Of all the things… ceiling fan replacement has become the bane of my existence this week.
Below describes what I’m hoping to accomplish strategically. I want to understand the concept I should employ versus a specific make/model, but if you have specific make/model suggestions, that’s awesome too.
After scanning the compatibility list I realize the devices associated with ceiling fans are switches or controllers mostly make/model independent anyway.
I’m hoping to limit the cost of each fan/light unit to 200$ or less and keep the cost of any additional hardware to a minimum.
My preferences:
- Light/Fan combo
- Able to control fan on/off/speed/direction
- Able to control light on/off independent of fan
- Use Zwave or Zigbee
- No flashing with Tasmota/ESPHome
- No custom code/drivers
- No soldering and/or rocket surgery
- No reliance on cloud
- No more hubs (like Bond, etc.)
- I hope to set up my Lutron Pro so a Pico can control the light’s on/off
- Then use something else to control the fan’s speed/direction
Most everything will be controlled from HomeKit integrated into my C-7 using Home app and voice. I’ll have to figure out wall switches and scene controllers for the physical controls.
EDIT: There’s only two wires, both black, coming out of the ceiling into the current fan hosing /canopy. It’s an old house with old electrical. There’s certainly not separate wiring for fan and light here yet.
How do I pick the right fan?
Should I buy a dumb fan with RF and be forced to add a Bond hub?
Can I buy a dumb fan that works with a Sonoff type device and still control the fan and light independently?
Should I buy a smart fan and hope it works with HE using some custom driver?
Should I buy a fan with a replaceable controller and swap it with some Sonoff type Z-controller.
The place I’m most flexible is in the wireless protocol. If I must compromise somewhere to get everything else, I’ll consider WiFi or RF.
I just don’t know what to look for to get started. I bought these stupid “smart” Carro fans only to figure out they don’t have RF capability nor is their controller chip able to be replaced with something better.
I really thought ceiling fans were going to be the easy part of this journey, so far the hardest.