What are your experiences with remote controled ceiling fans?

Current ceiling lights are knob and tube. Sending a main line back to the breaker box is not a problem, but rewiring the wall switch would be difficult. Circuit breaker only controls ceiling lights and nothing else.

So I am thinking of going with Hunter Sontera fans which come with a remote, and not wiring wall switches.

Have ceiling fan remotes malfunctioned?

Is it possible and worth the effort to have hard wired switches and remote control?

Does a brand like Hunter change their remotes so they are incompatible with past remotes?

Any other thoughts on remote controlled ceiling fans or one brand vs another?

 

I'll be installing the same fan, tomorrow for a client. Looks pretty good. I wouldn't worry about Hunter remotes, too much. They don't malfunction all that much, and, no, you don't need wall switch for the light/fan. You can work it directly off the remote. If there are chains, make sure the fan is set on the highest setting so the remote will detect it. If no chains, then you will have to use the remote anyway, even if you had a light switch (to change speeds, etc.)

 

I never hooked up the remotes without a wall switch, but I guess it isn't much different. I'm not sure if the brands were Hunter or Hampton Bay that I used. I do know that when the power goes out, the light defaults to on when the power comes back. One version I installed replaced the wall switch with the remote module. It did include a mini switch on the bottom so you could physically cut power to the fan.

The ceiling fan in my house uses a Lutron or Levitron remote to control it. The control unit mounts in a switch box on the wall. It has two separate buttons for fan and light and the strips on the side to adjust the light dimmer and fan speed. This does not default to on. I think it remembers the last setting, but I don't know for sure.