How to Convert Your Fans to Smart Fans

PDF download Download Article
PDF download Download Article

You can convert ceiling fans, floor fans and whole house fans into smart fans and control then with commands from your smart phone, Alexa or Google Assistant. You can convert several floor fans into a network of smart fans, and control them with a single command from your smart phone, Alexa or Google Assistant. You can use a temperature or motion sensor to turn on one fan or a network of fans when the temperature is high or when someone enters the room.

Part 1
Part 1 of 3:

Converting Fans into Smart Fans

PDF download Download Article
  1. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/a\/a3\/Convert-Your-Fans-to-Smart-Fans-Step-1.jpg\/v4-460px-Convert-Your-Fans-to-Smart-Fans-Step-1.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/a\/a3\/Convert-Your-Fans-to-Smart-Fans-Step-1.jpg\/aid11955448-v4-728px-Convert-Your-Fans-to-Smart-Fans-Step-1.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>\u00a9 2024 wikiHow, Inc. All rights reserved. wikiHow, Inc. is the copyright holder of this image under U.S. and international copyright laws. This image is <b>not<\/b> licensed under the Creative Commons license applied to text content and some other images posted to the wikiHow website. This image may not be used by other entities without the express written consent of wikiHow, Inc.<br>\n<\/p><p><br \/>\n<\/p><\/div>"}
    • This is a touch panel that allows anyone entering the room to control the fan and its lights. It has smart features such as programming.
    • It allows you to control the fan and its lights with a smart phone or a tablet.
  2. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/0\/0f\/Convert-Your-Fans-to-Smart-Fans-Step-2.jpg\/v4-460px-Convert-Your-Fans-to-Smart-Fans-Step-2.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/0\/0f\/Convert-Your-Fans-to-Smart-Fans-Step-2.jpg\/aid11955448-v4-728px-Convert-Your-Fans-to-Smart-Fans-Step-2.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>\u00a9 2024 wikiHow, Inc. All rights reserved. wikiHow, Inc. is the copyright holder of this image under U.S. and international copyright laws. This image is <b>not<\/b> licensed under the Creative Commons license applied to text content and some other images posted to the wikiHow website. This image may not be used by other entities without the express written consent of wikiHow, Inc.<br>\n<\/p><p><br \/>\n<\/p><\/div>"}
    • You can create a network of smart ceiling fans, without modifying them, by using a product called Bond, which “learns” and uses the frequencies used by their remotes. See Part 2, "Creating a Network of Fans".
    Advertisement
  3. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/6\/66\/Convert-Your-Fans-to-Smart-Fans-Step-3.jpg\/v4-460px-Convert-Your-Fans-to-Smart-Fans-Step-3.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/6\/66\/Convert-Your-Fans-to-Smart-Fans-Step-3.jpg\/aid11955448-v4-728px-Convert-Your-Fans-to-Smart-Fans-Step-3.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>\u00a9 2024 wikiHow, Inc. All rights reserved. wikiHow, Inc. is the copyright holder of this image under U.S. and international copyright laws. This image is <b>not<\/b> licensed under the Creative Commons license applied to text content and some other images posted to the wikiHow website. This image may not be used by other entities without the express written consent of wikiHow, Inc.<br>\n<\/p><p><br \/>\n<\/p><\/div>"}
    • First, convert each pull chain ceiling fan to a fan controlled by a remote by using a “universal ceiling fan remote control kit”. This has a remote and a receiver that you install in the fan's housing (canopy).
    • Next, create a network of these fans and your fans that were controlled by remotes, using a product called "Bond". Bond “learns” and uses the frequencies used by the remotes to create a network. See Part 2, "Creating a Network of Fans".
  4. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/1\/19\/Convert-Your-Fans-to-Smart-Fans-Step-4.jpg\/v4-460px-Convert-Your-Fans-to-Smart-Fans-Step-4.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/1\/19\/Convert-Your-Fans-to-Smart-Fans-Step-4.jpg\/aid11955448-v4-728px-Convert-Your-Fans-to-Smart-Fans-Step-4.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>\u00a9 2024 wikiHow, Inc. All rights reserved. wikiHow, Inc. is the copyright holder of this image under U.S. and international copyright laws. This image is <b>not<\/b> licensed under the Creative Commons license applied to text content and some other images posted to the wikiHow website. This image may not be used by other entities without the express written consent of wikiHow, Inc.<br>\n<\/p><p><br \/>\n<\/p><\/div>"}
