Hands on with Lutron HomeKit Fan Controller

Lutron HomeKit fan controller

Lutron is set to become the first manufacturer to get a HomeKit fan controller to market and while we were at the 2019 Consumer Electronics Show, AppleInsider went hands-on to test it out.

Update: The Lutron Smart Fan Controller is now avaiable through Amazon for $60 with HomeKit supported at launch.

During CES 2018, iDevices was touting its own HomeKit fan controller, but a year later it still has yet to come to fruition. Jump to 2019 and Lutron is poised to steal the crown. Its new HomeKit fan controller, which AppleInsider got to try out for ourselves, seems like a great first-entry into this vertical of HomeKit devices.

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A fan controller has been needed for some time and we are thrilled someone has filled the void.

The device itself is a simple in-wall switch that allows you to adjust the fan to off, low, medium, medium-high, and high. A bottom button takes the fan directly to off, while a top button takes you to max speed. A set of arrows in the center can move the speed up and down. A round button in the center can be programmed as a favorite for your preferred speed.

Lutron pico remote for fan control

To go with, Lutron is announcing a new handheld pico remote that looks identical but isn't wall mounted, very much in the same vein as its lighting setup.

Everything worked as well as expected, but costs to add up for those who also need to control lights integrated into the fan. The Lutron Fan Controller has no way of interfacing with those and will require a second lighting switch to be installed. In a worst case scenario, this may involve running additional wires from the fan.

AppleInsider will be attending the Las Vegas Consumer Electronics Show starting on January 8 through January 11 where we're expecting 5G devices, HomeKit, 8K monitors and more. Keep up with our coverage by downloading the AppleInsider app, and follow us on YouTube, Twitter @appleinsider and Facebook for live, late-breaking coverage. You can also check out our official Instagram account for exclusive photos throughout the event.

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14 Comments

rainmaker

said about 5 years ago

I’ve been waiting on a product to fill this exact need for me, and even better that I use Lutron HomeKit lightswitches already! When will this be available is all I need to know. Price too, but I’ll buy it pretty much no matter what.

chakajon

said about 5 years ago

rainmaker said:

I’ve been waiting on a product to fill this exact need for me, and even better that I use Lutron HomeKit lightswitches already! When will this be available is all I need to know. Price too, but I’ll buy it pretty much no matter what.

Video said March
$80 for wall.
$42 for Pico remote.

jcato77

said about 5 years ago

This is great but why the "Bridge" all my other homekit devices do not require a bridge to work they are all on wifi and work great. I've avoided the Lutron stuff for a while because of the need for this bridge to make their stuff work.

UncleEliot

said about 5 years ago

jcato77 said:

This is great but why the "Bridge" all my other homekit devices do not require a bridge to work they are all on wifi and work great. I've avoided the Lutron stuff for a while because of the need for this bridge to make their stuff work.

Sadly that's how Lutron's Caseta ecosystem works but I can say that their little bridge and devices have performed excellently for me since I installed them throughout my house 18 months ago. I'm using lots of light switches, lamp switches, pico remotes, and Serena shades. One unexpected limitation I found is their arbitrary 50 Lutron device limit per bridge. I found this out when swapping out the final 5 switches in my house and had to purchase a second bridge. Their iOS app only supports 1 bridge at a time so I just set them up independently and use HomeKit to tie it all together.