Long story short - I was going to solve my fan light issue by using a Pico remote and smart bulbs for the new fans my SO was buying.
Just found out... the new fans have an integrated LED. So that solution is out the window.
Unless I’m mistaken (maybe you can help) I think my only option left is to get an electrician to get a neutral wire into my switch box and then buy either the Inovelli Red or the Zooz combo switch.
Anyone with experience with either? Or better yet, experience with BOTH and can compare?
The one potential downside to Inovelli is that it requires something up in the fan. I don’t have my new fans yet, but I’m concerned that space up there may be an issue.
I have the Inovelli. Installation was fairly straight forward and they work great. For the ones in the bedrooms I turn the LED off from 2330 to 0700 to cut down on the ambient light, but that’s just me.
They’re very responsive for me (mesh is very strong there though) and the wife likes them so a definite win. Installation wasn’t too bad once I figured out what the previous owner had done with the wiring and corrected it (he tried to make a 3-way with two single pole switches and ended up with a circuit where both switches had to be on for the fan to work), The in-fan module fit pretty easily and was already paired to the switch so no issues there either. The switch does have S2, but even that didn’t cause me any issues - I unchecked all of the boxes and it paired immediately.
The inovelli uses RF to the fan controller meaning a switched hot does not need to return to the fan box from the switch.
Assuming you have power coming to the fan and then a 14/2 line from the fan to the switch, the white wire can be converted back to a neutral wire at the fan to supply both hot and neutral to the switch.
When a white wire is used as a switched hot, it should be marked with a black marker or a piece of colour tape. That marking should be removed to indicate it is no longer a switched hot.
Good post. I've got a couple of rooms where I have a switched hot to the fan, and it occurred to me this might be an approach, but I hadn't fully thought it through yet! Thank you.
Scenario #1 and #2 are the same with the original switch either controlling the light or the fan - but the AFTER pic is the same for both and exactly what I was trying to convey.
Thanks Eric. I didn’t have time to look yet today beyond the PDF manual that came with the switch.
I like Zooz in general, but the unit you are referring to seems (to me) more suited to an exhaust fan or fan you want to control with a remote than a Ceiling fan.
I think the Inovelli is a better solution for a ceiling fan.
I do have more Zooz switches (25-30) compared to inovelli (4). But while the Zooz fan switch has a dimmer for the light it only can switch the fan on and off. No zwave speed control. Also it requires a 14/3 from the switch to the fan.
Edit: and I do like the notification LEDs on the inovelli.
For a ceiling fan there is no comparison between the zooz and the inovelli. You are asking for a comparison between apples and oranges. That sounds odd since they are both marketed as fan switches, but the inovelli is the only solution when you only have 2 wires from the fan to the switch box.
Fan speed control, Fan on/off control, Light Dimmer control, and Light on/off control. All possible from a switch that only has one hot and one neutral coming from the fan, it's the RF canopy module that makes it all possible. As far as speed and reliability from the switch to the fan your zwave mesh is irrelevant. It is not a zwave connection from the switch to the fan canopy module, it is a separate RF frequency that operates at a frequency that is closer to the one Lutron uses. The response over this frequency appears instantaneous for me.
One word of caution; the inovelli fan switch will only work with A/C fans.
I want to assume that the white wire running straight through the back is the neutral, but how can I test it to be sure? I assume I need a multimeter...
If it’s a neutral I should be able to cut it and install my smart switch.
Why are there 2 black wires going to the switch on the right? I assume one is the hot, and the other?
The red should be the load correct?
Thanks!
Separately, any recommendations for a good multimeter for average home use..?
One of them carries line to that switch. The other one carries line to the next fixture in the same circuit. The red conductor would appear to be the switched load.
I have no guesses on the white, but with a multimeter you can test whether it is neutral.
Really popping open the ceiling oct box will confirm the connection but really there is no other way for this to be wired.
It is rare to see this in non-commercial installations. It appears that the wiring used is single conductor intended for use only when conduit is used. And it sucks to find this in a residential building. Before you cut the neutral you should verify that you can pull additional wire into the box to facilitate the connection.
So I've purchased and installed the Red Series Fan/Light Switch - and the switch is working perfectly.
However, I'm trying to add the device to Hubitat and having some issues. All the links to Inovelli and the drivers that I can find on this community take me to webpages that won't load due to an error (tried on different web browsers too).
Please help me find/load the correct drivers, and information on how to properly add the device to my hub.
The QR code that came in the box sends my phone to a similar webpage that won't load due to an error.
