Genie GU4T-BX Universal 4-Button Garage Door Remote Review

As a garage door professional who buys and sells hundreds of LiftMaster 380UT universal remotes every year, I thought it would be good to review the new Genie GU4T-BX universal remote for garage door and gate openers. When I first saw the Genie Universal garage door remote released, I was intrigued because it was the only name brand universal remote with four buttons. It was also one of the few universal remotes that programmed to Marantec openers, which we come across frequently in our area.

What’s Included with Genie GU4T-BX Remote?

The Genie GU4T-BX universal remote comes with a four button remote, translucent cradle, visor clip, keychain tether, and a battery which is inside the remote. This remote is smaller and more compact than other remotes, which makes it great to use on a keychain if you have a motorcycle, golf cart, etc.

What Brands Are Compatible With the Genie Universal Remote?

The Genie GU4T-BX remote is compatible with newer openers using learn buttons and older units with Dip switches. Overall, the remote programs to around fourteen different brands.

• Genie
• Overhead Door
• Chamberlain
• LiftMaster
• Craftsman
• Sommer
• Linear
• Wayne Dalton
• Ryobi
• Guardian
• Xtreme brand
• Marantec
• Stanley
• FAAC
  

Genie Universal Remote Construction

The Genie Universal Remote design has the buttons stacked in a compact form. Each button has one, two, three, or four dots which helps you remember what each one is used for. The buttons have a soft touch feel with a shallow travel when pressed down. Overall, the remote has a good feel to it. One thing to note is the housing did interfere a little with the button travel on the unit I tested.

When the buttons are pressed, a blue light will activate at the top of the remote. This light will continue to flash a second or two after you release the button. This is common with many universal garage door remotes.

Control Up To Four Different Brands on One Remote

What makes the Genie Universal Remote unique is the fact it features four different buttons that can control four different brands of garage door and gate openers. This is the only name brand universal remote I know of that has this capability. This allows you to program the remote to several brands, which is helpful if your garage door openers don’t match or if you need to program the remote to a second home.

While you can find universal garage door remotes online with four buttons, many are knock offs that don’t work well. We hear from customers all the time that have purchased “look-alike” remotes on Amazon.com that would not program or only last a month before completely quitting. We are also seeing this issue with other garage door opener parts as well.

Visor Mount and Keychain Loop Included

The Genie GU4T-BX universal remote comes with some included accessories that allow you to mount it on the visor in your vehicle or tether it to a keychain. The remote can be slid into the translucent cradle with the visor clip attached, so you can mount it on your vehicle’s sun visor.

The corner of the remote is notched out, so you can attach the included tether if you intend to use it on your keychain. The remote is small and sleek, which makes it an ideal candidate for this application.

Genie Universal Remote vs. LiftMaster 380UT

The Genie and LiftMaster universal remotes shine in different areas. For starters, the LiftMaster remote is a little easier to program. The LiftMaster universal remote is one of our most used remotes, and we have programmed hundreds, if not thousands, of these remotes. They work great for us with a low failure rate. The LiftMaster 380UT is essentially the old “Clicker” technology in an updated form factor, which I think the Chamberlain Group purchased. You can find this style of remote under the Chamberlain and LiftMaster brands.

The Genie GU4T-BX universal remote has a smaller form factor, and it features more buttons. This will be the remote you need if you require more than two buttons, as it features four independent programmable buttons. The smaller size works great on a keychain, which is popular with motorcycle enthusiasts.

How Is The Remote Range?

Once I got the Genie GU4T-BX universal remote programmed to my LiftMaster openers, I tested it against the LiftMaster 380UT universal remote. Most universal remotes on the market seem to have a bit of a delay after you press a button to activate your garage door opener. The Genie Universal Remote seemed to have a little longer delay than normal. In fairness, the remotes were programmed to LiftMaster openers, as I did not have a Genie opener installed to compare.

The range was decent on the Genie GU4T-BX universal remote, but the LiftMaster 380UT remote had a little better range and the delay wasn’t as bad. The buttons on the LiftMaster 380UT are much larger and easier to press for larger hands. The Genie GU4T-BX remote buttons are much smaller, but it can be used as a keychain remote as well, which will appeal to some homeowners.

Genie Universal Remote Battery Replacement

One of the hardest things to do for some people is replace the battery in a garage door remote. Many times when we get phone calls from homeowners, they are surprised when we tell them their garage door remote has a battery. While some remotes are held together with plastic clips, the Genie Universal Remote has a single screw on the back that needs to be removed. Once you remove this screw, you can pull the top and bottom case apart to access the single CR2032 battery inside.

Genie GU4T-BX Universal Remote Programming

I found the programming sequence with the new Genie universal remote to be cumbersome when pairing with a newer style LiftMaster garage door opener featuring a yellow learn button. Chamberlain, LiftMaster, and Craftsman garage door openers with a yellow learn button have a special designated section in the instructions for programming. If the first method doesn’t work, they also offer an alternate method.

I have always felt Genie made programming much harder than it needed to be when compared to other brands. I did not try to program this remote to a Genie brand or any other brand for that matter since we only have LiftMaster installed in our warehouse.

DIP Switches

Genie claims the GU4T-BX universal remote can be programmed to older garage door openers that use 9, 10, and 12 Dip switches. With some openers, you must have your existing operational remote during the teach & pair. For instructions on these Dip Switch specifications, you can click here.

Likes

• small and compact
• four buttons
• works with more brands like Marantec and Ryobi
• keychain capability
  

Dislikes

• delay when pressing the button
• button housing can interfere with buttons
  

Conclusion

If you need four buttons on a universal remote, this might be the ticket for you. The Genie GU4T-BX remote comes in a nice, compact package that gets out of your way. It comes standard with a visor or keychain mount that allows for versatility with busy lifestyles. If you still have questions, you can check out the Genie FAQ page created to answer any questions about their new universal four button remote.