Hunter launches Signal ceiling fan with Apple HomeKit support

AppleInsiderAppleInsider
Posted:
in iPhone
Following several months' delay, Hunter on Tuesday launched the Signal, the first ceiling fan on the market with support for Apple's HomeKit platform.




The Signal sports built-in Wi-Fi, and can be controlled not just through HomeKit -- including Siri voice commands -- but a dedicated app or a bundled remote. HomeKit is the centerpiece feature however, since it allows the fan to be integrated into Scenes with other HomeKit accessories like thermostats, and automated using conditional triggers.

The fan uses 54-inch blades, and offers some other smaller features such as an ultra-slow "serenity" speed, and a reversible motor that can be used to create an updraft flow in the winter.

The main body of the Signal uses a nickel finish, while the blades are made of oak or reclaimed walnut. It costs $379, and should be available at various online retailers, as well as lighting stores and outlets like Home Depot, Lowe's, and Menards.

The Symphony -- a less expensive version of the fan, with white plastic blades -- should ship in October for $329.

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 20
    MacProMacPro Posts: 19,728member
    Cool.   :D
    pscooter63
  • Reply 2 of 20
    johnnashjohnnash Posts: 129member
    Ouch - almost $400 for a ceiling fan?
    bdkennedy1002TurboPGT
  • Reply 3 of 20
    teaearlegreyhotteaearlegreyhot Posts: 1,002member
    I bet it won't even turn off or on with a clap of my hands. 
    williamlondonpscooter63
  • Reply 4 of 20
    bdkennedy1002bdkennedy1002 Posts: 543member
    I'm not sure why you would want to control a ceiling fan remotely.
  • Reply 5 of 20
    fudentfudent Posts: 4member
    AppleInsider said:
    Following several months' delay, Hunter on Tuesday launched the Signal, the first ceiling fan on the market with support for Apple's HomeKit platform.




    The Signal sports built-in Wi-Fi, and can be controlled not just through HomeKit -- including Siri voice commands -- but a dedicated app or a bundled remote. HomeKit is the centerpiece feature however, since it allows the fan to be integrated into Scenes with other HomeKit accessories like thermostats, and automated using conditional triggers.

    The fan uses 54-inch blades, and offers some other smaller features such as an ultra-slow "serenity" speed, and a reversible motor that can be used to create an updraft flow in the winter.

    The main body of the Signal uses a nickel finish, while the blades are made of oak or reclaimed walnut. It costs $379, and should be available at various online retailers, as well as lighting stores and outlets like Home Depot, Lowe's, and Menards.

    The Symphony -- a less expensive version of the fan, with white plastic blades -- should ship in October for $329.

  • Reply 6 of 20
    lkrupplkrupp Posts: 10,557member
    johnnash said:
    Ouch - almost $400 for a ceiling fan?
    Oh, you were thinking this would be a $100 Home Depot special? $400 for a ceiling fan is not out of line but I guess it depends on one's perception of value and economic plateau. Just wait for the cheaper Android plastic version. /s
    edited August 2016 williamlondonnolamacguyjony0lolliverpscooter63
  • Reply 7 of 20
    MacProMacPro Posts: 19,728member
    bdkennedy said:
    I'm not sure why you would want to control a ceiling fan remotely.
    I find it very useful to be able to, it saves getting up off the couch.   :)
    johnnashwilliamlondonlolliver
  • Reply 8 of 20
    holyoneholyone Posts: 398member
    digitalclips said:
    Cool.   :D
    Hunter ? I Just went from indefferent to a "fan" Puns aside it ain't that bad though costly
  • Reply 9 of 20
    MacProMacPro Posts: 19,728member
    holyone said:
    digitalclips said:
    Cool.   :D
    Hunter ? I Just went from indefferent to a "fan" Puns aside it ain't that bad though costly
    That said they all come with free remotes anyway in my experience assuming you can find it!  
  • Reply 10 of 20
    nolamacguynolamacguy Posts: 4,758member
    bdkennedy said:
    I'm not sure why you would want to control a ceiling fan remotely.
    try laying in bed in the middle of the night and realizing you need it on or on another setting but the switch is across the room by the door. happens every week. 

    youre just falling into the "my needs must be everyone's needs" apathy trap. very common for techies. 
    williamlondonP-DogNCnoivadlolliver
  • Reply 11 of 20
    TurboPGTTurboPGT Posts: 355member
    lkrupp said:
    johnnash said:
    Ouch - almost $400 for a ceiling fan?
    Oh, you were thinking this would be a $100 Home Depot special? $400 for a ceiling fan is not out of line but I guess it depends on one's perception of value and economic plateau. Just wait for the cheaper Android plastic version. /s
    In terms of a quality, great ceiling fans can be had for $100-$200.

