Garage Door Safety Sensors | How to Install in a Pre-Wired Garage
Garage door safety reversing sensors protect people, pets, and vehicles from the path of a closing garage door. They work by projecting an invisible beam across the garage door opening. If anything interrupts the beam while the door is closing, the door automatically reverses to prevent contact.
These sensors are mounted on both sides of the garage door opening, no higher than 6 inches (15 cm) above the floor. Each sensor has a small LED light to indicate power and proper alignment:
- Amber LED = sending sensor
- Green LED = receiving sensor
What the Sensors Look Like
Example of a garage door safety reversing sensor. Your sensor may look different depending on the model.
Installation Overview
Below are steps on how to install and wire your safety reversing sensors in a pre-wired garage. Pre-wired homes have wires running behind the drywall and sticking out of holes on each side of the garage door, and in the ceiling near the garage door opener.
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Step-by-Step Installation
- Measure and prepare wires
- Measure from each sensor to the wall hole and add 1 foot for slack.
- Cut the wire and strip the ends.
- Connect wires to the sensors
- If possible, use two different colors of wire.
- Connect one color to the solid white wire on the sensor and the other to the white/black striped wire.
- Repeat for both sensors.
- Connect wires to the garage door opener
- Locate the corresponding wires coming out of the ceiling near the opener.
- Strip 7/16" (11 mm) of insulation from each wire.
- Separate the white and white/black wires.
- Twist like-colored wires together.
- Attach white/black striped wires to the black/gray terminal and solid white wires to the white terminal.
- Mount and secure sensors
- Finger-tighten wing nuts on each sensor.
- Confirm the sensors are aligned so the LED lights face each other.
Next Steps
After installation, see How to Align Safety Reversing Sensors to ensure proper alignment and test the sensors.
