Question

So I am new to the group. I have been dabbling in home automation for about 2 years now but not finding the right things. So I just moved and the new house has a lot of problems I need to over come. There are 3 key things I am focused on right now. I have Echo dots in every room. All of my ceiling fans seem to be two speed is that that a problem for 4 speed control? All of my ceiling fans are two wire with no red wire in the line. This is a major problem as I can not have separate switches for the light and fan. However I am not a chain puller so I need a solution where I can control them independently ideally through the Echos. I have a ring system for cameras and door bell looking for locks and thermostat that link with that full system and do I need to worry about setting up the thermostat with an older home where the wiring might not support something like a nest? Bonus question I used GE switches for all the basic lights in the old house but was not thrilled with the level of control for example I had to take the switch plate off on the motion sensor switch to change the idle duration rather than control it through my automation. Any suggesting on good switches with motion sensors. Also I had Philips Hue which I hated because the lights were not bright enough so I lean towards switch control of dimmable bulbs so I can get brighter bulks and use the dimmer to control the intensity.  

Answer 1

You might be able to solve the issue of separating light control from fan control by rewiring the fan with a Shelly module to control one or the other independently.  

Comments

Would I able able to connect that to Echo? I had a fan I did something like that with I think it was Harbor Bay had a module but it was only local to the one switch and no smart features. I would be ok with not having a switch but it would be nice to have something on the wall to go with the controls as well.  

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Yes, Shellys work with Echo.  

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You can also get various "switches" that just send a signal to the echo.  

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Something like that? I think I am a bit confused there.  
https://shelly.cloud/shelly-4-pro/

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If you don't need dimming or fan speed control, I'd just get a Shelly 2. 5 and use it control both. If you want dimming, then you'll need a Shelly Dimmer for the lights and a Shelly 1 for the fan. AFAIK, they don't make a product that can control the fan speed. Maybe the dimmer can, but I'd check. Shelly has a very active group on FB, and the company owners and some of the developers are quite reachable through it.  

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Ignore all the diagrams for wiring to existing mechanical switches, that won't work for you since you only have a single circuit. Instead you'll need to control it with Echo or with a "fake" switch that doesn't switch anything but just sends a signal. I think you can use a Shelly Button for that, but there are other options.  

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I am not understanding I guess. I can see how that would be an on/off for the light and fan unit but I don't see how I could control the light and fan independently with it? Also not seeing how to install a dimmer feature. I am assuming I need some kind of remote in the base of the fan that will split the control and provide the dimmer features to the light.  

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@salts5 - basically, ignore your existing light switch. Pretend it's always on. A Shelly 1 is a wifi- controlled relay. So you open the fan, find where the wire from the ceiling box splits to go to the fan, cut it, and install the S1. Now you can use the Shelly App or Alexa to control it. Similarly, find the wire that goes to the light, cut it, and install the shelly dimmer. If you flip the wall switch to "off", none of it will work. So either never flip it off or bypass it. Some of the wiring diagrams in the Shey documents show how to use an existing switch and the relay, both, to control the device, but that won't work for you since you want to separate fan from lights.  

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Can it do the multi speed on the fan? I know you don't want a standard dimmer on that.  

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@salts5 - no. As far as I know, there's no product on the market that'll let you do fan speed control in the situation you describe. Actuay, very few smart fan switches that can do it even in "easy" setups with separate wires.  

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What about one of these two has anyone used them and recommend them?  

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The first you posted definitely works, I used to use them in my old house. But, afaik, no way to integrate into Alexa. The second is interesting. Insteon is *old* school, it was the successor to X10. Doesn't mean it won't work - it might be perfectly fine. You'll need their hub. Either one requires the same kind of rewiring of the fan as I described for the Shellys. But they'll get you fan speed control, which is nice.  

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Hubs are not ideal. I did not like the Philips Hue Hub while it gives great control through their app it limits what can be done through API. But if I go Insteon I could use all Insteon Switches which I know they have a pretty good line but again needs a hub.