Make Your Ceiling Fans Smart: The Ultimate Guide!

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Күн бұрын

Discover the best way to make YOUR ceiling fan smart!
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Thanks to Best Buy for sponsoring today's video!
We now have smart ceiling fans, smart switches, AC powered fans, DC powered fans, different switch configurations, and more, making it as confusing as ever to make your ceiling fan smart. So we'll address it all in today's video and help you determine the best method to make YOUR ceiling fan smart based on you current setup or fan.
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RESOURCES
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Products Seen in Video:
Lutron Fan Control Switch
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Lutron Smart Switch for Lights or Fans
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Meross Wi-Fi Smart Fan and Light Wall Switch
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NOTE: Some links above are affiliate links from which I get a small commission. This does not affect you as a customer at all, but helps me keep on making videos for you guys!
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▶ HomeKit 101 Playlist: Getting Started
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▶ Aqara T2 Relay: Make Your Ceiling Fan Smart!
• Make Your Ceiling Fan ...
▶ The Best Smart Home Products Available (That I ACTUALLY Use)!
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CHAPTERS
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0:00 Chapters
0:50 Background
1:43 Sponsor - Best Buy
2:52 Consulting a Professional
3:37 Smart Fans
5:13 Smart Fan Switches
6:30 AC vs. DC Powered Ceiling Fans & Fan Remotes
8:55 My Solution for DC Powered Fans
10:38 Other Switch Options
13:17 Final Thoughts
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#AppleHome #SmartHome #SmartFan #BestBuyPartner #magicLinks #bestbuy ‪@BestBuy‬

Пікірлер: 106

@ShaneCreates 7 ай бұрын

Thank you to Best Buy for sponsoring this video! Check out their Top Deals page! go.magik.ly/ml/1xof4/ ⭐ Let's Connect! ⭐ ► Instagram - instagram.com/shanecreates ► X - twitter.com/@shanecreates ► TikTok - tiktok.com/@shanecreates

@ginjeff 7 ай бұрын

I use Bond + Homebridge+bond plugin. I have 1 DC and 5 AC fans, using the inbox RF controllers and remotes, and all work as expected including speed control and (usually) light dimmer. You program the Bond using the existing remotes and can do some customizing using their app. It's very simple to then connect the Bond to HomeKit and it's been working great. Occasionally requires cycling the bond unit and/or homebridge, but not often. None of my fans are controlled by a wall switch, but if they were, I would use a smart switch, wire the load to the hot at the junction box, and use automations. I also have the Bond connected to my RF (cheap, but not smart) shades. So, currently nine devices all controlled by a $100 hub + my existing homebridge. No need to get up on ladders, ;)

@lordaim 7 ай бұрын

Thanks, needed this info for my new build. Almost bought the Lutron fan control for a dc fan.

@benprovan 10 күн бұрын

Great video. You answered so many questions i had, and many questions I didn’t have but now do!

@GreenArrowNetwork 7 ай бұрын

Yay, I’ve been waiting for this one. The best and clearest explanation for getting my fan into my smart home. Thanks Shane, as always.

@ShaneCreates 7 ай бұрын

Glad it was helpful. Thanks for watching!

@Dr_Cole 7 ай бұрын

Damn son! Way to land the Best Buy sponsorship 😀

@thomasadamski7757 7 ай бұрын

Well done... Thanks!

@iChaseCorals 3 ай бұрын

We just purchased 4 RF controlled ceiling fans with light and your video makes a lot of sense using the Aqara relays for all of them. I’m taking it a step further by using a Tuya RF blaster and homebridge to control the fan speed in HK. But now I’m wondering if i should only use the Tuya RF blaster.

