Smart switches aren't only for controlling lights.These switches can control anything your prior wall switch could, and that means you can have much more fun with a smart switch than you might expect.Make your ceiling fans smart Connect your fans to smart remotes and presence sensors This is the most common switch you're going to find, aside from a smart light—and frankly, it might be even more convenient.
After all, it's habitual to flip on the light switch as I enter a dark room, but I may not notice that the fan isn't spinning until much later.With a smart switch, I don't have to head back over to the wall when I notice the fan above isn't on.I feel a certain joy when I turn on a ceiling fan while sitting directly under it or while I'm lying in bed.
I love the latter even more so, since I often notice the fan isn't on in the middle of the night when I'm lying there, muggy, wondering why I'm having a hard time falling to sleep.Being able to turn on the fan from my phone is fine, and being able to speak a voice command is better, but my personal favorite has been activating the Tapo S505 smart switch controlling my fan by pressing the bottom button on the IKEA BILRESA smart remote that is attached to my bed.This is a gesture I can do with minimal disruption to my own sleep and without disturbing my wife.
I hardly want to shout "Hi Bixby, turn on our bedroom ceiling fan!" at 1AM.To set this up, all I had to do was attach a button to my headboard using its included sticker, which replicates the feeling of wiring a switch to my bed, only without the wires.But I could take the convenience to another level by purchasing presence sensors, which are perhaps the single best smart home upgrade that I've skipped.
With those, I could have the ceiling fans throughout my home set to come on when people are in a room and turn off when we leave.Someday. That's the fun of building a smart home.
Each investment increases what you can do in the future.My ceiling fan got much more useful when I installed smart switches, because none of my smart home apps could control them otherwise.These fans became even more useful when I bought BILRESA buttons, and they will get even more useful in the future.
All of this, and I don't need to swap out my fans.Saving my bathroom exhaust fans It's time those fans ran as long as they should If you live in a newer home in the United States, then you probably have a light switch that also turns on an exhaust fan when you're in the bathroom or the shower.Building codes vary from state to state, so this might change, but it's required where I live.
If I turn the light on for the shower, the fan turns on, too.This slows the buildup of humidity and reduces mold, allowing for a healthier environment.The thing is, this exhaust fan should ideally run for longer than the amount of time we're in the shower or in the bathroom.
On the flip side, they shouldn't run all day either.If you take a bath and rush to work, your option is either not to run your fan long enough or to run it for far, far too long while you're away.With a smart switch, you can now set this fan to a timer.
I recently created an automation that tells mine to turn off after 45 minutes, though I'm still experimenting with the time.If you shower at a predictable time, you can alternatively tell your smart home app to check if the fan is running at 8 AM every morning and, if it is, turn it off.If you have a presence sensor, this allows for the most accuracy, since you can now set a timer that starts when a presence is no longer detected.
Any of these options can extend the life of your fan by not letting it run too long, and by taking steps to avoid letting it run too little, you improve air quality and reduce mold.Turn power outlets into smart outlets Make the most of wall switches that control power Some homes have light switches that don't trigger ceiling lights but turn on wall outlets instead.The idea is that by flipping the wall switch, your floor lamps come on.
You can plug anything into these outlets, which means that by swapping out this wall switch, you can effectively make any appliance a tad smarter.Here you're only limited by your imagination.If you have a floor fan, you can make it accessible when you walk into a room just like a ceiling fan.
The wall switch will also make it something you can now control via an app, voice commands, or smart button.This breathes all new life into your affordable box fan or your fancy Dyson.Alternatively, you can plug in an air purifier or a humidifier.
If you have a newborn, and this room is a nursery, that wall switch can control a white noise machine so that you don't have to sneak inside and risk waking up the child.In other words, a wall switch can be as versatile as a smart plug.Is there a such thing as a smart fireplace? There is when you make your own I have a freestanding wood stove, which will require manual effort no matter how smart my home is, but there’s another option for anyone with a gas-powered fireplace or an electric one.
Those are often controlled by a switch on the wall, and here is another area where a simple smart switch can better integrate your home.Smart-switch ideas and home automation - subscribe to the newsletter Subscribe to the newsletter for fresh smart-switch inspiration and practical automation ideas.Find clear ways to repurpose switches, maximize existing devices, and spark projects that make your home more useful through smarter control.
Get Updates By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.You can unsubscribe anytime.With a fireplace connected to a smart switch, that heat can now come on when a temperature sensor in the room drops to a certain level.
An IKEA TIMMERFLOTTE is a cheap and beautiful option that you can set up to inform the fireplace when it’s time to come on.Or you can set up an automation that tells the fireplace to preheat a room at a certain time of day or simply provide ambiance as part of a cozy scene.For me, this is all speculative.
When I want extra heat or ambiance, I haul in wood from outside.There's only so much a smart home can do.I've put wall switches on most of the switches on the walls of my home (after all, I did buy 50 of them all at once), but I don't see myself putting one on all of them.
The garbage disposal is controlled by a wall switch next to my sink, but I'm not connecting that to a smart home app any time soon.Exercise your own judgment, but exercise your imagination as well.
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