    There are two ways to convert them.
    • Install a “WiFi ceiling fan control” in the fan. This must be wired in, but you don't need to take down the fan, just lower its housing (canopy).
    • Replace the wall switch with a “smart ceiling fan wall switch”. This is a touch panel that allows anyone entering the room to control the fan and its lights. It receives commands from the hub to be a smart device in a smart home. It must be labeled “hub required” (smart homes have a hub).
  5. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/3\/38\/Convert-Your-Fans-to-Smart-Fans-Step-5.jpg\/v4-460px-Convert-Your-Fans-to-Smart-Fans-Step-5.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/3\/38\/Convert-Your-Fans-to-Smart-Fans-Step-5.jpg\/aid11955448-v4-728px-Convert-Your-Fans-to-Smart-Fans-Step-5.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>\u00a9 2024 wikiHow, Inc. All rights reserved. wikiHow, Inc. is the copyright holder of this image under U.S. and international copyright laws. This image is <b>not<\/b> licensed under the Creative Commons license applied to text content and some other images posted to the wikiHow website. This image may not be used by other entities without the express written consent of wikiHow, Inc.<br>\n<\/p><p><br \/>\n<\/p><\/div>"}
    • You can turn on a smart whole house fan with a smart phone before arriving home to cool the home before you arrive, and program it to turn off after a set number of hours.
    • You can turn it on with a smart phone from the first floor to avoid walking to the second floor.
    • Some smart whole house fan wall switches allow you to use a voice command device, such as Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant to control the fan. For this, you must use a smart bridge. This is a remote device, similar to a hub.
  6. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/a\/a5\/Convert-Your-Fans-to-Smart-Fans-Step-6.jpg\/v4-460px-Convert-Your-Fans-to-Smart-Fans-Step-6.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/a\/a5\/Convert-Your-Fans-to-Smart-Fans-Step-6.jpg\/aid11955448-v4-728px-Convert-Your-Fans-to-Smart-Fans-Step-6.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>\u00a9 2024 wikiHow, Inc. All rights reserved. wikiHow, Inc. is the copyright holder of this image under U.S. and international copyright laws. This image is <b>not<\/b> licensed under the Creative Commons license applied to text content and some other images posted to the wikiHow website. This image may not be used by other entities without the express written consent of wikiHow, Inc.<br>\n<\/p><p><br \/>\n<\/p><\/div>"}
    • If your whole house fan plugs into an outlet, use a smart WiFi plug to convert it into a smart fan. [2] [3]
    • The plug receives commands from a smart phone. You can turn on the fan using your smart phone before arriving home to cool the home before you arrive and program it to turn off after a set number of hours.
    • You can turn it on with a smart phone from the first floor to avoid walking to the second floor.
  7. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/4\/4a\/Convert-Your-Fans-to-Smart-Fans-Step-7.jpg\/v4-460px-Convert-Your-Fans-to-Smart-Fans-Step-7.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/4\/4a\/Convert-Your-Fans-to-Smart-Fans-Step-7.jpg\/aid11955448-v4-728px-Convert-Your-Fans-to-Smart-Fans-Step-7.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>\u00a9 2024 wikiHow, Inc. All rights reserved. wikiHow, Inc. is the copyright holder of this image under U.S. and international copyright laws. This image is <b>not<\/b> licensed under the Creative Commons license applied to text content and some other images posted to the wikiHow website. This image may not be used by other entities without the express written consent of wikiHow, Inc.<br>\n<\/p><p><br \/>\n<\/p><\/div>"}
    Any fan that is plugged into a wall outlet can be converted into a smart fan.
    • Plug them into smart WiFi plugs. [4] [5]
    • Some smart WiFi plugs are not designed to form a network, they receive commands directly from a smart phone or voice control device, such as Alexa or Google Assistant.
    • Some smart WiFi plugs are designed to be linked to a device called a "smart bridge" to form a network of fans. See Part 2, "Creating a Network of Smart Fans".
    • If you have a "smart home", fans with smart plugs can be linked to its hub to become smart devices, controlled as are the other smart devices.
    • Temperature and humidity sensors used in your smart home can trigger your fans to turn on when the temperature or humidity is high. A motion sensor can trigger them to turn on when you enter a room.
    8. Advertisement
Part 2
Part 2 of 3:

