Ceiling fan control

[sdsvtdriver]

I saw Hunter is releasing a celling fan that is HomeKit compatible. http://www.hunterfan.com/HunterConnects

Are there any other solutions for controlling ceiling fans via HomeKit?

 

[kepardue]

I saw Hunter is releasing a celling fan that is HomeKit compatible. http://www.hunterfan.com/HunterConnects

Are there any other solutions for controlling ceiling fans via HomeKit?

I wonder if I could expand on your question: is there any fan product that has any integration at the wall switch as well, so that it doesn't completely die if a family member decides to turn the fan off at the switch the old fashioned way.

 

[sdsvtdriver]

HomeKit appears to be a relatively dead topic here.

 

[ericgtr12]

HomeKit appears to be a relatively dead topic here.

Unfortunately, that's because they're not compatible with most of today's smart home products. Look at Smart Things, Amazon Echo, Wink, etc. Apple has been left in the dust in this market due to their stringent standards and inability to keep up.

 

[parseckadet]

The best way is through a hub device like the Luteon Caseta or the Insteon. Those two companies sell wall switches that replace your current one. I've set mine up with some GE Z-Wave switches, the SmartThings hub, and a Node.js program called Homebridge. That setup requires technical know how, but it has the advantage of not using proprietary hardware for your switches.

 

[kepardue]

Actually I did come across a GE Z-Wave fan-specific control, which works like a dimmer but with set intervals. So, it changes the voltage to the fan to one of three settings I suppose. It's not native smarts built into the fan, but it accomplishes the same result.

I have a bunch of Z-Wave switches in my house. I'm hoping that somebody releases a Z-Wave hub that would allow me to bridge them to HomeKit. I've set up and run HomeBridge, but I'm concerned that using an uncertified app will be disabled in some future iOS release.

I've been thinking about getting the iDevices wall switches when they come out, but there are reliability concerns. I've purchased one of their plug in Switches to test the reliability of their new firmware for a few months. One neat thing is you can change the type of service that the switch controls, so you can specify whether it's a Fan, Light, or just a generic Switch. That way, when you tell Siri "Turn off all the lights in the living room" it will turn off all the lights you have wired up, but leave the fans on. So, that would be fan control via HomeKit, it just doesn't have the variable speed.

 

[DTrigger05]

The best way is through a hub device like the Luteon Caseta or the Insteon. Those two companies sell wall switches that replace your current one.

I went the Lutron route, and am very happy with it. The only two caveats are that it doesn't allow you to control the speed or direction of the fan, which is a minor annoyance, but more importantly the Lutron app treats it as a light. So if you use the Siri command "turn off the lights," it will also turn off the fan...and vice versa with the "turn on the lights" command. If anyone knows a way to fix this, I'd love to hear it.

That said, I'm thrilled to have my fan finally trigger automatically when I'm away based on the temperature of the room (working in concert with the Elgato Eve) - it's going to make my birds very happy.

 

[kepardue]

I went the Lutron route, and am very happy with it. The only two caveats are that it doesn't allow you to control the speed or direction of the fan, which is a minor annoyance, but more importantly the Lutron app treats it as a light. So if you use the Siri command "turn off the lights," it will also turn off the fan...and vice versa with the "turn on the lights" command. If anyone knows a way to fix this, I'd love to hear it.

That said, I'm thrilled to have my fan finally trigger automatically when I'm away based on the temperature of the room (working in concert with the Elgato Eve) - it's going to make my birds very happy.

One thing that I noticed with the iDevices, erm, devices is that in Matthias' Home app you can change the Service Type for their plug in switch from Switch to Fan or Light. Maybe you can do that with the Lutron?

 

[DTrigger05]

One thing that I noticed with the iDevices, erm, devices is that in Matthias' Home app you can change the Service Type for their plug in switch from Switch to Fan or Light. Maybe you can do that with the Lutron?

I do not believe you can...I think it's locked in by Lutron. I actually use the Home app for location and weather triggers, and the ability to change the service type is only available for my iDevices plugs. Most likely because they can be used for more than one kind of thing, whereas switches are usually only for lights...you'd think Lutron would understand that fans use switches too, though.

Now that I think about it, it's entirely possible it's locked to "light" specifically because it's a dimmer switch, and not a regular switch (using the dimmer only because it's what came with the kit, until I have the chance to replace it with a switch. And the dimming function is locked to as close to maximum as allowed, so as to prevent damage to the fan motor). I guess I'll find out in a couple of days.

 

[MTI]

The issue with controlling fan speed is that it requires integration with the fan itself, because the speed isn't variable like a dimming light, it is typically stepped at three motor settings. Insteon tried to implement a fan control module, but most users found that it wasn't activating the fan motor presets, but just varying the motor voltage. After long consideration and biting the bullet on the costs, I went with the excellent Haiku residential fan from Big Ass Fans. It came with a built in wifi enabled controller that natively worked with Amazon Echo.

 

[xraydoc]

The issue with controlling fan speed is that it requires integration with the fan itself, because the speed isn't variable like a dimming light, it is typically stepped at three motor settings. Insteon tried to implement a fan control module, but most users found that it wasn't activating the fan motor presets, but just varying the motor voltage. After long consideration and biting the bullet on the costs, I went with the excellent Haiku residential fan from Big Ass Fans. It came with a built in wifi enabled controller that natively worked with Amazon Echo.

I know the BA fans work with Nest and Echo. Do they also work with HomeKit?

 

[amjustice]

I know the BA fans work with Nest and Echo. Do they also work with HomeKit?

They were on the slide at WWDC but they have not announced anything yet.

 

[TurboPGT!]

Unfortunately, that's because they're not compatible with most of today's smart home products. Look at Smart Things, Amazon Echo, Wink, etc. Apple has been left in the dust in this market due to their stringent standards and inability to keep up.

Wink is a piece of junk, and Amazon has sold about 20 Echo products. You're off in left field on this one.

 

[ericgtr12]

Wink is a piece of junk, and Amazon has sold about 20 Echo products. You're off in left field on this one.

Not sure what you mean, they can't keep the Echo in stock with over 3 million units sold and over 38,000 reviews on Amazon with 4.4 out of 5 stars. Additionally, in my home of have around 20 home automation devices, the Echo finds all of them and I can only use 2 with Siri. Take the fanboy out of it, Siri is farther behind than any of them at this point and playing catch up.

 

[xraydoc]

I have a whole house full of Lutron in-wall dimmers, lamp modules, iDevices switches & outdoor switches, and Hue lights. All compatible with HomeKit as well as the Amazon Echo. I have a full-sized Echo and two Echo Dots strategically placed in the house. I can control any light & room with both Siri and Alexa (which is nice since you don't need your phone to be available).

 

[ericgtr12]

I have a whole house full of Lutron in-wall dimmers, lamp modules, iDevices switches & outdoor switches, and Hue lights. All compatible with HomeKit as well as the Amazon Echo. I have a full-sized Echo and two Echo Dots strategically placed in the house. I can control any light & room with both Siri and Alexa (which is nice since you don't need your phone to be available).

None of my WEMO plugs/switches, Nest or MyQ garage are Siri compatible, at least without some sort of third party integration. However, Hue works so there's that.