How to program a BFT gate remote: start with the model
The Door Hero is not connected with BFT. The steps here come from BFT's own manuals.
BFT's Australian website lists offices in Queensland, Victoria and New South Wales under Somfy Pty Limited. Its range covers swing and sliding gate systems, garage and industrial door automation, barriers, bollards, remotes and receivers.
Adding a remote depends on the control board, not just the remote. Everything below comes from BFT's manual for the MERAK BT A board, which BFT fits to its Deimos Ultra BT B 400 and 600 and its Ares models. If your motor is not one of those, check the manual for your model.
Owners of a Deimos BT A400 should check the manual for that model too. The steps below were not checked against it.
Before you start
- The motor's model from its label: Deimos Ultra BT B 400 or 600, Ares, or something else
- The remote's model, from the remote itself or its box
- A remote that already opens this gate, if you still have one
- A driveway with no car, bin, child or pet in the gate's path
- A spot near the control panel where you can still watch the gate
Copying a remote that already works: MERAK BT A board
Check the protection level
BFT's MERAK BT A manual gives this method with the protection level at 0, the default setting. If someone has changed that level, check the manual for your model.
Stand near the control panel
The manual has you add the new remote close to the control panel, so take both remotes there.
Start with the saved remote
Press the hidden button on a remote that is already saved, then one of its normal buttons, T1 to T4.
Move to the new remote inside 10 seconds
Within 10 seconds, press the hidden button on the new remote, then the normal button you want it to use.
Let the receiver finish, then test
BFT says the receiver leaves programming after 10 seconds. Then try the new remote from where you can see the whole gate.
Adding a remote at the board: the + and minus keys
BFT's MERAK BT A manual puts three keys on the board: +, minus and OK. Holding + for more than 5 seconds adds a remote on the 1st radio channel. Holding minus for more than 5 seconds adds one on the 2nd radio channel instead.
For what to do with the remote once the board is ready, check the manual for your model. If reaching the board means opening the motor or going near mains wiring, leave this method to the door specialist and use the copying method above if you can.
Clearing remotes from a BFT receiver
The same manual gives three ways to remove remotes. Holding + and minus together for more than 5 seconds is the transmitter cancellation command. The radio menu has a canc all option that deletes every saved remote. A factory reset deletes all remotes too.
Each of these wipes the remotes you still use along with any that are lost, so have every remote you want to keep ready to add back. We would leave a factory reset to the door specialist.
BFT says the MERAK BT A's built-in 433.92 MHz rolling code receiver saves 128 remotes, or 2048 with an expansion kit.
BFT remotes on its Australian list
| What BFT's Australian pages say | Battery | |
|---|---|---|
| MITTO COOL C4 | 433 MHz rolling code, with four buttons that can handle up to 8 channels | 1 CR2032, 3V |
| MITTO B RCB04 R1 SUNRISE | Marked phase out; 4 channel 433 MHz rolling code, range given as 50/100 m | 1 battery type 23 A, 12 V |
| MITTO COOL C2, MITTO STYLE C4, KLEIO B RCA04 and RCA02 | Listed on BFT's Australian remotes page | Check the manual for your model |
BFT's coin battery warning
BFT's MITTO COOL manual warns of a chemical burn hazard and says to keep batteries away from children. It says a battery can cause severe or fatal injuries in 2 hours or less if swallowed or placed inside any part of the body, and to get urgent medical attention if that may have happened. Store spare coin cells where small hands can't reach them.
Cloning a MITTO COOL remote
BFT's MITTO COOL manual shows cloning only in drawings, so there are no written steps for it here. Check the manual for your model, or ask the door specialist to code the remote for you.
When it's the gate, not the remote
If no remote at all will move the gate, look at the gate and its power before the remotes. Our guide to a gate motor not working goes through the safe checks.
Repairs are covered on automatic gate repairs, and new gate motors on automatic gates. Mains wiring for a BFT motor, including any new power point, is work for a licensed electrician.
The door specialist who takes the job may or may not work on BFT motors. Give the make and model when you tell us the job.
What to tell the door specialist
- The gate motor's model and, if you can see it, the control board's name
- The remote's model and how many buttons it has
- How many remotes should work, and whether any are missing
- Which method you tried and what the gate did
- Whether the remotes have been cleared or the board reset
What you can do, and what to leave
You can
- Copy a saved remote at the control panel, where your board allows it
- Change a remote's battery, keeping coin cells away from children
- Clear the gate's path before every test
Leave to a door specialist
- Opening the motor to reach the control board
- Changing the protection level or running a factory reset
- A remote that won't save after you have followed the manual
- Mains wiring or a new power point, done by a licensed electrician
What we would do
Keep one saved remote as a spare that stays in a drawer at home. On a MERAK BT A board, a remote that is already saved is what lets you copy a new one at the gate without anyone opening the motor.