    This approaches twice that. There is no major quality or value difference between the $200 range and $400 range.
  • Reply 12 of 20
    lkrupplkrupp Posts: 10,557member
    TurboPGT said:
    lkrupp said:
    Oh, you were thinking this would be a $100 Home Depot special? $400 for a ceiling fan is not out of line but I guess it depends on one's perception of value and economic plateau. Just wait for the cheaper Android plastic version. /s
    In terms of a quality, great ceiling fans can be had for $100-$200.

    This approaches twice that. There is no major quality or value difference between the $200 range and $400 range.
    Baloney. See what happens to the motor of that $100 fan twenty years later. I know, do you?
    nolamacguywilliamlondonlolliverpscooter63
  • Reply 13 of 20
    nolamacguynolamacguy Posts: 4,758member
    TurboPGT said:
    lkrupp said:
    Oh, you were thinking this would be a $100 Home Depot special? $400 for a ceiling fan is not out of line but I guess it depends on one's perception of value and economic plateau. Just wait for the cheaper Android plastic version. /s
    In terms of a quality, great ceiling fans can be had for $100-$200.

    This approaches twice that. There is no major quality or value difference between the $200 range and $400 range.
    are you kidding? you will not get a great fan at that price. it will wobble and rattle before long. I have great Hunter fans which are decades old and still tanks. 
    williamlondonlolliverpscooter63
  • Reply 14 of 20
    rhinotuffrhinotuff Posts: 65member
    bdkennedy said:
    I'm not sure why you would want to control a ceiling fan remotely.
    We use our remote-controlled fan every night. You get in bed, press the button and the light goes off. No fumbling in the dark, no need to turn a lamp on, no using your phone as a light. Plus if it gets too warm, you can turn the fan on. To each their own, but I like the idea of this integrating with homekit. That way, when my AC kicks on, I can also have the ceiling fan kick on.
    williamlondonlolliver
  • Reply 15 of 20
    teaearlegreyhotteaearlegreyhot Posts: 1,002member
    lkrupp said:
    TurboPGT said:
    In terms of a quality, great ceiling fans can be had for $100-$200.
    Baloney. See what happens to the motor of that $100 fan twenty years later. I know, do you?
    Haha!  The same thing that happened to my Mac Plus after only ten years.....  dead!
  • Reply 16 of 20
    2old4fun2old4fun Posts: 239member
    This may make Big Ass Fans lower their price to near reasonable. 
  • Reply 17 of 20
    planetary paulplanetary paul Posts: 144member
    Well, I think "updraft flow in the winter" is not very smart. In a room without fan warm air from the heating system collects at the ceiling and stays there, useless to the occupants. So the updraft is already there, no fan needed. I have measured a staggering 50ºC gradient over 2,3m in one extreme occasion; freezing at floor level and tropical at the ceiling. Installing a large ceiling fan and letting it run blowing down at its slowest speed reduced that to a mere 5ºC.
    edited August 2016
  • Reply 18 of 20
    teaearlegreyhotteaearlegreyhot Posts: 1,002member
    Well, I think "updraft flow in the winter" is not very smart. In a room without fan warm air from the heating system collects at the ceiling and stays there, useless to the occupants. So the updraft is already there, no fan needed.
    Incorrect.  The updraft setting allows the air to be blown across the ceiling, and then down the walls to the floor.  Mixing occurs very well, especially in the vaulted ceilings of my house.  Furthermore, allowing the warm air to travel down the walls helps remove condensation from the windows, keeping them clear in winter, too.  Blowing air downward from the fan in winter causes a central hotspot, and then the air spreads across the floor, rising along the sidewalls, providing less condensation removal, and poorer movement of the hottest air which tends to stay in a layer across the ceiling above the fan level (depending upon how far from the ceiling your fan hangs).
    edited August 2016 rhinotuff
  • Reply 19 of 20
    [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 0
    people still buy ceiling fans? I haven't seen one since the 80s and even then it was only ever used to hang Christmas decorations from. must be USA thing.
    edited August 2016
  • Reply 20 of 20
    rhinotuffrhinotuff Posts: 65member
    adm1 said:
    people still buy ceiling fans? I haven't seen one since the 80s and even then it was only ever used to hang Christmas decorations from. must be USA thing.
    You must live in a very cool climate, or spend a small fortune in constant AC/heating of your home.  With the exception of a few small apartments, I can't remember the last home I was in that didn't have a ceiling fan...
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