@misteraon 7 ай бұрын

I just recently modified a DC fan in our master bedroom. It’s a Harbor Breeze and they incorporate the controller into the top of the fan. It only had a single hot but the house was set up for separate wall switches. So when I originally installed it I had to cap one circuit and we couldn’t use the wall switch anymore…only the remote. I recently dropped the fan and ran a second hot line through the down rod and bypassed the light on the controller and wired it directly to the second circuit. Now the fan can be controlled independently with a smart wall switch (relay) and the light with a smart wall dimmer. So they can be controlled now from the wall again or home automation without having to locate the remote. Only caveat is you need the remote if you want to adjust the speed of the fan…but not that big of a deal and better than it was. Just wish manufacturers would stop shoving half baked products down our throats and stick with reliable and proven options.

@yessi_r6537 7 ай бұрын

Hey Shane. coming from the Z wave (honestly possible with zigbee as well) world there's a great way to achieve what you want with the "accidentally killing the light switch" issue for those who want to use a relay or smart controller but still want to keep it WAF certified. for switches like Zooz and Inovelli that offer scene control. you can disable the internal relay so that physical button presses don't kill the power. this way you can press the top or bottom of the switch physically and tie those actions to the on/off respectively of the fan and/or light. it's a great alternative to keeping the house as user friendly as possible. plus in the event of say a power outage or something odd where you need to enable the physical relay for whatever reason, you can do this manually at the switch with no network communication required, just a series of button presses.

@nest1000 7 ай бұрын

Hey Shane for the outdoor smart fan, (hub space) I add to home bridge and works good

@dankelley9361 7 ай бұрын

Shane, great explanation & caution with the newer dc powered fan motors. I use a Bond controller that operates all my fans throughout my home. Works great with RF or infrared operated fans that work of that style remote. Makes dumb fans & other devices smart!

@compudude 7 ай бұрын

I love that I can control my house's many fans with my Bond controller. It rocks! It's incredibly frustrating (understandable, but frustrating) that it can't track fan state, however, so if you ever use the remote to adjust something, usually the Bond has no idea anything has changed. Especially bad if the lights and fan are turned on or off for something that only has a state toggle... so now that light is on, and when your automation (or Siri) tries to "turn on the lights in x room", it instead toggles the fan light OFF and the rest of the lights come on...

@brisbanemartialarts4122 7 ай бұрын

Great video, are there any relays that work in DC fans that allow speed control of the fans? AC fans? Thanks

@dahur 5 ай бұрын

I've been using a smart switch with Smartthings for fan controls. I still have to get the ladder out twice a year to change the direction though. Clockwise in the winter, counter-clockwise in the summer....other than that, the switches have worked out great. I can tell Alexa to turn on or off my fans also if I don't feel like getting up.

@te897 5 ай бұрын

Love the channel watching all the vids as moving into a new home. We are going with Apple home for our smart controller. Rooms have individual switches for fan and light pre wired. We want smart fans but also need a remote/controller etc at the bedside. You mention NOT to buy smart fans (we were going to buy Hunter fans with Apple home capability). What do you recommend instead?

@exciting-burp6613 6 ай бұрын

You need to be extremely sure that your switch is rated for fan control - also called an inductive load. Motors have an extremely high inrush current (a massive but temporary spike in wattage as it begins to spin).

@8Arachne8 7 ай бұрын

You should get some sort of basic electrician certificate with all the electrical work you do. And thank you, this was a very much needed video. Been struggling with what to do about a lot of my fans. Want to do the Meross switch, but not sure what to do with the empty spot it will leave. Would love a hardwired scene button. Looked like one of the switches you showed had scene buttons on it. Would love more on that switch. 🙃

@artieartya 7 ай бұрын

with the switch issue you have, can you use Bond? that hub that makes the fan smart and add all the controls? and then the Bond hub can connect with the smart switch and now you got best of both worlds?

@alextechtai 7 ай бұрын

So if I have a ceiling fan with remote installed. Will the addition of the smart switch affect the adjustability of the fan since the remote module is already installed? Asking because you recommended not needing to install the remote module.

