I’m trying to figure out what switch would be the appropriate choice for a ceiling fan light combo. Looking at the Blue 2-in-1 it specifically states that it’s not for use for ceiling fans and the use the fan switch but the listing for the fan switch states it’s not to be used for lighting. So for a switch that will control at standard bedroom ceiling fan/light with a pull chain, which switch is the right choice?
The Blue 2-1 will work fine with the Project Cheryl fan canopy module.
The caution about not using the Blue 2-1 with fans pertains to fans that are directly wired to the switch. When you use the Blue 2-1 with the canopy module, the module is controlled by binding the switch to the module using Zigbee binding. There is no wired load for the Blue 2-1. Both the light and the fan load are carried by the canopy module alone.
So then what’s the load difference between a ceiling fan with a light and a ceiling fan with out one? I would think the load would be pretty much the same at the switch with the fan/light fixture drawing a bit more when both the fan and light are on. The logic of adding a light to a ceiling fan making it ok to use with a 2-in-1 switch doesn’t really make sense to me.
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When you use the Blue 2-1 with the fan/light module there is NO LOAD on the switch. The switch just gets a hot and a neutral solely to power it to make it a standalone controller. The hot/neutral is sent to the fan/light module DIRECTLY without going through the switch.
Kind of primitive but hope this helps:
I understand how the fan module works but that’s not my question. Lets completely ignore the fact that the fan module exists (which it technically doesn’t). If I were to buy a switch right now to control a ceiling fan with a light, would I buy the Blue 2-in-1 which specifically states to not use with ceiling fans, or the fan switch, which specifically states not to be used with lighting. The answer could also be neither if the current offerings do not support a ceiling fan with a light.
Blue 2-in-1 FAQ:
Smart Fan Switch:
Which switch for this?
Okay I was wondering if I was going in the right direction. So you want a switch to control your fan light combo. We are disregarding using the fan light module for this discussion.
Do you have a 2-wire or a 3-wire (exclusive of the ground) running between the switch box and the fan box?
It sounds as if you are looking for a single switch, so I am guessing you only have a one gang box for the switch.
Also, is power first fed to the switch box or to the fan box?
I have a couple of scenarios. All are one gang boxes. Some have only a line and load, others have a line, load, and neutral. None have a dedicated fan wire running from the fixture to the box. I’m assuming all of them have the line going directly to the switch and then the load carries that to the fixture when switched on.
These answers pertain to not using the fan light module.
For those that have a line and load, I take that to mean power to the fan box with a 2-wire to the switch box, with a no-neutral configuration. With power at the fan box, you can install a smart relay to control the light and then use the blue fan switch in a non-neutral configuration to control the fan. I think you will lose a fan speed due to the non-neutral. The light would then be controlled by the smart relay and multitaps from the blue fan switch.
For those that have a line, load and neutral, I take that to mean power originating at the switch box. Since there is only a 2-wire going to the fan, you cannot use either the Blue fan switch or the Blue 2-1 because either way it’s a mixed load. I cannot think of another solution short of the fan-light module for this configuration.