Creating a Network of Smart Fans

PDF download Download Article
  1. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/0\/0a\/Convert-Your-Fans-to-Smart-Fans-Step-8.jpg\/v4-460px-Convert-Your-Fans-to-Smart-Fans-Step-8.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/0\/0a\/Convert-Your-Fans-to-Smart-Fans-Step-8.jpg\/aid11955448-v4-728px-Convert-Your-Fans-to-Smart-Fans-Step-8.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>\u00a9 2024 wikiHow, Inc. All rights reserved. wikiHow, Inc. is the copyright holder of this image under U.S. and international copyright laws. This image is <b>not<\/b> licensed under the Creative Commons license applied to text content and some other images posted to the wikiHow website. This image may not be used by other entities without the express written consent of wikiHow, Inc.<br>\n<\/p><p><br \/>\n<\/p><\/div>"}
    • “Bond”, by Olibra, LLC creates a WiFi network by converting ceiling fans with remotes into smart ceiling fans. It "learns" the frequencies used by the remotes and uses them. Commands are sent to the fans via a hub called a "smart bridge". [6]
    • Pull chain ceiling fans can be converted to remote control using a “universal ceiling fan remote control kit”, then be controlled in the network.
    • In a Bond network, a command is given from a smart phone, or a voice command can control all of the fans.
    • Remote sensors can be used to trigger the fans to turn on when the temperature is high or when someone enters the area.
  2. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/4\/46\/Convert-Your-Fans-to-Smart-Fans-Step-9.jpg\/v4-460px-Convert-Your-Fans-to-Smart-Fans-Step-9.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/4\/46\/Convert-Your-Fans-to-Smart-Fans-Step-9.jpg\/aid11955448-v4-728px-Convert-Your-Fans-to-Smart-Fans-Step-9.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>\u00a9 2024 wikiHow, Inc. All rights reserved. wikiHow, Inc. is the copyright holder of this image under U.S. and international copyright laws. This image is <b>not<\/b> licensed under the Creative Commons license applied to text content and some other images posted to the wikiHow website. This image may not be used by other entities without the express written consent of wikiHow, Inc.<br>\n<\/p><p><br \/>\n<\/p><\/div>"}
    • Each fan is plugged into a smart WiFi plug. [7]
    • A remote device called a "smart bridge", which is similar to a hub, receives a command from a smartphone, temperature sensor, motion sensor or voice control device, and sends it to each fan.
    • You could, for example, control all of your first floor fans with a single command from your smart phone or with voice control. A temperature sensor could trigger all of the fans to turn on at a set temperature, and a motion sensor could turn them on when someone enters the room. [8] [9] [9]
    3. Advertisement
Part 3
Part 3 of 3:

