So, there’s a lot of posts regarding how to convert an existing fan to a smart fan. But what if I’m in the market for a new fan and want to be able to control it? Can anyone point me to a good list of comparable fans?
Note, that I want to be able to control with automation, not just command. So I’d need either feedback of state or discrete on/off functionality. That and frequency range can be hard to come by on a manufacturer’s website. Any thoughts / recommendations?
Feel free to use this thread to collect recommendations for other requirements on new, comparable fans too.
There are others who are searching just like you.
Help buying a new fan/ remote kit
Particularly useful if you wanted to have automation available is the list of manufacturers who license Bond technology to provide API compatibility right out of the box, with no Bridge needed.
The following fans are Smart by Bond right out of the box:
Any of Minka Aire’s “Smart Fans”: Minka Group® :: FANS :: Smart Fans
Any of Hinkley’s smart fans: Indoor - Fans
[new] some of Progress Lighting’s recent fans support a plug-in module: Progress Lighting Smart Fan Wifi Module Full Voice Control Ceiling Fan Accessory | Wayfair
The manufacturer product listing doesn’t always mention Smart by Bond, however if you look at the user manual PDF you’ll see it telling you to download the Bond Home app.
EDIT: as for fans with discrete ON/OFF that would work well with Bond Bridge, I cannot recommend that configuration anymore. There’s a good/growing selection of out-of-the-box smart fans, and these solve the problem of having true state feedback and maintaining sync with the remote control.
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Thanks both for the feedback. I did see the other threads, but, like the manufacturers, none were clear about being able to control on separate from off. Even if I employ the universal remote, it’s the fan that has to be able to do that right?
I looked at ‘smart’ fans like Minka. Their instructions manual is vague on the topic - it generically applies to fans that have an ‘DOWN light’ or that have an ‘DOWN light and an UP light’. I take that to mean one or two different lights with on toggle button each. So, not discrete.
What do you mean when you say you don’t recommend Bond for that application? Is it not capable? I figured Bond didn’t care and as long as the fan had different RF signals for on and off then it would handle it fine (thus my desire to find a fan like that). Is there some other reason that this arrangement won’t work?
I want to control my fan through my Hubitat ZWave hub. It can speak to Bond through IFTTT. But I also want the wall switch (on off to the fan/light power as a unit) to work too. I either need to be able to read the fan state (harder, I would think) or I need to tell it on/off rather than toggle. I’m willing to put out for a new fan to make this happen. I can’t be the only one struggling with this. Has anyone solved this problem?
I’m not 100% sure I’ve correctly understood the use case here, and I’m also not trying to actively discourage people from using Bond, as it’s a fantastic product that’s been serving me very well for the last couple of years.
BUT… Wouldn’t a z wave switch like this do exactly what you want? You can control it by voice with the appropriate home assistants, or use the physical switch itself? I control some lighting in precisely this way…
No. Our “Universal Remote” at Home Depot is actually a universal remote + receiver kit, that replaces the receiver in the fan. The fan “itself” is just an AC motor and a light.
Right. These fans do not have discrete on/off signals from the remote control. So, they will not work perfectly with Bond Bridge. However, they have Smart by Bond technology built right in! So there’s no need for any hub. They just connect to Wi-Fi directly and just work as you’d expect them to.
Bond Bridge can do it for many LCD screen remotes, but because of how the remote protocol works, you’ll have to stop using the factory remote. It causes conflict that can be very frustrating if you want to use the remote, too.
If @PretzelBane has got an AC fan, is OK with 3-speed, and doesn’t care about Light control, then it looks like the Z-Wave switch is a great option.
However, if you’ve got a DC fan (the bigger, more efficient, more recent models from most brands), then you cannot use that Z-Wave switch. The receiver electronics inside the fan need to control the DC motor. — In these cases, our Smart by Bond technology being built-in really shines.
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I think there is a tiny bit of confusion possible with all the responses pouring in. I am agreeing with Chris (wouldn’t disagree with the actually staff and developers, naturally!), but am rephrasing in case someone was unclear.
A Smart By Bond ceiling fan natively will correctly handle “turn fan off” and “turn light on” commands through API integrations and/or voice controls per what @PretzelBane wants - the power toggles for Smart By Bond devices are “smart” so if the fan was already off or the light already on, in the 2 examples above, they will stay off /on vs toggling “incorrectly”.
FWIW, here’s the latest smart fan going live at Home Depot. On the higher end of the price range:
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Ok. Getting somewhere here!
