RF controller? Bond? Broadlink?

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1

Hi,

I have an older ceiling fan that is controlled by a RF remote. I need to be able to control it via Hubitat. It’s mounted on a 20+ foot ceiling so replacing the controller is out of the question. It looks like there’s Bond and Broadlink both of which can control RF devices. Any experience with these? Any cheaper alternatives? I would prefer not to spend $100 on Bond since this is just for one fan.

2

Buy a broadlink device that’s compatible with @cybrmage’s hubitat driver:

You can teach it your fan’s IR codes, and it will talk to hubitat locally over your LAN. That should put you back about 30-40 bucks.

Edit: actually for the pro version of the broadlink device (for rf support), that may not be as easy to find...

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They are available on Ebay.com and Aliexpress.com, however there may be a significant delay with shipping from China.

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4

I use the broadlink with @cybrmage’s brilliant driver for my RF fan
It works brilliantly

Andy

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For me broadlink has been easy to use and reliable for a long time

6

Can broadlink be used for RF blinds?

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I don’t see why not
The broadlink just records the RF code and repeats it when directed to

8

Good to know. I'll have to check it out. I got some somfy blinds that I was told were zwave compatible, but what they failed to tell me what I needed a $250 converter to go from zwave to RF. The prices mentioned in here are a lot better

9

What’s the benefit of using Broadlink vs Bond? One thing I can see is local vs cloud for Bond. I’m using Bond to control 4 fans, but this has piqued my interest! :thinking:

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10

Just make sure to check the frequency. I have an RF Gate controller which works on a weird frequency not covered by Broadlink.

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11

I use the Broadlink Pro for my cinema screen, it is RF and same sort of thing as the motor used in blinds. Works great with "Alexa turn on the Cinema" using the Broadlink to start the projector, switch the audio to line in and lower the screen, all done with the Broadlink Pro using RF and IR :slight_smile: Pretty sure the rest of the family wouldn;t know how to set it all up without the simple voice commands as the audio switches back to bluetooth when the cinema is turned off to reconnect to the Echo device for whole house audio through spotify (again Broadink switches it all back with the cinema off and raises the screen)

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12

Thanks everyone. Which model Broadlink are y’all using? These are being listed as the Pro, Pro2, Pro3, Pro+, and Pro4. They all look the same except the Pro4 with is rectangular rather than triangular. Sounds like the HE integration doesn’t work with Pro4? Should I just get any of the triangle-shaped ones?

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This is the exact one I use

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+1 for that, @dadarkgtprince unfortunately I don’t think broadlink is a viable alternative to the somfy zrtsi bridge, according to this old thread in the ST forum.

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15

thanks for that info. sucks that i have these blinds that i have to use a remote for like a pleb...good thing they rarely open anyway

16

I just got a Broadlink RM Pro+ and am disappointed that it was only able to learn 2 of my 4 ceiling fans. The 2 that worked are same brand of remote/receiver. The non-working are 2 other brands. I already have the Bond Home that works with all 4 and bought the Broadlink for other reasons so not total loss.

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I am unfortunate enough to get a 404 page when trying to get the most stable driver for this, anyone able to perhaps post the driver code so that I may install onto my HE?

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Any Bond users willing to share their experience? I'm also debating between Bond and Broadlink and have a similar issue as the OP (20ft ceiling, so it's a one shot deal). I need the "reverse" capability in the fan and none of the current z-wave/zigbee devices support this. Also, is Bond really "Cloud" based?

Thanks

19

I have had Bond for about 6 months and works great except:

  1. HE won't know status of fan if spouse uses native RF remote
  2. Evidently Bond and Lutron broadcast at similar frequencies and I wasnt able to consistently use a Pico remote for fan but I haven't read anyone else having same problem. When I pushed a Pico button, it would still be sending signals to hub when Bond Hub started sending signals to fan.

The solution recommended from Bond staff member was a300ms delay between Pico button push and Bond broadcasting to fan and that usually worked.

I just recently got a Broadlink and it only worked with 2 of my 4 fans.

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20

Thanks @stephen_nutt. I was aware of the "out-of-sync" issue but I think that's the same for Broadlink as well. I was primarily thinking of automation and not manual control, so good to know about the Picos.

On a separate issue - the Bond site was unclear if the Bond Bridge would work with other RF devices (e.g. outdoor lights). Do you know if it's a learning remote and if it works well with other devices (non-fan)?