How to Program a BFT Gate Remote

Programming a BFT gate remote depends on the installed BFT receiver or control board and the remote family. For the Mitto systems common on Australian driveway gates, remotes are usually enrolled through the receiver’s radio-learning function.

Some installations also support teaching a new remote from an already-authorised Mitto, but that capability can be disabled and is not available on every site. There is no single button sequence that fits every BFT board. Identify your remote and receiver before you follow a method.

For generic remote concepts that apply across brands, see how to program a gate remote. This Guide focuses on BFT Mitto and BFT receivers.

Before you program: identify your BFT remote and receiver

• Confirm the transmitter is a BFT Mitto (or clearly labelled BFT rolling-code remote of the same family). Look for brand and model markings on the fob.
• Find the receiver or control board: inside the motor housing, in a separate radio box, or on a nearby wall panel. Note whether it has a small display or only buttons and an LED.
• Note the operator family if labelled (for example Deimos, Ultra or Ares). That tells you the gate hardware, not a separate remote protocol. Mitto remotes still learn to the BFT radio receiver on or with that operator.
• Check whether you already have a working Mitto. That matters for remote-teach methods and for testing after programming.
• Fit a fresh battery in the new remote if it arrived loose.

On sliding setups such as a BFT Deimos or Ultra kit, the radio path is still BFT rolling-code learning. Do not treat “Deimos remote programming” as a different universal sequence from other BFT Mitto installs.

How BFT gate remote programming works

Relevant Mitto remotes use 433 MHz rolling-code technology. Each press sends a changing code that the matched BFT receiver accepts once. Enrolment means teaching that transmitter into the receiver’s memory.

• Program, learn, pair or code usually means the same practical job: enrol a button into the receiver.
• Clone or copy, in official BFT product language, is especially tied to Mitto Replay remotes that can take a code from another Mitto. That is not the same as ordinary receiver learn, and it does not mean any Mitto can clone any other Mitto.

How to program a BFT remote through the receiver or control board

This is the most common approach when you can safely access the receiver. Exact button names and LED timing vary by board. Follow the markings on your receiver and stop if the layout does not match.

Non-display receivers (SW1 / SW2 style)

Applies to many BFT receivers without a digital screen that use SW1 and SW2 learn buttons. Working remote not required for this method. You do need safe access to the board.

1. Open the receiver or operator cover only if you are comfortable and the power arrangement is safe to access.
2. Locate SW1 and SW2 (or the clearly marked learn buttons for channel 1 and channel 2).
3. Press the learn button for the channel you want (often SW1 for the main gate trigger). The receiver LED should indicate learning mode.
4. Within the learning window, press both buttons on the new Mitto together until its LED responds, then release, then press the single button you want to use for the gate (AU distributor coding sheets describe this Mitto seed-then-button pattern). If your board’s printed instructions differ, follow the board.
5. Wait for the receiver to leave learning mode, then test from outside the enclosure.
6. Repeat with the other learn button only if you intentionally want a second channel mapped.

Display receivers (RADIO / Hidden Button menus)

Applies to BFT receivers or controls with a digital screen and a RADIO programming path. Some AU coding sheets note that at least one remote may already need to be coded before certain menu paths work. You need access to the display controls.

1. On the receiver display, open the parameter / programming path until you reach the RADIO (or similar radio) menu, then the start / adjust start item used to add transmitters.
2. When the display asks for the hidden / seed action, press both buttons on the Mitto together (or the generation’s seed method) until the display advances.
3. When prompted for the desired button, press the Mitto button you want to operate the gate.
4. Confirm the display shows success / OK, wait for the menu to finish, then test.

Menu wording differs by generation. Treat on-screen prompts as the authority for that board.

Can you program a BFT remote from another remote?

Sometimes. Many BFT Mitto installs allow teaching a new Mitto from an already-authorised Mitto without opening the board, provided the installer has not disabled remote programming. A working remote alone does not prove the method is enabled.

When remote-teach is enabled, AU distributor coding material describes this pattern (stand within a few metres of the control):

1. On the existing working Mitto, press the rear hidden button with a pin or paper clip, or on newer Mitto 2 units without a hidden button press buttons 1 and 2 together until the remote LED lights.
2. Briefly press the button on that working remote that already opens the gate.
3. On the new Mitto, repeat the same seed action (hidden button or buttons 1 and 2 together until the LED lights).
4. Press the button on the new remote that you want to use, wait for the system to leave programming mode, then test.

If nothing learns, switch to receiver learn mode or get the board checked. Do not keep repeating random sequences.

Can you clone a BFT Mitto remote?

Not as a general rule for every Mitto. Official BFT product information describes cloning any Mitto into a Mitto Replay remote, which can then register with the receiver on first use. That Replay path is a specific product lineage.

Ordinary Mitto enrolment through the receiver is programming, not cloning. Do not use third-party “universal” or PTX-style clone devices as a substitute for a matched BFT Mitto and the correct learn method.

Why your BFT remote may not program

• The remote is not a compatible Mitto / BFT rolling-code family for that receiver.
• You are following a remote-teach method while remote programming is disabled on the install.
• You need an authorised Mitto for a menu path that expects one, and you do not have it.
• Wrong learn channel, wrong button, or the learning window timed out.
• Receiver memory or radio configuration issue, water-damaged board, or weak antenna.
• Hardware generation mismatch between the instructions you are following and the board in front of you.

For wider gate symptoms beyond radio learning, use automatic gate troubleshooting.

When to stop and get the receiver checked

Stop DIY if mains wiring is exposed, the board is unfamiliar, remote programming appears locked, or a known-compatible Mitto still will not learn after the matching method. That is a BFT Melbourne service job, or start from the repairs and installation hub.