with the remote button still held down.
Let go when the opener beeps
The myQ light flashes once as well. The remote is stored, so try it with the doorway clear.
Limits on the Commander Ultimate
This manual says the opener remembers up to 40 remote controls, plus up to 2 Smart Control Panels or 4 other door controls. It rules out older Merlin door controls and third party products, so a remote from your last opener may refuse to code here.
Other Merlin and Chamberlain openers
Merlin's New Zealand list of sectional door openers also has the Commander Essential, Commander Platinum II and Commander Extreme II, and its roller door list adds the SilentDrive Essential and the WeatherDrive. For any of those, check the manual for your model.
The same goes for Chamberlain. Chamberlain Group presents it as its brand of easy to install DIY openers sold through retailers, so check the manual for your Chamberlain model instead of following Merlin's steps.
For remotes of any make, how to program a garage door remote explains coding at the opener and copying from a remote that already works.
Will a remote suit my Merlin opener?
Merlin's E975M manual says this four button remote works with both Security+ and Security+ 2.0 openers, and arrives set up for Security+ 2.0. Check which of the two your opener uses before you buy a spare for an older unit.
Battery life differs by remote. Merlin's instructions give up to 3 years from the CR2032 in the E975M, the E964M car visor remote and the E148M wireless wall mount, and up to 5 years in the E960M. The E975M reaches up to 3 car lengths, and its light does not flash when the battery is low. Merlin's E985M manual describes that remote as water resistant to IP65.
Changing a coin cell safely, and what to do if a child may have swallowed one, are on the remote not working guide.
When a Merlin remote won't program
Wrong button. The SilentDrive Elite (MR855MYQ) codes with S, while the Commander Elite and Commander Ultimate manuals use LEARN.
Low battery. An E975M whose light stays dark when pressed may simply need a fresh CR2032, because Merlin's manual says that light does not flash once the battery runs low.
A fault code instead. The Commander Elite (MS105MYQ) flashes fault codes on its UP and DOWN arrow lights. Its manual reads 1 and 1 as safety beams not installed or a wire cut, 1 and 2 as a wire shorted or reversed, and 1 and 4 as beams misaligned or blocked. Merlin's MT3850EVO manual uses the same 1 then 1, 2 or 4 pattern for an opener that won't close because of a beam problem. See the guide to a beeping or flashing opener.
Resetting a Merlin garage remote: wiping every code
Erasing clears every remote the opener knows, the ones in your own pocket included, so gather them all first. Do it after a remote goes missing or when you take over a house. If a neighbour's remote ever opens your garage, Merlin's MT3850EVO manual also says to erase the memory from the opener and reprogram your remotes.
Commander Ultimate (MJ3800MYQ): hold LEARN until the LED goes out, approximately 6 seconds. Holding it a second time also erases the opener's myQ connections, so only do that if you plan to set the app up again.
SilentDrive Elite (MR855MYQ): hold S until the light flashes twice, about 8 seconds, and carry on holding until it flashes twice again.
Commander Elite (MS105MYQ): the manual gives two versions. One holds LEARN until the indicator LED comes on and keeps holding for about 6 seconds until it goes out; the other holds it until the courtesy light flashes twice, about 8 seconds, then on until two more flashes. Go by the signals your opener gives rather than a count.
Afterwards, code back each remote you are keeping with the steps for your model above. Restarting the opener or clearing its travel limits is a separate job, covered in resetting a garage door opener.
myQ phone control on Merlin openers in New Zealand
Merlin's New Zealand site says myQ works with its sectional and roller door openers, and names the MR655 and MR855 as compatible. You need a compatible smartphone or Apple Watch with the myQ App, and the opener linked to your home internet, either straight over Wi-Fi or through an internet gateway. The site says the MJ3800MYQ has Wi-Fi built in, so it needs no separate gateway.
Merlin's myQ Connectivity Kit holds a gateway and safety beams, and owners who already have Merlin safety beams can buy the gateway alone. Merlin says monitored entrapment protection, which it calls Safety IR Beams, is needed before myQ can be used.
The site also says myQ does not currently work with Google Assistant, Apple HomeKit, Amazon Key or any car brand in New Zealand. Merlin's 2019 myQ FAQ adds that myQ products bought overseas are not compatible with openers sold here. Smart garage door openers covers what adding phone control involves.
Test with the doorway clear
Run each newly coded remote from where you can see the whole opening, with people, pets and cars out of the way. Merlin's MJ3800MYQ manual says the opener light flashes 10 times when the safety beams are blocked, so if you see that, stop and find what is in the beams' path before you try again.
Details that help the door specialist
- The Merlin model from the opener, such as MS105MYQ or MR855MYQ
- The remote's model, such as E975M or E960M, if you can read it
- What the opener did when you tried: a flash, two flashes, a beep or nothing
- Any fault code on the arrow lights, written down as two numbers
- Whether myQ is set up, and whether safety beams are fitted
Do it yourself, or hand it over
You can
- Code an extra remote using your model's steps
- Fit a new CR2032 in a remote that has gone quiet
- Erase and re-code remotes after one goes missing
Leave to a door specialist
- An opener that ignores every remote and the wall button
- Fitting or lining up safety beams
- Travel limits and force settings
What we would do
Before buying a spare, photograph the label on the opener and a remote that works, and take both photos to the shop. With the model numbers in front of them, the seller can check the spare suits your opener, which matters when a manual like the MJ3800MYQ's rules out older Merlin door controls. Not every door specialist works on Merlin openers, so name the make and model when you send us the job.