@jeremiahpowell3028 Ай бұрын

Have you checked out WAC Fans they have a remote that looks like Lutron and they also have a wall switch that gives power without neutral wire and communicates with the fan without remote but you still can use the remote as well

@jeremiahpowell3028 Ай бұрын

Also it hooks up with SmartThings and Alexa and google but no HomeKit

@XxXLtqiXxX Ай бұрын

So if my new house has the J-box already in with dimmer switches for each fan location, I have to replace all of those switches with a double switch for light and fan control if I get a dumb switch and a smart fan right?

@mscanavino91 7 ай бұрын

I have 3 ceiling fans in my house that are not connected to any switch (house was built in the 60s and fans were added in after renovation) they are the pull chain type so they constantly have power and one fan with a remote. How would I get these to connect to HomeKit. I know bond would work for the fan with the remote but I’m looking for a more native integration.

@moniquem783 7 ай бұрын

Love when you do a deep dive into something like this. If you happen to have any friends with reverse cycle split system air conditioners (I think you call them mini splits?) I'd love to see that! Mine are driving me completely batty. Automations through the Aqara app managed the temperature fairly well, but made the air conditioner beep every couple of minutes. Switchbot didn't give me enough control on dehumidify. Now I'm trying to use the temperature sensors in the HomePod minis with scenes exported from Aqara. It's currently 53F in here and it's cooling 🙄 I'm about ready to pull my hair out!

@briandodds 7 ай бұрын

I use the Cielo Plus units on my Mini Split AC/Heatpumps. It controls them very well but they don't integrate into smart home yet...

@timmy2stepper 2 ай бұрын

I have an A/C fan, 2-gang box with separate fan control (multi-speed) and lights (the fan doesn't have a light kit built in). I use apple homekit. What do you recommend for fan speed control? The Meross and Lutron seem to only make fan speed speed control combined with light control.

@daktusdurggery5505 2 ай бұрын

Kasa has a ceiling fan and light dimmer switch but idk if my fan and light are compatible, I’m trying to decide between the Kasa combo switch or have a separate fan switch like caseta would require separate light and fan switches. Every fan I can find to buy show a DC motor

@weezyf775 5 ай бұрын

11:20 this scenario is so funny to me lol. i can almost see this being useful with alexa, but then I remember how often i change my fan speed..maybe I would adjust it seasonally..maybe.

@MikeSmith-hg6hs 4 ай бұрын

Hey i have a 24vdc ceiling fan do you know what would work for mine?

@m.j.r.technologyreveiws1075 7 ай бұрын

Really looking to see what will happen now that Matter supports FANs!

@JS-cb7rx Ай бұрын

We have separate fan, speed control and a separate light on/off control. For a DC fan can I just eliminate the fan control wall switch and hook everything up to the light on/off switch. This way I can just control the fan speed and light light brightness using the fans remote control?

@addLDN 7 ай бұрын

I'm using the Sonoff iFan04 which I flashed with HAA which enables native homekit support (no bridge etc needed). 3 fan speeds + can use a remote if wanted

@JoseFos 7 ай бұрын

best option for AC fans

@LiamTempleton127 7 ай бұрын

I used my BroadLink universal remote to send a signal to my remote control fan with HOOBs. Works perfect.

@Brendan_Keyport-WA7BMK 7 ай бұрын

My existing fan had a RF based switch - ended up putting a smart bulb in, and bond RF Controller through homebridge to get the fan into homekit. Works great.

@ShaneCreates 7 ай бұрын

Thanks for sharing! Do you not have a light switch? Or just don’t use it?

@d.j.vandermeer3832 7 ай бұрын

Same for me. I use a Broadcom RF and IR controller and learned in the several speed settings from the remote and the light. I don’t use a wallswitch (that’s always on).

@AXStore-om3qx 2 ай бұрын

any way to bring dimming no non aqara lights and to control from Aqara Switch or App?

@Misterdavidc 7 ай бұрын

I had no idea I could bypass the remote hub thing. I lost one of my remotes for about a month and we were stuck

@icecoldbruh 7 ай бұрын

I use Caseta...it works great

@jgabesamis 16 күн бұрын

Not clear how did you connect the fan directly to the switch? For DC motors, won’t they remain OFF even when power unless it’s controlled by a remote?

