Fan Control, Wall Switch rather than FanLinc

[filley06]

When will Insteon create a fan control like SwitchLinc or the 6 button keypad rather than the FanLinc? When you already have a dedicated switch for the fan in a 3 gang outlet, it would be nice to just install a switch unless someone has a recommendation for a 3 gang switch cover without all 3 rocker switch openings.

[stusviews]

Leviton sectional wall plate

[filley06]

Thanks, I will give those a shot depending on the direction I decide. I may use the on/off switch for now and hope that a fan SwitchLinc is released in the near future. Is anyone else interested in this option? I'm surprised it is not yet available.

[filley06]

I get that, I guess I'm just curious why there isn't a SwitchLinc that can control the fan speed yet. Installing the FanLinc in the canopy seems like it will be a bit more of a pain than if just installing a simple switch plus you have the cost of both devices rather than just one.

It seems many other home automation switch manufacturers have a fan control option without having to install at the fan canopy.

So, my wish list item is a Fan-SwitchLinc.

[filley06]

I know ZigBee has one which is typically used in the Control4 setup. And then there are many regular switches out there that will allow you to control speed. Seems like it would be easy for Insteon to develop...maybe I'm missing something?

[filley06]

Yep: https://dealer.control4.com/Images/D...troller_DS.pdf

[bdboles]

I converted a home in 2006 to be about 60% Insteon and was very pleased with the results. When we moved to a larger home, Insteon dual-band hardware was just appearing, but I had problems and did a Lutron RadioRA2 system. One thing I didn't do at the time was fan control. I have used several of the Maestro 3-speed fan controls and they work great, but don't integrate into a system.

Here is the link - http://www.lutron.com/en-US/Products.../Overview.aspx

They offer several models - fan only; fan and lights; "companion" (read 3-way); and a canopy module if you want to control multiple fans simultaneously

Looking now at the FanLinc, I don't see why anyone would invest in this and all the hassle and expense - needing both a FanLinc and KPLinc. The additional effort to open every fan canopy, just doesn't make sense. -- Yes a lot of remote controls are installed in the canopy, but if Lutron can manage to do 3-speed control of the fan through the existing wiring, I would think SmartHome would be able to figure out how to add the integration part to this.

Most (newer) household installs have either two switches to control fan and lights or a combined single gang arrangement to control both. It just makes more sense to do all the work in the electrical box than to have to mess inside the canopy.

Anyone at Insteon listening?

[stusviews]

The Lutron single-gang device that controls both a fan and a light requires a canopy module.

[bdboles]

Stu - Thanks for the response. I'm looking specifically at the RadioRA2 equipment and while the 2RF may control only the fan speed, it requires no canopy module. For retrofitting a house like mine where every fan (whether it currently has lights or not) has 2 separate switches, there must be something that would not require a canopy installation. I thought the 2RF to be a bit expensive at ~$200. But the Insteon alternative - with a FanLinc and KPLinc is about $160 and requires canopy installation. Granted something that controls both fan and lights will require a separate RadioRA2 dimmer (another $100). -- I'll keep evaluating the options.


http://www.lutron.com/en-US/Products...w.aspx?pgid=41

[azjack]

Most homes don't have the wiring to support putting a FanLinc-type device in the wall where the switch is, so that wouldn't be a good option.

I have to respectfully disagree with this assertion. Most new home construction after 1990 includes separate ceiling fan and ceiling fan light control wired directly to in-wall switches. That is a lot of homes and a large potential market for Insteon My current home (built in 2005) has six separate rooms wired this way. Our last three homes (2 in Arizona and 1 in Texas) were also wired this way. So an in-wall switch that controls fan speed both remotely and at the switch would be very convenient. There are several problems with the Insteon FanLinc Switch: 1) It does not allow local control of the fan on/off and speed without the purchase of an additional control pad. So now you are wiring in a wall plate solution anyway in addition to the fan canopy switch and we are looking at a $190 solution for both devices. 2) Insteon FanLinc does not allow Amazon Echo control of the fan or the fan speed. Just the light. Honestly, what's the point in having Amazon Echo integration if you only allow control of the light? There are a lot of devices that can do that.

There is no easy solution out there at this time. There is a z-wave fan control device, but I understand the Smarthings hub, which integrates with z-wave, recently dropped fan control support for Amazon Echo.

A simple, wall plate mounted switch, that allows both on/off and fan speed control of ceiling fans that is a direct replacement for the on/off switch and also integrates with Amazon Echo is simply not available and represents a decent market opportunity for Insteon. If you had this, I would buy it in a heartbeat.

Update: Actually, I have discovered there is one option for this type of control. The GE Z-Wave Fan Control wall switch works quite nicely and allows for both on/off and speed control using Amazon Echo. Unfortunately, it requires purchasing a Wink hub to control the Z-Wave device, so an Insteon solution would still be a nice to have. But I can confirm that the GE switch paired with a Wink hub works quite well with Amazon Echo.

[AZPhil]

I have fans in several rooms. None of the fans have integral lighting (although they are designed to support add-on light kits). Three of the rooms have ceiling track lighting in addition to the fan, with all controls in a 2-gang switch box. Although the track lights dim perfectly well under X10 control, Insteon dimming is incompatible.

Is there any reason why I should not replace the existing fan control and X10 dimmer switch with a Fanlinc and an On/Off keypad? (Both in the in-wall outlet box)
With line voltage connected to both KPL and Fanlinc black wires and.the load wiring as follows:
Track load wire connected to KPL red.
Fanlinc red wire connected to fan load.
Fanlinc blue wire capped.

[stusviews]

One reason is that the FanLinc won't fit. No other reason needed