Customer Reviews

Hunter 27186 Fan/Light Wall Mount Control

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(12)

 

 

So here's the deal. I installed this switch for the fan I just installed, lots of work and was excited when it was done and worked. Not being an electrician and all of that. Several days later I would come into the room and lo and behold it would be on. Then I installed a light kit, imagine waking up at midnight and seeing the light come on all by its' lonesome.

I called Hunter, the problem is a common one and really stems from the poorly written instructions and the fact that the symptom is not addressed in the trouble shooting guide.

The switch is a radio frequency device and therefore stray radio signals bouncing around the house, through the hood, etcetera can trigger its operation. This was a common problem in early garage door openers and car alarms, those manufacturers fixed it by having the devices reset a new code after each use.

Your fix, is to remove the switch from the wall, pull the battery then pull the fan down and reset the dip switches in the receiver. I may take more than one try as there is no way you can easily pinpoint what is triggering your switch. The complete instructions on how to do this are in the installation instructions which may also be downloaded from the Hunter website.

Hope this helps.

Wow. Where do I begin? This is one of the most poorly designed products I have ever seen. First, just so you know, it requires a battery--not included (the packaging lets you know this in VERY small print in the back). The battery size it requires is A23--a very obscure size. The packaging appears to show that the unit comes with a face plate. It does not (even though all other wall switch transmitters I've seen include this). The transmitter wall mount has the ground wire extend well below the frame...which makes it so that you have to virtually rip it off in order to attach it to the box. The receiver is too large and extremely difficult to fit into a bracket hanger. If you have the light set to dim and you turn it off, the next time you turn it on, it is back up to the brightest setting. If the power goes out, when it comes back on, the light automatically turns on to the brightest setting--not good if your 3-year-old is trying to sleep. Do yourself a favor and, if you can, purchase the Hampton Bay...or maybe Hunter has a better unit available that I haven't seen. I haven't tried the Harbor Breeze or Hampton Bay unit that requires the standard 9 volt battery (which the packaging clearly states). But I have tried the unit that connects to your power from the original switch so that you don't need to worry about ever replacing a battery (this may not be an option if a wall switch or electrical box is not already where you intend to install the transmitter). It installs much easier, it remembers your light setting every time you turn it off and back on, and it comes with a face plate.

Update to my review. I just returned this Hunter product to my big box store, and purchased a Lutron Maestro fan and light control. Model MA-LFQHW-WH. Paid an extra $ 4. Quality is much higher than Hunter, the control is more attractive, the transmitter is smaller and easily fits into my small canopy. The instructions are clearer. There are no Dip switches to set, yet multi fans can be used in a house. Following installation, you are told to pull out a lever. This shuts the fan/light off. Then you tap the controls to activate. This apparently sets a remote code. If you have more than one control in the house, just do each seperately. It worked perfectly after installation. If I do encounter bugs, I will post an update. I have used Lutron dimmers for years with no problems.

Original review.

I usually go by the Amazon reviews, then buy on Amazon. I figured no way could the remote be this bad, and still be sold. To be safe, I decided to go to a big box store. I asked the regular electrical man if they had many returns. He said no. I took a chance and bought it. I used an electrician. Installation was fairly simple, and the box fit tightly into the canopy. The dip switches were reset, based on previous recommendations. Worked perfectly. The first night, the light went on at 3 AM. Ruined our sleep. The second night, the light went on at 10 PM. Then again at 10:30. We shut the entire unit off using the toggle switch at the base. No more light, but no fan either. Put the pull chain back on the light. At least we could sleep, but definitely not what we wanted. Now the fan turns on in the middle of the day.

It's a disgrace that Hunter sells these faulty units. I wasted money paying an electrician to install/uninstall this unit.

Had this unit for a little over two years in my office. We run the fan continuosly year round, use the lights during evening hours. We have enough natural light during the day that lights are not neeed.

As others noted, a power resumption after a power failure will turn on the lights, but not the fan.

Unit shorted with a giant POW.

Fan still works, but there is no longer any power going through the unit in the ceiling to the light. Wires didn't melt, didn't disconnect, and my tester says that power reaches the remote in the canopy.

Disappointing. I bought a replacement unit that after reading these reviews will go back to the store this very same day.

