Anybody here have smart ceiling fans or smart switches for ceiling fans?
We have some overhead light fixtures that will need to be replaced with fans/ light and ice grown spoiled by having dedicated switches on the wall rather than using the pull chains like the pioneers did.
Youâll be shocked to hear that I do.
I use the Lutron fan switches, which are great. You can turn them on/off at the wall as well as adjust the speed in four steps. You can do this using the Lutron app and/or your smart assistant of choice too, of course. The only thing you canât do is reverse the direction, which still has to be done with the toggle switch on the fan housing.
Lutron switches require a hub for smart app function, which is a separate purchase (obviously) but this means that the connection - to which I can attest - is rock solid and fast. It also takes the pressure off your wifi and offers an excellent range. They are a breeze to set up in the Lutron app and they then appear in HomeKit automatically.
NB: They do require a neutral wire to work.
Thanks.
Iâll have to check on the neutral wire.
Iâve pretty much decided to commit to lutron for switches anyway.
Iâll have to look into the separate light/fan aspect.
It makes sense to pick one brand and stick to it, as this saves on the number of hubs you need to buy. I have upgraded a number of switches Lutron, and I couldnât be happier.
The Lutron smart âDivaâ dimmers do not need a neutral wire, but the fan control and the non-dimming âClaroâ switches do. The dimmers and the switches work in a 3-way installation, without the need to change out the second mechanical switch, which is nice. You just have to hot wire it, and they give you all the bits you need to get it done with comprehensive instructions on how to do it.
FYI, installing the dimmer in a standalone installation is just as simple, you just cap the unneeded blue wire. All the switches are this easy to install, the only real difficulty is fitting everything back into the wall box as the body of the smart switches is bigger than that of a dumb switch so there is less room.
Last edit: the âPicoâ remote can be paired with any Lutron smart switch, so you can add a second or third switch location without the need to run wires. It can be used as a handheld remote, or you can mount it on the wall using a mount that makes it look like a regular switch.
I have two pairs of three-way switches in my house. I yanked all of them out, put a Caseta dimmer on one end of each pair, and then just capped off the other ends and put a wireless remote in a wallplate. A little more costly but definitely more functional. The next person that owns this house might hate me.
The 1st gen smart dimmer needed the wireless remote for a 3-way installation. The new one can work with the old switch if you prefer.
The remote as a wall switch is genius by Lutron.
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No need to buy the remote. Also, I prefer the clean look of the mechanical switch as the remote is a little busy.
Being unable to control dimming from one end seems like a downgrade to me, but whatever.
True. I use the app for that.
Thanks to my wifeâs company raffle we now own an Echo smart picture frame or whatever the âShow 15â is. I guess this means I should consider smartening up my lights. Do the same switch recommendations still apply?
Like Limey pointed out above, Lutron switches require a hub but they are Amazon compatible with it. The larger Amazon devices tend be z wave and Zigbee compatible (i.e. theyâre already a hub) so device compatibility is generally good.
Some smart bulbs do not require hubs. We have some lifx bulbs in strategic lamps.
They are amazon compatible out of the box.
If you want to dip your toe in, get amazon compatible bulbs.
If youâre fully committed switches are more cost effective in the long term.
Lutron works with Echo, so yes.
Now that the Matter network standard is beginning to roll out, this will all become moot eventually. The main smart assistants like Echo, HomeKit and Google Assistant are all on board with it, as is a whoâs who list of smart tech manufacturers.
Things that use hubs should be ok, as these should need only a an OTA firmware update. Lutron and many others have said this will happen, but the timelines are a little vague. Items that connect directly to your smart assistant are less likely to get the update, the OEMs may choose to add it to a new model but not bother updating existing kit.
This guy has some good advice on the subject:
I agree that switches are preferable when youâre replacing an existing switch, especially where there are multiple lights on the same switch because one switch is way cheaper than replacing all those bulbs. The bulbs will all work as one, too, whereas individual bulbs will all act, well, individually. This may be what you want, though, as you can do fun things like change the colors of the bulbs independently.
