Can You Use Smart Light Bulbs In Ceiling Fans?

Some home features are more for nostalgia than their actual use nowadays.

Your parents may love ceiling fans, but you might be more impressed by a modern house with a high, open ceiling and a central air conditioner.

New lighting technology might not work with old-style fans, too.

Smart bulbs need to be fixed in light kits for ceiling fans. Most smart bulbs will only fit in these fixtures if they are bigger. Even if it fits, using a smart bulb doesn't make things easier because the fan still needs to be controlled by hand.

How Are Ceiling Lights Different From Other Lights?

When you think about putting a room together, you should consider all its walls. Everything, even the ceiling! In fact, designers are well aware that a small change in the color, pattern, or accessories of a ceiling can make a big difference in the whole room.

So, consider the room's light source before adding accessories.

Modern homes rarely have ceiling fans in every room. At most, a fan could help move air in the bedroom, but fans can be a pain in all other rooms.

Think about this. A small or medium-sized living room with average-height ceilings, a fan, and lights all the way around the room. In this case, shadows and movement will be all over the room that doesn't look good.

Also, the large, dark fan fixture that hangs over people can make them feel crowded and uneasy. On the other hand, when the ceiling is clear and open, it makes a person feel calm and at home.

You should also remember that ceiling fans are mostly just fans. They have built-in light fixtures but are very big and hard to use.

First, a ceiling fan's fixture is usually small and/or very decorative. The small fixture is needed because the fan takes up so much space in the ceiling. So the light fixture isn't safe.

You can only do so much with a small fixture. You've probably noticed how pale and weak the light from ceiling fans is. This is because the ceiling fan light fixture has limits on the size and wattage of the bulbs that can be used.

The U.S. is a good example. The Department of Energy says that the total wattage of the bulbs should be at most 190 Watts, or else the fan fixture won't work.

Say the fixture has 5 bulb sockets. Each bulb can be up to 38 Watts.

In most ceiling fan fixtures, a single bulb's wattage is between 25 and 60 Watts.

Overlamping happens when you use more wattage than is recommended, making the fixture's contacts get too hot. This heat gets into the insulation around the box where the fan is. In the worst case, the fan can fall off if the insulation isn't good enough.

When we talk about how to control a ceiling fan and light kit, you'll have to make another hard choice. One possibility is that there will be two switches in the room, one for the light and one for the fan.

Also, the size of the bulb will be smaller because bigger bulbs won't fit in the small fixture.

Again, you're giving up extra features that bigger bulbs can give you. Many smart bulbs are a little small. And smart bulbs let you change their colors, put them on a schedule, and control them from a distance.

In another case, the fixture will have one switch on the wall, but the lights will be controlled by a string hanging from the fan. If you only want the fan and not the lights or only the lights and not the fan, it gets tricky.

So let's talk about the second option, which is better.

In newer homes, lighting fixtures and chandeliers made specifically for lighting are the most popular choice. They come in many different styles and shapes, depending on the size of the room and its use.

It gives the room some modern drama and value without being too much like a fan.

Also, light fixtures will have only one switch, which makes things easier. Finally, smart technology, which we'll talk about more below, can make it easier.

>>> Read more: Beyond Bulbs: The Many Faces of LED Lighting Fixtures

The Two Major Issues With Ceiling Fan Lighting

Making your home look better by using a ceiling fan instead of a dedicated fixture can take a lot of work.

Let's say that you have put smart bulbs in your ceiling fan. Now, you don't have to physically turn the wall switch on or off because everything can be controlled by a smart app on your phone.

Wrong. The app still doesn't let you control the fan or its speed, so you must go to the switch or fan to change it. So having a ceiling fan fixture limits what you can do.

Another problem is if your ceiling fan has a single switch that turns off both the fan and the light.

Smart bulb switches must always be on so they can talk to your remote app over the WiFi network when they are in standby mode.

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Is It Possible To Control The Fan Using A Smart Bulb?

Even though the smart bulb and its remote app can do many cool things you've always thought of, they can only work with the things they are connected to.

You would agree that if you spend money on smart bulbs, you want to get the most out of them. For example, you could change the brightness of the lights or turn them on and off using the remote app.

The idea is to have everything you need at your fingertips.

But it defeats the point if you still have to walk to the switch to turn the fan on or off at the end of the day.

And if your smart bulb is connected to Alexa or Google, it seems silly to say, "Alexa, turn the light brightness to 50%," and then have to get up to turn on the fan.

The fan can't be controlled by the smart bulb, the remote app, or the digital assistant because they are not linked.

If you really like that ceiling fan, there is something you can do besides put in a separate light fixture.

You can get smart dimmers that let you use your phone to control the light and the fan.

So, you can now control the lights with a physical switch, voice commands, or an app on your phone.

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Final Words

When setting up a smart home, it's important to look at all your options to make the right choice.

You now know that you can get a light fixture that works independently or a smart switch that controls both the fan and the lights.

Tell me how you're going to set up your light fixture. Where do you like to set up smart bulbs the most?