Making Your Fans Devices in Your Smart Home

PDF download Download Article
  1. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/9\/9f\/Convert-Your-Fans-to-Smart-Fans-Step-10.jpg\/v4-460px-Convert-Your-Fans-to-Smart-Fans-Step-10.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/9\/9f\/Convert-Your-Fans-to-Smart-Fans-Step-10.jpg\/aid11955448-v4-728px-Convert-Your-Fans-to-Smart-Fans-Step-10.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>\u00a9 2024 wikiHow, Inc. All rights reserved. wikiHow, Inc. is the copyright holder of this image under U.S. and international copyright laws. This image is <b>not<\/b> licensed under the Creative Commons license applied to text content and some other images posted to the wikiHow website. This image may not be used by other entities without the express written consent of wikiHow, Inc.<br>\n<\/p><p><br \/>\n<\/p><\/div>"}
    If you have a smart home, such as Amazon Smart Home, Google Home or Apple Homekit, these fans can be added to it, and controlled, more or less, as your other devices are, such as your thermostat and lights.
    • Plug them into “smart WiFi plugs”.
    • An app on your smart phone or tablet allows you to control the fans and set the limits for the remote sensors.
    • You could, for example, control all of your first floor fans with a single command from your smart phone or with voice control. A temperature sensor could trigger all of the fans to turn on at a set temperature, and a motion sensor could turn them on when someone enters the room.
  2. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/f\/f6\/Convert-Your-Fans-to-Smart-Fans-Step-11.jpg\/v4-460px-Convert-Your-Fans-to-Smart-Fans-Step-11.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/f\/f6\/Convert-Your-Fans-to-Smart-Fans-Step-11.jpg\/aid11955448-v4-728px-Convert-Your-Fans-to-Smart-Fans-Step-11.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>\u00a9 2024 wikiHow, Inc. All rights reserved. wikiHow, Inc. is the copyright holder of this image under U.S. and international copyright laws. This image is <b>not<\/b> licensed under the Creative Commons license applied to text content and some other images posted to the wikiHow website. This image may not be used by other entities without the express written consent of wikiHow, Inc.<br>\n<\/p><p><br \/>\n<\/p><\/div>"}
    • Convert each ceiling fan into a smart device. See Part 1, "Converting Fans into Smart Fans". [10] [12] [12]
    • An app on your smart phone or tablet allows you to control the fans and set the limits for the remote sensors, such as the temperature sensor.
    • Your handheld remote can still be used.
    3. Advertisement


Expert Q&A

Ask a Question
200 characters left
Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered.
Submit
      Advertisement

      Video

      Tips

      Submit a Tip
      All tip submissions are carefully reviewed before being published
      Name
      Please provide your name and last initial
      Submit
      Thanks for submitting a tip for review!

      You Might Also Like

      How to
      Repair an Electric Fan
      How to
      Install a Dryer Vent Hose
      How to
      Clean a Tower Fan with or without Opening It
      How to
      Replace a Bathroom Fan
      How to
      Cover a Dryer Vent Hole
      How to
      Increase Oxygen Levels in Your Home
      How to
      Clean the Inside and Outside of Your Dyson Fan
      How to
      Vent a Stove
      How Dyson Bladeless Fans Cool and Circulate Air
      How to
      Block off a Heating Vent
      How to
      Cover Air Vents in the Wall
      2 Ways to Clean a Round Oscillating Fan
      How to
      Use Window Fans for Home Cooling
      How to
      Calculate CFM for Bathroom Fan
      Advertisement

      Expert Interview

      Thanks for reading our article! If you’d like to learn more about dealing with fans and ventilation, check out our in-depth interview with Steven Racz .

      References

      1. ↑ www.smarthome.com/brand/amazon.html
      2. ↑ www.kasasmart.com/us/products/smart-plugs/kasa-smart-wifi-plug-hs100/
      3. ↑ www.smarthome.com/brand/amazon.html
      4. ↑ www.kasasmart.com/us/products/smart-plugs/kasa-smart-wifi-plug-hs100/
      5. ↑ www.bondhome.io
      6. ↑ www.kasasmart.com/us/products/smart-plugs/kasa-smart-wifi-plug-hs100/
      7. ↑ www.smarthome.com/brand/amazon.html
      8. ↑ www.smarthome.com/brand/amazon.html
      9. ↑ https://www.knowtheflo.com/wifi-enabled-tower-fan/#1
      1. ↑ https://diysmarthomeguide.com/how-to-make-your-dumb-ceiling-fan-smart/
      2. ↑ www.homeautomationgadgets.com/smart-ceiling-fan/
      3. ↑ https://thesmartcave.com/smart-ceiling-fan-control/

      About This Article

      Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 84,749 times.

      Did this article help you?

      Advertisement