What is a Ceiling Fan Dip Switch?
A dip switch is a series of toggles (on or off) that allow you to program the fan to work with a remote, and vica versa. Fans and their remotes don’t have a digital way of programming – they talk to each other through the use of toggles on the dip switch. There’s no wifi, or pressing a series of buttons on ceiling fan remotes. Sometimes home users think that they press a series of buttons on the fan remote in order to program the fan like they would the TV remote. This is not the case.
Here’s what a dip switch looks like, to get started with:
You’ll find dip switches on your ceiling fan in two places. First, inside of the remote. To find it, you may need to open the remote and look inside the battery compartment. The matching and communicating dip switch will be found inside of the ceiling fan. As long as the dip switches are set the same way, the fan and remote should be able to communicate with each other. If you need to find the dip switch on the fan, you’ll need to open up the housing of the fan and look at the receiver module. If your fan has an attached light kit, you’ll likely find the receiver above the light kit.
If you have trouble finding the receiver or the dip switch, referring to the manual for your ceiling fan is a good idea. Usually the manual will have additional information on troubleshooting the dip switch.
Why is my ceiling fan turning on or off by itself?
The fan and the remote do have a “frequency” they communicate on. Say for instance that another remote is set to the same dip switch settings as your remote – it is possible that a neighbor, roommate or etc. could be controlling your fan in this way. It’s likely not on purpose, but this has been known to happen. If your fan is turning on or off by itself from time to time, it’s likely a ceiling fan dip switch setting that is causing this to occur. One thing you could try is to change the dip switch on the fan and on the remote to a different setting. Remember that they need to be set the same way in order to communicate. A good idea would be to write down their configuration or setting before making a change.