Hopefully this is in the right place. I’ve installed a TP-Link Matter dimmer switch and connected it to a multi-speed fan. I’d like SmartThings to show the device as a fan, not a light switch, but there doesn’t appear to be a way to do that directly in the app. I’m thinking maybe there is a community driver I could switch to? Any help would be appreciated!!!
Since the Matter device itself is a switch, it will be represented in ST as a switch and offer the capabilities associated with being a switch. For it to appear as a fan controller, it would have to have those capabilities.
But it’s not just showing up as a generic switch, but rather as specifically a “light”. So, for example, I link it to Google Home it shows up in the “light” group, rather than as a separate switch. is there a fix to that issue?
Would need to know the specific deviceTypeId(s) that the device exposes. You can get that information using the ST CLI using the command “smartthings ‘device-id’ -j” and looking for the endpoint information in the output.
I’m under the impression that connecting a dimmer to a fan is a Bad Thing ™
@JDRoberts ??
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Correct.
You should never connect a dimmer to a fan if the dimmer is controlling the current to the fan motor.
however, sometimes in this context when it’s a smart dimmer people mean that they made a radio connection between the dimmer and the fan, and in that case it’s just like a smart dimmer and a smart lightbulb, as long as it’s not controlling the current and it’s just sending signals to the fan, it’s fine. So it depends on the details.
Here’s the community FAQ on why you should never have a dimmer switch, smart or dumb, control the current to a fan motor. The FAQ is old, but the physics hasn’t changed.
Again, though, if by “connect“ we mean “set them up so they talk to each other by radio messages“, then that’s fine.
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