The device seems like it would be pretty slick if it actually worked...It was a pain to install as you have to take your entire fan apart to install the receiver in the fan base area. I put it all together and turned it on. The controls seemed to work really well other than the fact that the CFL bulbs flickered like crazy! It was really annoying so I tried it with regular bulbs and it works fine. Unfortunately, the light is way too dim with normal bulbs in it (a different issue to argue some other day with Hunter) so I had to modify it to accept higher lumen CFLs and can't use the regular bulbs so it will be coming out. Now I need to take the entire fan apart to remove the switch while I wait a couple of months until Hunter releases the CFL compatible version (supposedly model number 27207). In the mean time, Hunter sent me the remote control version for free for my inconvenience.

Install was simple enough for the control. I already installed another Hunter receiver in the fan long ago. I do hate I have to remove four screws from the back in order to install the battery. Because of this, you would have to remove the entire control from the wall to change the battery. I just hope the battery doesn't have to be changed often. For that, I have to knock off a star. I haven't had the random light/fan turning on like others have mentioned. I have changed the dip switches to a random configuration. The dimmer function is a little slow, but that could be my receiver because it was slow even with the handheld remote.

Overall a great alternative to the handheld remote when you have guests that may lose/break it. Hunter needs to make a wall version compatible with cfl bulbs.

After no help from Hunter fans I ordered this one and it was an excelent replacement for what I needed.

I bought two of these with two ceiling fans and had an electrician install. they are wonderful! you don't have to go around pulling chains, it's just like having a lightswitch on the wall for your fan. The top button is the lightswitch for the light, then the fan's 'off' button, and the bottom three are the buttons for low-medium-high fan. the only trouble was that guests (who are used to pull chains) sometimes get confused. But I love them! one odd thing i noticed is that when the electricity goes out (or you turn off the circuit breaker for whatever reason), when the elecricity comes back on the light turns on (so don't be scared if you come home and the light's on!) just sold my house and am buying a new one - again will purchase for my ceiling fans.
I just noticed that other reviewers had trouble with this product. I never had anything turn on unless the electricity had gone out, at which point the light always came on. i am really surprised that other people had some much trouble. I had these for five years (before i sold my house) and never had trouble.

I just moved into a brand new house, and I had 5 ceiling fans installed by an electrician. I had this switch installed on two of them.

The good news is that it does pretty much what it is supposed to do. It dims your lights, and it gives you 3 speeds on your ceiling fan, without having to use the pull chain on the fan itself. Also, and it's been a month now, I haven't had any conflicts with other wireless devices, and I have ALOT (cordless phones, wireless home network, wireless security system, garage door opener). Since the electrician put them in, I don't know if he did anything special, but all I know is that I have no problems with the fans or lights turning on or off randomly as some others have reported.

The thing I really don't like is that you operate the dimmer by pushing on a switch, then holding the switch down until the lights dim to the desired level. The problem with that design is that you can only turn the lights down, you can't turn them up. Thus, if you get them too dim and want them just a tad brighter, you have to start all over again from the brightest setting. It is not a true dimmer in the sense that I am used to, in that you can't make the light brighter or dimmer by moving a lever up and down or turing a dial. Not a deal breaker for me, and it gets better once you are use it and get used to it, but I still would have preferred a more traditional dimmer. I know there are different models out there that handle the dimming differently (I know because I've had them), but then you have the problem with the levers breaking off (I know because it's happened to me). To me, this seems less likely to break, but it's just not the ideal dimmer.

Overall, I like the product ok. I'm a bit surprised at the harsh reviews that some others have posted. It looks good, it does what its supposed to, and its made by a company that has a pretty good reputation for quality products. Of course I've only had them a month, so if they end up breaking prematurely, I will feel differently. If that happens, I will update my review.

I purchased this item and used it with my new Hunter fan - Windspan. Since both fan and this control are using the same receiver and the receiver is already attached to the fan, I dont need to bother to install the receiver that comes with this control. Most of the previous reviewers were having an issue that the light/fan comes on by itself. It is all because they didn't pick the right code or never pick one (certainly dont try like 0000, which is too common). As I picked the code which I think is pretty unique, I never have that issue. And it is working just fine. Since the fan comes with a remote which has the same function and similar layout as this control, I have a separate remote to go with me everywhere in the room.

The only cons is the dimming - it only dims in one way. If you want the light brighter after you dim, you have to turn it off and do the dimming again. Also, it doesnt memorize your previous desire dimming.

Overall this product is recommended.