Hunter Fan launches new HomeKit-enabled ceiling fan models

AppleInsider

Hunter Fan Company has announced new connected ceiling fans that work with Apple's HomeKit.

The Aerodyne model in Hunter's smart ceiling fan collection

The new fans in Hunter's lineup allow users to control the fan's airflow through a connected device like an iPhone or iPad. In addition to using HomeKit for Siri control, the fans also support Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa.

The Aerodyne is the cheaper of the two new models, at $179.99. The Stylus, which differs only in design, will cost $329.99 later this year. Hunter says additional fans will arrive in hardware stores this year, bringing the company's connected fan collection to 15 different models.

Both new models include the company's SureSpeed Guarantee, which Hunter says provides 20% higher airflow velocity than competitors.

Both fans are 52 inches long. They include five blades and two LED bulbs in the box. The Aerodyne is available in matte black and matte silver, while the Stylus will ship in those two colors, plus a matte white.

Hunter is launching the new models in celebration of its 135th anniversary. The company launched its first HomeKit-enabled fans at CES 2016.

"As we continue celebrating our 135th year in business, we are excited to release new products and updates to our existing products that cater to tech-savvy homeowners looking to add smart connectivity to their daily lives," said John Alexander, CEO of Hunter Fan Company. "Our team of engineers is constantly listening to customer feedback to innovate and design products with whisper-quiet motors and high-performance features that ensure maximum comfort."

The Aerodyne fan is available to order now from the company website. The Stylus launches later in 2021.

sflocal

Hey Hunter, what about your current customers that haven't been able to get their own Homekit-enabled fans working properly?

Hunter Fan owner here.  I bought their fan because of this option.  When it work, it great.  I emphasize "when".

Their implementation is crap.  I don't know if they just lack the expertises in-house, or they farmed-out their iOS development to some shoddy 3rd party, but it's garbage.  Trying to download updates is a trial of patience and I gave up a LONG time ago with trying.  Their iOS App most of the time does not connect to my fan, yet the native iOS Home app does pick it up.  It's a hit and miss and Hunter should really be embarrassed for how bad their HomeKit capabilities are.

I hope this next-gen version have improved.  I'm not going to remove my entire ceiling fan because of this as it is just too much work and wasteful.  They should really fix their current owners as well.

If you're looking for a home-kit enabled ceiling fan, I'd look elsewhere.

ihatescreennames

sflocal said:

Hunter Fan owner here.  I bought their fan because of this option.  When it work, it great.  I emphasize "when".

I know it’s little consolation and I’m sorry to hear the fan is giving you trouble.

I’m very happy with the solution we went with. In our house we have several “non-smart” ceiling fans. A few years ago I started buying Caseta dimmer switches from Lutron. A couple of years ago Lutron introduced a Caseta fan control switch. I put two in and they work great. It’s a more expensive solution (considering the cost of the fan, the dimmer switch and the fan switch) but I haven’t had a single issue yet. The only thing the Lutron switches can’t do is adjust the fan rotation. That’s controlled by a small, physical switch on the fan body. Otherwise everything works great. Lutron has been the most rock-solid of all my HomeKit gear.

maestro64

I know I can do search but does anyone know if the any of the new fans are DC. We switch to fanimation fans since they are quieter ( no motor or blade noise) and is alot less power but there smart phone solution sucks and only works on AC models. 

jedwards87

ihatescreennames said:

sflocal said:

Hunter Fan owner here.  I bought their fan because of this option.  When it work, it great.  I emphasize "when".

I know it’s little consolation and I’m sorry to hear the fan is giving you trouble.

I’m very happy with the solution we went with. In our house we have several “non-smart” ceiling fans. A few years ago I started buying Caseta dimmer switches from Lutron. A couple of years ago Lutron introduced a Caseta fan control switch. I put two in and they work great. It’s a more expensive solution (considering the cost of the fan, the dimmer switch and the fan switch) but I haven’t had a single issue yet. The only thing the Lutron switches can’t do is adjust the fan rotation. That’s controlled by a small, physical switch on the fan body. Otherwise everything works great. Lutron has been the most rock-solid of all my HomeKit gear.

This is the route we took too except we are not using the fan controllers. We use the Caseta switch to turn them on/off but we rarely change speed so not missing it. We tried the fan controller but the fans would never get going to their full speed using it. I also agree that Lutron is rock solid. We use HomeKit and Alexa devices and we have never had one single issue with the Caseta line.

TexInAZ

I have four of the predecessor of these fans, and unlike @sflocal I have not had those issues with either the Hunter app or the HomeKit app. All four work reliably and I haven't experienced any connection issues. It's easy to control the fans and lights directly or with automations. Not sure what to say about the issues @sflocal is having.