Chamberlain 956EV Garage Keychain Remote

I was very disappointed to discover that my brand-new 2011 model year vehicle did not come with any kind of garage door opener/homelink option. In looking for a garage door remote, I had purchased another Chamberlain remote that worked well but I didn't like the idea of keeping a remote "loose" in my car (too easy for thieves to break in steal it while getting my address from my insurance and/or registration cards). I liked the idea of a keychain remote but it seemed like none of them were capable of controlling more than one kind of a garage door at a time. I called Chamberlain to ask them if they had any keychain remotes that could control more than one type of garage door and they recommended the 956EV. Boy, am I glad they did this thing is great!!!!

It's a tiny remote (almost identical in size to my key fob but lighter) and it can control 3 different doors. I programmed it to control my garage door (green learn button), my mother's garage door (orange learn button) and my sister's garage door (purple learn button). It could not have been easier to program (probably took me 3 minutes total for all three doors) and I love being able to open all three doors via a tiny remote on my keychain. I know that some people won't want to add anything else to their keychains but if you're like me and don't want to keep a remote in your car, this is the way to go. Kudos to Chamerlain for making such an awesome device.

Before purchasing though, make sure your garage door is compatible with this device. It says that it will only work with 315MHz or 390MHz garage door openers manufactured after January 1, 1993 and your garage door needs to have safety sensors. It works with green, red, orange, purple and yellow learn buttons so chances are it will work with most openers out there but make sure you check what kind you have before you purchase. If your garage door is compatible, you will love this thing. I couldn't recommend it more highly.

We normally use our garage door as our main entrance, and we were looking for a smaller alternative to our Chamberlain 953D 3-Button 315 MHz Remote Control remotes. This 956EV remote is not as small as I thought it would be but is close enough to fit in your pocket. It has three different buttons that you can set them for three different doors, like office and residential, or you can just set all keys for the same door. If you have been in the market for one of these remotes, you already know that there are compatibility issues regarding which frequencies to choose. Fortunately, this particular 956EV model is new and universal. It means it should operate on both 315 MHz and 390 MHz units, and you have one less thing to worry about.

The whole setup is easy, and it takes only 10 minutes or less. You just need to activate remote learning mode by inserting a pin to the bottom corner of the right side, and then push the learn key on your garage door opener head unit. After this, you have 30 seconds to push the desired key several times until it matches with the unit and the light goes off or the door opens/closes. Do not press the button too fast or you will miss the spot. Allow at least one second between each press. After the unit has found your remote, you can press any other key on the remote to exit the learning mode. It is that easy.

If you set up this properly, it should work flawlessly. I never have to push the button more than once to open/close the door as one of the other reviewers has mentioned here. The range is very good as well. It is just a few feet shorter than 953CD. Considering its smaller size, I have no complains.

I have uploaded a few side-by-side pictures of 956EV with 953CD and Apple remote, so you can have a better understanding of the size and thickness. It is not as thin or as small as I would like it to be, but it is good enough for its application. It is a little thicker than Lift Master keychain remotes, but I do not think those are universal or multi-bands, which explains the thickness on this one. I hope this review helps you further in your decision.

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I just purchased a 2012 vehicle as well that didn't come with the Homelink feature. About a month ago, I went to purchase a keychain remote opener and they only had one left and it was the Chamberlain 956D. That remote worked PERFECTLY. When I found that I needed another couple for other reasons, I went to purchase another 956D and they only had this newer model the Chamberlain 956EV Garage Keychain Remote.

I purchased three of these and set them all up to work with my garage door opener. The setup was very easy. No problem at all. None of the three worked well beyond that so it was completely not that I got a bad one. Once I set them up, all of them worked, but not with the first button push EVER. Each one took two or three pushes. Since I was going to give these to my children so that they could get in the house after school when they got home, I didn't feel sure they would work.

Also, they felt much more flimsy than the 956D.

I really do not recommend this product at all -if you like the size and the convenience, go with the 956D. Very easy to setup, not flimsy, works with the first button push every time.

Read Best Reviews of Chamberlain 956EV Garage Keychain Remote Here

I have had it about 3 months. I tried programming it without reading and thought it didn't work until I read the instructions. Ha ha. There's a little button you must push with a paper clip, well, read and really follow the instructions. I bought it for a new Chamberlain opener, used to have a Craftsman, and on reflection the extra steps in programming are worth it so it doesn't accidentally lose the setting. Twice my Craftsman banging around in my pocket or purse caused the remote to lose its code. This one never will. I wish these folks would make a one-button remote as tiny as possible--all we want is small and 1 opener. Who the heck has 3 garages and why do their needs matter more than mine. Even families with double doors stick the same car in the same bay all the time. But this is as small as it gets, it has great range--I can open the door from the mailbox and I couldn't with my other remote.

I docked it a star because I'm reserving 5 stars for the 1-button remote about half the size of this one, if it ever comes to market.

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Only gave it four stars because, while it's small-ish, it's not as nice as the inexpensive third party remotes that work with older Chamberlain openers.

FYI: If you have a Chamberlain opener that isn't working with the Homelink system in your car, and the information says it should, you can get a repeater from Homelink for only a $7 shipping charge. Call Homelink and see if your opener is on the list. The repeater works, though it shouldn't be necessary.

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