Any good solutions for controlling ceiling fans that already have RF controllers?

Devices & Integrations
1

I have 3 ceiling fans (one on my 13’ living room ceiling) that all have the Hampton Bay RF controller wired up under their canopies and the fan/light button wall controls. Are there any good solutions for integrating them as-is into ST? I don’t really want to buy 3 new Zwave/Zigbee controllers and have to take down all 3 fans to replace the RF controllers then figure out what to do with the wall controls. There were some people using Adruno and soldering a sacrificed remote to some kind of circuit board, is that still the only option? I’ve done plenty of fixture/switch/outlet replacements but I’ve never soldered before LOL

3

If it’s an IR remote, then you can use the Logitech Harmony hub and the fan will just treat it as another remote. But if it uses 334 MHz, 443 MHz, or some proprietary frequency, then there’s no easy way to do it.

You can check the harmony database to see if the fan is listed:

But I think most of the Hampton Bay fans are unfortunately not using IR remotes.

There is a zigbee remote that is compatible with many Hampton Bay fan models and that works well with SmartThings, but that one would require rewiring both the fan controller and the wall mount remote.

3 Likes
4

The fact the ceiling fan isn’t as easy to get to, I hear your pain. I can not imagine using an equivalent Arduino solution is easier then swapping out to the ZigBee solution @JDRoberts mentions.

5

They are definitely RF not IR, the remotes work thru closed doors and walls LOL! I can sit in my living room and all 3 fans respond to the remote so the Adruno solution would work well if I wanted to chase down the parts and learn to solder, I’m just lazy :persevere: Given a choice between rewiring 6 different things with 3 being on ceilings and attempting the Adruno hack I guess I’ll be delving into circuitry LOL

6

This device converts RF to Wi-Fi, so you can control it with voice asst/smartphone: https://bondhome.io/, but it doesn’t support ST yet. They claim ST integration is coming soon…

8

It does have an Ifttt channel, for fan control only not lights, so it can be somewhat controlled by Smartthings.

2 Likes
9

I have the Bond and it works nicely. SmartThings is listed as a “future integration” on their website so I’m mostly waiting for that. Also of note is their plans to support garage door openers and other RF devices too. I’m excited to see what they do with a dedicated RF device. Rf is certainly a large hole in my smart home.

1 Like
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I’m a fan of what I can do now, and my virtual ST switches work fine in conjunction with IFTTT to control my BOND linked fans and lights. The thing I like the most about using BOND is that now I have 12 less smart bulbs tied up in those ceiling fans. As a bonus, when ST takes a dump, BOND and Alexa can still run those lights.

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Just received this:

##- Please type your reply above this line -##
Your request (4765) has been updated. To add additional comments, reply to this email.

Gary
Gary (BOND Home)

Mar 26, 16:37 EDT

Hello Richard,

Smartthings is on our integration list for the first half of this year. We will provide an update and timeline when we have more information on the official release.

Thanks for your question on BOND integration.
Gary

Richard
Richard

Mar 26, 15:37 EDT

Smartthings Integration Please (soon):grin:

This email is a service from BOND Home. Delivered by Zendesk
[R5D6LE-6YPX]

1 Like
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Is there any info on the RF range for the BOND?

I’ve got two Fanimation ceiling fans in adjacent rooms. Wondering if I could run them both from one BOND?

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It should work in adjacent rooms. I have it contolling fans on different floors.

1 Like