Smart Ceiling Fans: How They Work, Best Options, and Tips

Buying a smart ceiling fan may sound like a lavish splurge, but it can help keep your electricity bill down, make your life easier, and isn't as expensive as you'd think (some start as low as $449).

Many homeowners are realizing the advantages of turning their houses into smart homes, automating redundant tasks — such as turning on and off ceiling fans — with the help of smart home technology. Here, we walk through everything you need to know about smart ceiling fans and how to choose the best fan for your home.

What Makes a Ceiling Fan a Smart Ceiling Fan?

Unlike your regular ceiling fan where the only connection is a pull-chain or a switch from wiring in your wall, smart ceiling fans allow you to control them from the convenience of a smartphone by using Wi-Fi or Bluetooth technology.

This means you can program automated schedules and remotely control your ceiling fan from anywhere with your smartphone. And depending on the smart ceiling fan you purchase, some fans are even compatible with other smart home technologies, like Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant.

Smartphones and voice-recognition tools like Alexa are the most popular ways people like to control their smart ceiling fans, but those aren't the only ways you can control them. Most smart ceiling fan apps can also be downloaded on your tablet or laptop — so there's plenty of remote control options available to fit anyone's lifestyle.

Smart Ceiling Fan Features and Capabilities

The extent of what a smart ceiling can do will depend on the technology that is powering the smartphone-to-ceiling fan connection. For example, some tech-savvy people may take the time to configure a regular ceiling fan into a smart ceiling fan with tools like an RF converter hub or other third-party technologies.

This DIY approach can save you some money, but the downside is that it can be time-consuming and confusing to set up by yourself. It can also be tricky figuring out how to pair your ceiling fan with tools like Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant and to figure out how to configure more complex automation outside of a basic on/off schedule.

This is why most people prefer to buy a smart ceiling fan — especially since they are only getting smarter and smarter with greater capabilities. And remember, smart ceiling fans aren't only for inside your home. There are also outdoor smart ceiling fans to choose from.

Program Automated Schedules

Most smart ceiling fans on the market allow you to program an on/off schedule, which can help save you lots of time if you have a consistent routine. For example, you can create an automated schedule that turns ceiling fans off during work hours when you’re not home. Turning off ceiling fans before leaving home is one of those small tasks that's easy to slip your mind. Automating that task ensures that it never goes forgotten and can help you cut down on energy costs.

Detection Sensor

Some ceiling fans can detect when someone is and isn't in a room. This can especially come in handy in households with family members that are always being found guilty of leaving all the lights on — racking up the electricity bill. With some smart ceiling fans, you're able to configure the fan and/or ceiling fan light to turn off after it senses that the room is empty for a given amount of time.

Temperature Control

There are some smart ceiling fans that even have the capability to sense your home's current temperature and adjust its settings based on that. For example, if you want your home to fall in the range of 70 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit, a smart ceiling fan may be able to sense when the room's temperature falls out of that range and adjust the fan's speed settings accordingly.

Connecting Your Ceiling Fan to Smart Home Technologies

One of the most attractive features of smart ceiling fans is the ability to control them simply using your voice. If you have an Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant at home, you probably want to configure your ceiling fan to respond to commands as simple as "Alexa, turn the ceiling fan on."

If this is an important feature for you, make sure to read the details of the smart ceiling fan you are considering to make sure that it's easy to connect with whatever smart home tool you have. Many of the smart ceiling fans offered at Dan's Fan City are Wi-Fi enabled with the free Smart Life App, which allows you to easily integrate with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant.

Should You Buy a Smart Ceiling Fan?

There are many benefits to having a smart ceiling fan, which span from financial savings to improved quality of life. Ultimately, whether or not you should buy a smart ceiling fan boils down to your lifestyle habits and budget. Here are a few of the top reasons why people decide to invest in a smart ceiling fan:

It helps cut down the electric bill. Setting up an automated schedule or investing in a ceiling fan with detection and temperature sensors will help you maximize efficiency. According to the U.S. General Services Administration, smart ceiling fans can reduce annual energy costs by 4% – 11%, or $0.07 – $0.22 per square foot annually.

The amount you save may vary depending on your local climate and energy market. For example, residents in Phoenix, Arizona saw $0.149 per square foot of savings while residents in Minneapolis, Minnesota saw $0.070 per square foot of savings.
It's more energy-efficient and better for the environment. Along with electric bill savings, you'll also be reducing your carbon footprint. Using a ceiling fan is more energy-efficient than relying on a central A/C unit alone, but you also don't want to keep your ceiling fan running when you're away and it's not needed. How many times have you accidentally left the ceiling fan running with no one home? That can be easily prevented with the capabilities of a smart ceiling fan.
There's one less thing to worry about. With a smart fan running on auto-pilot for you, there's one less thing you have to worry about when you leave the home. You can say goodbye to those nagging thoughts that haunt you when you're out on the road because you know your ceiling fan and light won't be running unnecessarily when you're gone.
Your home is always at the perfect temperature. If you find yourself fussing with the ceiling fan — getting up and down to adjust it to your perfect speed so that you feel comfortable — you won't have that issue nearly as often with a smart ceiling fan. It's a big plus to always feel comfortable in your own home.
You can control your fan from anywhere. It might sound silly, but it really is a nice benefit to not have to get up and tug a little chain or flip a light switch to turn on and off your ceiling fan. Whether when you're feeling sick and fatigued or simply feeling lazy during a Netflix binge, you'll definitely appreciate being able to use your Amazon Alexa or phone to control your ceiling fan.

Finding the Best Smart Ceiling Fan for Your Home

Whether you're in need of an indoor ceiling fan, outdoor ceiling fan, or both, you should first start by determining the fan size you'll need. Choosing the right size is critical if you truly want to reap the energy-efficient and cost-saving benefits from a smart ceiling fan. For example, if you choose a fan that's too small, it will have to work extra hard to keep your room cool and will use up more energy than a properly sized fan. You can learn more about choosing the right blade spans and fan sizes in our ceiling fan size guide.

Once you have size figured out, you can move on to your must-have features. One of the most widely requested features people ask for in smart fans is an easy way to connect to their Amazon Alexa or Google Home device. At Dan's Fan City, all of our smart WiFi-enabled ceiling fans come with the free Smart Life app, which makes it simple to integrate your new ceiling fan with your voice-enabled home assistant.

Another important consideration when it comes to choosing the perfect smart fan is your personal home aesthetic. At Dan's Fan City, we make this easy with the option for you to customize any fan. If you found the perfect fan style, you don't have to worry about it not coming in a finish that matches your home. We have over 30 motor styles in up to 10 finishes, and blade choices with up to 80 different finishes and styles — so you can mix and match until you have your dream smart ceiling fan.

Below are just some of our top-rated WiFi-enabled smart ceiling fans. As you can see, there's a great variety of finishes, from brushed nickel to natural cherry-finished wood blades.

Design your own ceiling fan or shop our selection of pre-designed smart fans online or in-store. If you aren’t sure what size ceiling fan to get, contact us today — our dedicated team of experts is here to help.

Show Filters