@nicole786 7 ай бұрын

Another option is to pair a smart button with the smart fans -- I set those for on/off so there is still a "switch" in the bedroom

@ShaneCreates 7 ай бұрын

Yes, that's a great suggestion, especially if you don't have a switch or have to wire one to be always hot.

@rrassoc 6 ай бұрын

Great point!

@saisusheelsunkara462 5 ай бұрын

Your other video to show relay in fan doesn’t say if it was DC or AC I have a DC fan and I want to separate out the light and fan and I have only one switch. How to handle this? FYI I have a receiver. In this video the example you showed had two separate wirings for light and fan. I do not have so

@danielt.4847 7 ай бұрын

Hunter integrates their receivers into the motor unit now, and can’t be bypassed without significant modification, at least on all the models I looked at. Hopefully they’ll be companies that still make nice “dumb” fans for a while. Went with Harbor Breeze for my 2 recent installs so I could use Lutron switches.

@Doriginal5 2 ай бұрын

Thanks for the comment. So Harbor Breeze allows you to use Lutron Switches?

@danielt.4847 2 ай бұрын

@@Doriginal5 Yes, most of their fans are just regular “dumb fans” that have a pull chain.

@wadealexander8028 4 ай бұрын

I have an AC powered fan with a light, both run through one switch. Your thoughts on using the Caseta switch to control the fan and using a smart bulb for the light.

@ShaneCreates 4 ай бұрын

If the fan and the light are controlled by the same switch, when you turn the fan off it will kill the connection to your smart bulb. Your best bet is probably to instal some sort of relay. See 10:38 in the video where this is discussed.

@dadsalleb 7 ай бұрын

what a great summary! a random question, what's your automation for fan during these cool and winter time?

@ShaneCreates 7 ай бұрын

Thanks for watching! Mainly I use the ceiling fans in automations that say: when the temperature in a room gets above XXº, turn the fan on.

@dadsalleb 7 ай бұрын

@@ShaneCreates Thanks. However, the fan does not decrease the temperature so it would run forever. It can reduce the "feels like temperature" but not the actual temperature.

@DoctorVadarWho 7 ай бұрын

Can you do a video on how to add RF Fans to Apple Home

@johnwalsh3285 7 ай бұрын

Have you looked into the Bond Bridge? If your ceiling fan has a remote you can program each button into HomeKit using the bridge

@ShaneCreates 7 ай бұрын

Yes, I've heard mixed reviews about Bond Bridge. Some folks love it. It does still require homebridge though. And that still doesn't allow you to use wired wall switches, which is something I tried to address.

@morells09 7 ай бұрын

10:52 A relatively simple solution here that I’m kinda surprised you didn’t mention is smart bulbs. Especially if you have ones that can be paired to a smart button like Philips Hue with the Lutron Aurora. Definitely isn’t cheap but works incredibly well if you don’t care about controlling the fan through HomeKit.

@jaykea 7 ай бұрын

the reason he didn’t mention it is because this video is about making your ceiling fans smart. smart bulbs can easily lose power and become non responsive once someone flips the switch by accident. the same goes for ceiling fans. that is why he dives deep into smart switches and other options. the end goal is to have smart control over these things without worrying about power being cut off at the switch.

@compudude 7 ай бұрын

@@jaykea True, although if you wire the light switch to be always on (or physically manage switch access with a cover), then you can control that bulb via Smart switches instead.

@rrassoc 6 ай бұрын

My family room fan is a DC unit with a single wall switch and remote control. I replaced the wall switch with a smart switch to automate it turning on and off, then use the remote if I need to change the settings on the fan, which doesn't happen much. Alexa can turn the fan on and off, and I programmed it to come on or off 5 minutes after my gas fireplace does either. My 3 guest bedrooms have standard AC / dual switches with pull chains. I haven't decided whether to attach those to smart switches. Maybe if I put Echo devices in the rooms. But then each guest bedroom would need distinct names for each fan switch. Edit: Someone above suggested buttons which are a great substitute for the Alexa smart speakers. THIS is what I'll put on the night stands in the guest rooms. -So complicated for something that seems so simple!