I’ll embellish me use case a bit: I have a room with a ~2005 AC ceiling fan. One on/off wall switch. RF remote that allows 3-speed selection or fan off and one light toggle. I have a Hubitat zwave automation network tied to motion, temp, window sensors, etc. I’ve installed a smart switch in the wall for on/off (as suggested) and that works fine but turning it on only goes to the most recent speed/light setting so control is sub-optimal. I have a Bond hub but abandoned it because it could only control toggle on the light and it would sometimes turn on when I ask for off. Sometimes the wall switch is used and sometimes the automation so it can get out of sync. Sometimes the automation turns off a fan that is already off and that turns it on.
So, what I think I’m hearing sounds like good news. If I get a fan such as the one coming to HD with built in SBB, then I can control all functions through the app which I can access through IFTTT which I can access via Hubitat hub (I already do this for other thing). Alternatively, I may be able to interface directly with the SBB API. Furthermore, the SBB will take an ‘Off Light’ command and turn off the light if it is on, or leave it off if it is off. How am I doing? Anything wrong in that paragraph?
Question on SBB built into the fan shown at Home Depot: the copy reads like it’s all good to go with just setting up the app and get control. The specs indicate that a hub is required. Sounds contradictory. Any idea which it is? Do I need a Bond hub to use Smart By Bond?
Thanks everyone for the help. This would be good to pin down. I’m sure I’m not the only one who can benefit from this info.
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Bingo. You might call this the raison d’être of SBB.
Sadly, we had to drop IFTTT support a few years ago due to our negotiations with them stalling. However, Hubitat is a wonderful way to go and works with SBB.
I owe you a Pretzel! Thank you. Definitely no hub required. I’ll work with our partner to get this error in their listing fixed ASAP.
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I purchased 4 SBB fans from Home Depot. I use the SBB app and SmartThings app. I created virtual switches in SmartThings to check the status, turn virtual switch on when fan or light gets turned on, and off when off. Then automations in SmartThings to turn light on if virtual light is off when my garage door opens. That way I don’t come into a dark house at night. Also automation will turn the light back off after 10 minutes.
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Awesome! Can you Tell me how SBB works with Hubitat? One is WiFi and one is ZWave. If not IFTTT then where do they meet? Hubitat should be able to go right to the API, but I don’t see a built-in integration to SBB in Hubitat. There is some chatter in the Hubitat forum about a user-developed interface but it’s not clear if it works.
It sure does, at least the newer versions do. I don’t have an SBB personally but several people are using it. You just need the most recent version of the Hubitat app (basically the problem was SBB doesn’t have a unique ID for devices, it’s always 1 so I had to include the SBB ID in devices to keep them unique if you have multiple SBB devices)
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Ok. I’ve seen your posts at Hubitat, @dman2306. If you’ve got it to work then I should be able to.
So, sounds like I should look for a fan that specifically calls out “Smart By Bond”, yeah? Installed natively rather than as an add-on. How about similar offerings like Progess Lightings smaller Ryne fan? It talks about WiFi ‘compatibility’ and mentions a ‘ P2673-01 WiFi module’ for better control. Not the real deal, though?
Anyone know where to find a list of fans with SBB installed?
Hey @PretzelBane - the list grows without warning.
@merck may be able to confirm for you - but also, if you look at any fan or receiver’s user manual / installation guide, the SBB ones will mention the Bond app.
I’ve seen less than perfect / consistent notes and specs on various retailers’ websites; I wouldn’t rely on them mentioning the Bond name itself.
For instance, the P2673-01 you mention definitely is a (Smart by) Bond receiver:
Sure looks like it, just not called out by name. Maybe that was an early step towards integration.
So this SBB is supposed to be able to be added on to fans it wasn’t specifically designed for, right? Is that somehow different to adding the SBB module? Or can the SBB only be added to fans that were designed for it?
SBBs often come with the fan, but apparently this manufacturer lists it as a separate upgrade.
I would not suggest using any SBB receiver with just any old fan - either use a universal one like the Home Depot universal SBB receiver + remote mentioned earlier if you have an AC fan you want to add / switch out a receiver, or use the manufacturer specified SBB receiver (necessary for any DC motor fan, at a minimum).
I just picked up two of these https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08L85XD7N/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o08_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 to replace some older fans and I’m impressed how well bond is integrated with the fan and how easy it was to add to the app. Setup with home assistant (and exporting to HomeKit) was seemless (unlike the physical installation instructions for the fan itself).
I’ve got a PR open to add BPUP support to Home Assistant to keep it in sync faster
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Awesome, thanks for the feedback. Glad it went so smoothly 
. Progress Lighting (brand of the fan you linked in AMZ) has recently launched with us, and they would probably appreciate your feedback as well.