It would be awesome if the fan canopy could support RF type remotes. Not every guest will have whichever app to remotely control a ceiling and light. It would be great to have dual switch to control both the fan and light, an app of some sort, HA / Habitat / Home, etc., and an actual RF remote for quick changes. And the fan and lights still function with the switch and remote if the hub and or app is not functional for whatever reason. It would be nice even for just the regular switches to support RF remotes to control lights. Again, guest just may / mostly not of the required home automation app installed on whatever smart phone they use nor have that app configured and allowed for that user. Whole home automation is great, but when dealing with guest remote functionality is typically best served with a physical switch and or simple button remote. The original LZW36 was great because the canopy was controlled with RF, so it would be simple to be able to add a remote. Many new fan are coming out with integrated RF remote control canopies. So using the new fan canopy module removes the ability to control all the features of the fan / light system. There needs to be new / better device to bridge the gaps of technology and usability. A newer version of LZW36 for both Zigbee and Matter / Thread that can learn the ceiling fan remote functions would be fantastic.
What I am testing now is the Blue Smart Switch / Canopy combo and a Zigbee 4 button remote (Tuya). I had to remove the canopy module provided by Hampton Bay, and inserted the Inovelli blue canopy module. Unfortunately, I lost the ability to change the lights 3 different white colors. Also, The Tuya Zigbee remote doesn’t seem to support Zigbee bindings. That would have been great and not have to rely on the hub. But with Hubert Button Controllers app, I was able to configure the Tuya remote to simulate the light being turned off and on, and cycling through the fans speeds, including off.
I use the same Tuya “MOES” Zigbee switches and they are fantastic. Only ~$8 from Aliexpress including delivery to the US in a week. Any room with a fan/light module has a MOES switch conveniently placed next to the bed and on the underside of the desk in my office. Also a few placed in convenient locations where a wired switch wasn’t possible. The wife and our guests always comment on how convenient they are. It’s one thing to be able to voice control the bedroom light or be able to use your phone, but to just lazily push a button that’s a foot away is a game changer. Work call comes in while I’m blasting music? No problem, just takes a second to stop the music. Can’t recommend these enough.