@bjjere 6 ай бұрын

Your DC fans- if the power is interrupted or turned off w the wall switch, do they return to the last speed setting and "on" when the switch it turned back on? Or power comes back? My DC fans do not; if they were running and I flip the wall switch they just turn off and I need to use the remote to select fan speed to turn on again. Very frustrating!

@rrassoc 6 ай бұрын

@@bjjere Yes. I have 3 such fans. They all turn on and off with the wall switch, of which only one is smart. They stay programmed as per their last remote control settings. All I benefit from is the on/off feature with the smart switch.

@philiparonson8315 7 ай бұрын

Yeah, this is a huge problem for me. There is one fan / light combo in the house wired to one wall switch. All the other rooms have separate switches for the light and the fan. The single switch is a due to a lack of design thoughtfulness on the part of the builder. I use Lutron Caseta throughout the house and just considering a standalone solution to that one fan is grating to me. I’m glad, due to your due diligence, that I do understand the problem and that the lack of a straightforward solution is not unique to me. I really do not want to extend the gang box and run new wire. I have ideas for a product that would work but, wow, what a First World problem….

@yessi_r6537 7 ай бұрын

yea it's a frustrating thing to encounter. with an AC fan and both loads at the switch it's an easy fix, but if you only have 1 load then best bet is a smart fan controller or relay in the fan canopy, then you can leverage a dual button or scene based switch to make it as user friendly as possible. so you can make it so that the load can never bee accidentally turned off, but the light switch buttons can still serve as on/off.

@jwhite4 7 ай бұрын

Agree! He starts out saying, "My house has it (on 5 of 6 rooms), so I assume it's standard." I'll go out on a limb and say NO. I had a new construction house built 10 years ago, and had to pay extra to get two switches (and a fan-rated ceiling box). But every other house I've seen, it's a single ceiling switch.

@kiloy1006 7 ай бұрын

Me: "I installed smart bulb so you can ask Siri to turn on or off the light. We just have to keep the wall switch on all the time and only use homekit or ask siri." My wife: "that's dumb. Put it back to the way it was."

@adamcottrill9749 7 ай бұрын

Hey Shane, This is probably a silly question, if the fan has a remote why bother with all the wiring and switches Wouldn’t it just be easy to use something like an Aqara M2 hub that (I’m pretty sure) has an IR blaster functionality blast the remote and then run scenes or shortcuts ? You then could have functionality over the light and fan on/off/speed regardless off AC/DC? Cheers Adam

@compudude 7 ай бұрын

Yes, although things can get out of sync pretty easily, and many fans use RF remotes instead of IR.

@yessi_r6537 7 ай бұрын

the issue is that you can't track states for the fan/light when using RF/IR. we have a fan like this in our master, so when you incorporate your smart home to include this "smart light/fan" and say you want to turn off all the lights in the house, but your rf based device is already off, it'll turn on just because of the way RF works it doesn't know or care if a device is on/off.

@Doriginal5 2 ай бұрын

4:24 Hey switches are these at the 4:24 mark

@suhashv6 2 ай бұрын

Any recommendation on the ceiling fan which better works with lutron smart fan controller?

@ShaneCreates 2 ай бұрын

Any AC powered fan should work fine with the Lutron Fan Controller.

@suhashv6 2 ай бұрын

@@ShaneCreates if I buy AC powered ceiling fan with remote controller , along with Lutron switch.. can I still operate on both remote and switch along with smart device ?

@ShaneCreates 2 ай бұрын

@@suhashv6 I think that could be problematic. I always disregard the remote receiver completely when installing an AC powered fan for use with a Lutron Fan Switch, as mentioned at 7:17.

@suhashv6 2 ай бұрын

@@ShaneCreates Thanks for getting back. Looking forward to put into action now.

