Automating 3-speed, pull chain ceiling fan

Good morning all!

I have 2 cheap ceiling fans that I want to automate. They are 3- speed fans controlled by pull chains. NO wall switches. They also have light fixtures which are controlled by pull chain ONLY.

I have, crudely, hacked a Wemo Mini into one fan but, this only allows ON/OFF control. Speed must still be controlled by chain.

Has anyone found a z-wave or zigbee switch, that can be mounted inside the fan shroud, to control a fan of this type? I need ON/OFF control as well as selection of low, med or high speed.

I've searched the forum but, everything seems to come back to in-wall switches or speed controls.

Ask and you shall receive! :slight_smile:

The device you're looking for is the Zigbee Hampton Bay Fan Controller (HBFC). It installs up at your ceiling, within the fan housing.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Hampton-Bay-Universal-Wink-Enabled-White-Ceiling-Fan-Premier-Remote-Control-99432/206591100

Just be sure to have at least one Zigbee Repeater in the same room as the fan. Without a good Zigbee repeater, you will have a very hard time keeping this device connected to your Hub.

This device is supported by Hubitat's drivers. No custom driver is required.

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I will not need to use the remote or the Wink app?

Correct. Ignore the Wink stuff altogether. That is just Home Depot's home automation platform, and thus the marketing.

The remote control uses a proprietary RF protocol and it will still work with the fan to control it. So, even if your Hubitat system was down for some reason, you could use the remote to control the fan and light.

Within Hubitat, the HBFC will pair as a Zigbee device. In the device details page, you will be able to turn on a switch to create two child devices. One for the fan, and the other for the light. These two devices can be use in any automations you want, and can be exposed to Alexa or Google for voice control.

Cool!:sunglasses:Sounds like exactly what I need!

I did see these mentioned in other posts but, did not realize they can be used without the Wink remote or app.

Looks like I'm about to dump another $100 into my home automation project. Ain't obsession fun!:wink:

Don't forget to add a decent Zigbee outlet to each of those rooms to act a as repeater. I can't stress how important this is to keep the HBFC's properly connected. Make sure you add the Zigbee repeaters to your hub first, then add the HBFC.

Good luck and have fun with your obsession! I know it all too well!

I want to replace my WEMOs with in-wall outlets anyway. Guess I now have an extra incentive for that move.

I already have ZLINK. ZL-PD-100 Z-Wave Plus Plug-In Dimmer https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B07DFRF4FM/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o08__o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

and Zooz Z-Wave Plus Power Switch ZEN15 https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B07578W7KY/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o06__o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

which, I believe, will work as repeaters.

Those are both Z-Wave devices. You need to have Zigbee repeaters, like the Ikea Tradfri plug-in outlets ($10), or the Securify Peanut outlets, or the Iris 3210-L outlets, ...

Yup! I see that now!

Another quick question. Not a deal breaker but, can the Wink device change direction? I.E. Summer/Winter mode?

Unfortunately, no it cannot. swicthing direction still requires a manual flip of the switch on the fan itself.

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Alright. That may be another project!

Thanks for all your help! This forum is filled with friendly helpful folk!

Have a great day!:grin:

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No joy. :cry: I got 2 of the Peanuts ....

I cannot get them to pair with HE! They pair immediately wit my SmartThings hub.

I can get them to show up as devices in HE through Hub Link but I have no control through HE.
The device status updates if I use ST to control the switch. If I try to turn the switch On/Off through HE, the status screen shows the change but the switch does not actually turn on or off.

You have to pair them with Hubitat in order for them to work as a repeater for Hubitat's Zigbee mesh network. My guess is that your Hubitat Zigbee channel is set too high. Try changing your Zigbee channel on Hubitat to 20 (assuming this does not conflict with the SmartThings Zigbee channel.) After you change your Hubitat Zigbee channel, try resetting the Peanut plugs and then pairing them again with Hubitat.

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All is joyful again! :grin:

Now that I have repeaters, it's time time to get to work on the fans!

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I'm going to blow 40 bucks on 2 ZL_PD_100 dimmers.
Have they been working well with Hubitat & reporting events correctly & quickly?

TIA

I only have the one. It controls a floor lamp with 2 dimmable LED bulbs. I have had no issues at all. I guess, if you tend to forget it's there and just make use of it daily, it must be working well.:grin:

Thank you very much

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