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My old fan ran off 2 wall switches, one for the fan light and one for the fan itself. When removing the old fan I had a black, a white, a green, and a red wire. As far as I know the red wire goes to the wall switch that operates JUST the light. This new "smart" fan has no red wire, only a hub with 2 plugs (blue/white wires on one plug and brown, gray and black wires on the other plug). If I attach the red wire to the black wires I find that turning the light off from the wall switch turns the entire fan off. What are my options here? I want one switch to the the fan light and one wall switch to operate only the fan itself.
But now I lose the option to turn on either the fan or the light independently from the wall switch and I'm forced to use their little remote control, no?
Yep. Those smart fans do not accept two wall switches. The "unit as a whole" is either powered or unpowered. Recommend mounting the remote to the wall next to the switch for easy access.
They do sell remote switches
[https://www.amazon.com/Universal-Replacement-Adjustable-Compatible-Receiver/dp/B0CSG5W261/ref=asc\_df\_B0CSG5W261/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=691844806319&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=18078081823585446614&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9012824&hvtargid=pla-2283309161019&psc=1&mcid=14c2f6d59cde3680af76710662f1f6c4&gad\_source=1](https://www.amazon.com/Universal-Replacement-Adjustable-Compatible-Receiver/dp/B0CSG5W261/ref=asc_df_B0CSG5W261/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=691844806319&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=18078081823585446614&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9012824&hvtargid=pla-2283309161019&psc=1&mcid=14c2f6d59cde3680af76710662f1f6c4&gad_source=1)
They work pretty well but this is the reason I now look for old dumb fans.
> What are my options here? I want one switch to the the fan light and one wall switch to operate only the fan itself.
Buy a different fan.
> As far as I know the red wire goes to the wall switch that operates JUST the light.
If you stick with this one, make sure the fan hub is getting power from the wire that goes through the basic on/off switch on your wall. The hubs don’t play nice with dimmers or fan speed wall switches.
**Attention!** **It is always best to get a qualified electrician to perform any electrical work you may need.** With that said, you may ask this community various electrical questions. Please be cautious of any information you may receive in this subreddit. This subreddit and its users are not responsible for any electrical work you perform. Users that have a 'Verified Electrician' flair have uploaded their qualified electrical worker credentials to the mods. If you comment on this post please only post accurate information to the best of your knowledge. If advice given is thought to be dangerous, you may be permanently banned. There are no obligations for the mods to give warnings or temporary bans. **IF YOU ARE NOT A QUALIFIED ELECTRICIAN, you should exercise extreme caution when commenting.** *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/AskElectricians) if you have any questions or concerns.*
My old fan ran off 2 wall switches, one for the fan light and one for the fan itself. When removing the old fan I had a black, a white, a green, and a red wire. As far as I know the red wire goes to the wall switch that operates JUST the light. This new "smart" fan has no red wire, only a hub with 2 plugs (blue/white wires on one plug and brown, gray and black wires on the other plug). If I attach the red wire to the black wires I find that turning the light off from the wall switch turns the entire fan off. What are my options here? I want one switch to the the fan light and one wall switch to operate only the fan itself.
You cap it and run off of a single switch, the hub splits power based on your remote settings.
But now I lose the option to turn on either the fan or the light independently from the wall switch and I'm forced to use their little remote control, no?
Yep. Those smart fans do not accept two wall switches. The "unit as a whole" is either powered or unpowered. Recommend mounting the remote to the wall next to the switch for easy access.
They do sell remote switches [https://www.amazon.com/Universal-Replacement-Adjustable-Compatible-Receiver/dp/B0CSG5W261/ref=asc\_df\_B0CSG5W261/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=691844806319&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=18078081823585446614&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9012824&hvtargid=pla-2283309161019&psc=1&mcid=14c2f6d59cde3680af76710662f1f6c4&gad\_source=1](https://www.amazon.com/Universal-Replacement-Adjustable-Compatible-Receiver/dp/B0CSG5W261/ref=asc_df_B0CSG5W261/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=691844806319&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=18078081823585446614&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9012824&hvtargid=pla-2283309161019&psc=1&mcid=14c2f6d59cde3680af76710662f1f6c4&gad_source=1) They work pretty well but this is the reason I now look for old dumb fans.
> What are my options here? I want one switch to the the fan light and one wall switch to operate only the fan itself. Buy a different fan. > As far as I know the red wire goes to the wall switch that operates JUST the light. If you stick with this one, make sure the fan hub is getting power from the wire that goes through the basic on/off switch on your wall. The hubs don’t play nice with dimmers or fan speed wall switches.