From the ceiling fan to the wall, there are separate wires for light and fan. Right now, the one for light is unused and the other connects to the fan. That will cut power / give power to the fan, but since it’s controlled only through the remote, if I use the switch to turn the fan off, flipping the switch on won’t turn the fan on - just give it power so that the remote can turn it on.
What happens is you leave the fan controller on high (or you remove the fan controller from inside the fan) and when you turn on the fan switch it will come on high…
Then when you use this fan switch, it lowers the voltage and slows the fan down.
So when you assume that it is only controlled by the remote, that’s because you don’t have a dimming or variable speed switch yet installed. You current switch only has on or off and your controller is currently lowering the voltage (or dimming the power) and slowing the fan down.
Just installed this in our snore “guest” room along with GE switches for the fan and closet lights. They seem to work well thus far. As I recall, the GE switches do NOT determine wattage readings and I must input them manually. Correct? Any idea if a cheapo builder grade [ie $50] fan motor would draw about 75 watts [w/o light kit of course]?
Most important question…Is there a patch for the device settings that would allow it to display a fan icon instead of a light? Thanks.
Imperihome or Homewave allows allows you to use any icon you can find from the internet or make yourself. Customization from layout, icons, and everything is your choice.
Thanks. I installed Imperihome about a week ago on my android phone and am still in early config stages. It seems to have come a long way since I first used it. Have been using Autohomation HD which I’ve become rather happy with, but since the developer has stopped working on it -in favor of OpenHAB- suspect I will need to re-consider Imperihome. Not yet familiar with Homewave. Thank you once again.
Great find! I’m looking forward to picking up a couple of these. I’ve been using the standard on/off switches and it will be nice to be able to control the fan speed as well.
[quote=“Kmitchel, post:16, topic:184632”]How did you get yours to pair? Mine will not pair to save my life, I’ve tried about 20 times. The instructions that came with the box just indicate to “follow controller directions”.
Do you press the little button on the left on the switch in conjunction with the fan up/down to activate the pair?
The fan works great to turn the fan on/off, but I can’t get it to pair with my Vera.[/quote]
I know this is an old thread, but it seemed this question hadn’t been fully answered.
Pairing is simple - get your Vera to the “add device” section and waiting for pairing. Then press the “up” side of the rocker switch. The instructions warn that you may need to be within 10-20’ of your controller, but I didn’t experience that.
What happens is you leave the fan controller on high (or you remove the fan controller from inside the fan) and when you turn on the fan switch it will come on high…
Then when you use this fan switch, it lowers the voltage and slows the fan down.
So when you assume that it is only controlled by the remote, that’s because you don’t have a dimming or variable speed switch yet installed. You current switch only has on or off and your controller is currently lowering the voltage (or dimming the power) and slowing the fan down.[/quote]
OMG. This is awesome. My fan has a DC motor and I thought you weren’t supposed to use a dimmer switch. Maybe this gadget does something different?
What happens is you leave the fan controller on high (or you remove the fan controller from inside the fan) and when you turn on the fan switch it will come on high…
Then when you use this fan switch, it lowers the voltage and slows the fan down.
So when you assume that it is only controlled by the remote, that’s because you don’t have a dimming or variable speed switch yet installed. You current switch only has on or off and your controller is currently lowering the voltage (or dimming the power) and slowing the fan down.[/quote]
OMG. This is awesome. My fan has a DC motor and I thought you weren’t supposed to use a dimmer switch. Maybe this gadget does something different?[/quote]
This is not made for a DC application. You would have to check your Fan manual to see if you can dim the AC voltage (which I suspect no) side. This is what this switch would do. If your DC fan says that it would work in a standard fan dimmer application then your good to go.
Seems to work… just wish there way a way to have it show as a fan object in Vera and not a dimmer…
Imperihome allows custom icons.
I just installed one of these as well but Vera still shows it as a dimmer, 0-100%, and not Low, Medium and High options in the UI.
No custom device type for this switch yet?
[quote=“meathead88, post:32, topic:184632”]I just installed one of these as well but Vera still shows it as a dimmer, 0-100%, and not Low, Medium and High options in the UI.
No custom device type for this switch yet?[/quote]
Nope. You can virtual switch and some logic your way threw it, but I’m sure that’s not the solution your looking for.
[quote=“meathead88, post:32, topic:184632”]I just installed one of these as well but Vera still shows it as a dimmer, 0-100%, and not Low, Medium and High options in the UI.
No custom device type for this switch yet?[/quote]
Try looking at categories and subcategories http://wiki.micasaverde.com/index.php/Luup_Device_Categories. And remember to reboot to ensure you get the correct controls.
Which one do you use? There is no fan or low/med/high device.
Perhaps a dimmer?
It is already a dimmer and that is the problem. He doesn’t want a dimmer with 0-100%. He wants a “fan” category with 4 buttons that say “Off/Low/Med/High”
but that don’t exist.
I would agree - virtual switch may be the best solution.
Does anyone know if it’s possible to configure it to have more than 3 speed settings? My fan has 6 so this kind of stinks…
No there is not, and it really doesn’t matter home many speeds your stock fan has, its the controller that dims or varies the voltage to fan to create different speeds like dimming a light. Not all newer fans work on this principle though which brings me to the next possible problem. If your stock fan has 6 speed controller its possible you may have a DC powered fan. If that’s the case then this switch is not right for you anyways.
Do some more research first.