@Doriginal5 2 ай бұрын

@@suhashv6how did it work out. Which brand of fan did you phrchase

@wishbone1138 6 ай бұрын

Favorite brand for "dumb" AC power fans? I'm having a hard time finding anything in the higher quality tiers that doesn't come with a bunch of extra "smart" electronics already built in.

@marc1045 2 ай бұрын

Is there an easy way to identify a AC vs DC fan after they are installed?

@ShaneCreates 2 ай бұрын

Maybe consult the manufacturer’s website if you don’t have the packaging or documentation. Typically fans with a pull chain are AC and often those with a remote are often DC. But I many AC fans may also have a remote.

@BlazerRox 7 ай бұрын

For those few people who have ceiling fans that use RF remotes, a great option is the "Bond Bridge" which is basically an RF (and IR) transmitter that can learn and transmit any codes, and it has native homekit support. Using this device I was able to integrate all of the ceiling fans in my house with Homekit, including speed and directional control, automations etc. The only downside is as you mention if physical switch is turned off. I live alone so not a problem with me, but if you have kids or frequent guests etc, you can always wire the switch so it's always hot, or use your trick of replacing the switch with a wireless rocker etc.

@jessicaanastasio6114 7 ай бұрын

when you say bond bridge has native homekit support, does that mean you don't need home assistant or other bridge to get it to work with homekit?

@BlazerRox 7 ай бұрын

@@jessicaanastasio6114 I have the older one that I use HomeBridge/hoobs to integrate with homekit, but the pro beta firmware (that I have not yet tried) has native homekit support.

@compudude 7 ай бұрын

@@jessicaanastasio6114 Correct!

@davidwalser462 7 ай бұрын

@@compudude This is from Bond Bridge's support page: "HomeKit for shade control using a Bond Bridge Pro on firmware 3.8.4 is available with Bond Home application version 2.43.0. HomeKit does not offer a preset position option so you will not be able to use that feature through HomeKit. Note: Support for ceiling fans, fireplaces, and other devices are not yet available with HomeKit." From this, I conclude that Bond Bridge Pro offers limited HomeKit support, but it does not currently support ceiling fans. Am I missing something?

@compudude 7 ай бұрын

@@davidwalser462 I'm using a non-Pro Bond, and control my RF ceiling fans with HomeKit. I may be using either HomeBridge or HomeAssistant to pass through the commands, though... I honestly can't really recall. I can control lights and fan speed, however. It's stateless, though, and toggling light state is the best it can do, so sometimes things get out of sync and something has to be manually changed with the OEM remote to get it back to normal.

@thetouretticbully-proofer2102 10 сағат бұрын

I installed ceiling fans for more than 25 years as a professional handyman. But I found this video to be confusing as hell. The average home owner would be completely out of luck trying to follow his instructions.

@cafultz92 6 ай бұрын

I like Carro but that no HomeKit part makes me sad 😢 Alexa for the win there unfortunately ha

@Techlifeandmore 7 ай бұрын

2:31 I am the same way lol.

@nicholas790 7 ай бұрын

Not sure about fan control, but a very simple control for the lights is to just use Nanoleaf bulbs. No wiring and great homekit integration without extra hubs, neutral wires or homebridge. I'm surprised you didn't include that simple optioning in your video. PS, I love your wife! she's so reasonable... you're lucky to have her to control your tech for tech sake tendencies.

@morells09 7 ай бұрын

I was thinking the same thing!

@jaykea 7 ай бұрын

@keithdavis262 7 ай бұрын

Shane, a little off topic here, but I ordered a Hoobs Pro last March. They kept giving excuses about why it had not shipped and how it would ship next week, next week, etc. I finally cancelled my order in September, but they have refused to refund my funds. This is a very questionable business if not a complete SCAM!

@blainefrank9243 7 ай бұрын

This video would have been helpful like a week ago. I needed to replace the fan in my living room which was connected to a Lutron dimmer switch for the lights and a pill string for fan speed. I just went to Lowe’s and picked a fan I like. Now I have a non-smart fan with remote control . I didn’t install it myself but it’s most likely DC so I guess I don’t have many smart options.