I use smart bulbs for lamps. Itâs much cheaper to swap out the bulb in a dumb lamp than spend a fortune on a smart lamp. You can just add a smart plug to the lamp, but this will only allow you to turn it on and off, whereas a smart bulb is dimmable and you can change the color.
FTR, my smart bulbs and light strips are Phillips Hue.
ETA: smart switches have the advantage that anyone can use them. You donât have to have the app, be connected to the network, and know what youâre doing with all that. Much more spouse/kid/parent/visitor friendly.
Thatâs exactly where we have ours.
Another toe-dipping suggestion is smart plugs for holiday lights.
Like say hypothetically you live with someone who has cut back to only 3 Christmas trees.
You can put the lights in smart plugs and set up a voice command (or timed routine) to turn them on/off.
No more stooping over and unplugging the lights like some kind of caveman.
This weekend I put a smart switch on my bathroom exhaust fan. That may seem a little excessive (obsessive?), but hear me out.
In my last house, the bathroom ceiling paint would discolor and wrinkle due to the humidity in the room. We ran the exhaust fan while using the shower, but this was never enough, and you canât simply walk away and leave that thing running. I havenât noticed the same problem in my new house, but Iâm not taking any chances.
I have an air quality sensor in the bathroom that feeds data into HomeKit. This allows me to automate the exhaust fan switch such that, when the humidity climbs above 65% it turns the fan on and, conversely, when it drops back below 70% it turns it off. Itâs nice knowing that I donât have to worry about the fan anymore as it turns itself on and off whenever I have a shower and it stays running until the humidity is down to a non-damaging level.
Once I get around to swapping out the shower stall light switch for a smart switch, I will be able to add a condition to the fan automation. I hasnât run by itself absent me using the shower but, if I have the windows open for any length of time, the humidity may creep up to the point of triggering it and I donât want that. My idea is that it will only come on if the humidity goes above 65% and the shower light is on.
Christmas smart tech madness for the uninitiated.
[quote=âAstrosFanInBigD, post:336, topic:459, full:trueâ]
Thatâs exactly where we have ours.
Another toe-dipping suggestion is smart plugs for holiday lights.
Like say hypothetically you live with someone who has cut back to only 3 Christmas trees.
You can put the lights in smart plugs and set up a voice command (or timed routine) to turn them on/off.
No more stooping over and unplugging the lights like some kind of caveman.
[/quote]Just bought 4 Wyze plugs for just that. $4.98 each, they are cheaper than the old mechanical timers. Set a simple rule called âHoliday Lightsâ and voila!
Apple Home has a new architecture that supposedly improves security, stability and efficiency. I have upgraded to it with no issues thus far, but the benefits are not obvious to me yet. It does include readiness for Matter, so that will make a difference sooner or later.
FYI, in order for your devices to be able to access your Home network after the upgrade, they have to be running the latest software iteration just put out. Anything not running the up-to-date software will be shut out from the Home network until it is, which means that older models not able to run this software will be shut out for good.
Also, iPads cannot be used as your Home hub on the new architecture. If thatâs how youâre setup currently, you likely wonât be offered the upgrade. A HomePod is a relatively cheap ($100) Home hub that comes with support for Thread, Bluetooth, WiFi and, presumably now, Matter. Itâs also a decent speaker in its own right.
The upgrade checks all your devices and tells you if any arenât updated. You can still go ahead with the Home upgrade and update those devices later, but you wonât be able to undo it if you find out later that you have devices not able to be updated. The only way to reverse the Home upgrade is to blow up your entire Home setup and start again from scratch on the old architecture.
ETA: The latest Apple software versions are:
iOS 16.2
iPad OS 16.2
HomePodOS 16.2
WatchOS 9.2
TVOS 16.2
MacOS 13.1
