BOND | Add Wifi to Ceiling Fan, Fireplace or Motorized shades | Works with Alexa, Google Home | Remote Control with App | Works with iPhone or Android

I had been wanting to connect my fireplace and the large fan on my screen porch to my existing home automation for a while. My original plan was to use the dry connect wires for the fireplace to rig up a switch for it, but that wouldn't have given me full function over the additional features like the lighting and flame level, etc., which I get with the remote. Added to that was the fact that the terminals were quite difficult to reach so I wasn't really looking forward to the required effort. I also had a large fan on the screen porch and I was going to use a Innovelli Z-wave fan/light switch, but that meant moving a table and getting out the ladder to replace the existing remote receiver in the ceiling and that didn't excite me much either.Then, I found out about Bond Bridge and, while the reviews were a little spotty, and my fireplace remote was not listed as supported, I checked the FCC ID and found that it operated in the supported frequency range so I thought I'd give it a shot. Well, I'm sure glad I did because, so far, it seems to work perfectly.Now, that's not to say that I didn't have a few bumps along the way, especially with the fireplace remote. The remote has controls to of course turn the fireplace on/off, but also the lighting functions and flame height, etc., however, this is a touch remote and it doesn't exactly translate directly to buttons. Also, the first few attempts to program the remote to even do simple functions like on/off didn't work. The device showed as accepted, but then I couldn't control the device, however, I then noticed that the learned frequency was listed as 304 Mhz, when the FCC docs say 303.8Mhz. Not much difference and I thought it could be a rounding issue, but decided to use advanced settings and manually specify the 303.8Mhz for learning and indeed, after that, learning went pretty well.Once I had on/off working well, I decided to try the lights and flame level and, while it took a little bit of trial and error, I eventually managed to get the light to work, and to program low/medium/high levels for the flame by using the remote to set level 1, 4, and 7.My ceiling fan is manufactured by Craftmade and it was much easier because it's remote was in the database. As soon as programmed the first function to set fan to high speed it recognized it and let me select a test a predefined remote and it worked perfectly.Integration with Alexas and Home Assistant was super easy and, before long, I was calling out to Alexa to turn on the fireplace and set flame level, etc. Same with the fan, could easily select the three speeds and turn the light on and off.One thing I can't really say much about how much area it will cover as I notice quite a few complaints about not covering a large enough area, in my case the two devices are only about 15 feet apart, separated by a brick wall, but I had a perfect area to hide it directly in between.Of course, only time will tell how reliable this device will be, that's really the telling factor for any home automation device IMO, but so far, so good. It'll get a good workout with the fan for the summer, and then the fireplace in the fall/winter and then we'll know more about that.

After 3 years of frustration with The Shade Store’s proprietary hub, which was nearly impossible to set up, frequently lost configuration, and finally stopped working, I found the Bond Hub, and it’s been a game-changer.Setup was really easy. The Bond Hub’s app guided me through every step (I used the Rollease Acmeda option) and within minutes, my shades were up and running. Unlike the proprietary hub, there was no guessing or endless resets. Even better, it integrates seamlessly with HomeKit which allows me to control my shades with Siri or set routines.Reliability has been the biggest improvement. With the Shade Store hub, I constantly dealt with connectivity issues. The Bond Hub, however, has been rock-solid. It stays connected, responds instantly, and hasn’t needed a single reset since setup.The second biggest selling point is that the price is similar to The Shade Store’s own hub but the Bond Hub offers far superior value. It’s user-friendly, reliable, and compatible with a broader range of systems, making it a no-brainer replacement.

I've had this for over a year now and it has definitely added great connectivity, via the Bond app, to our ceiling fans and lamps. Basically anything I had with an RF (radio frequency) remote was able to be controlled by this bridge. Programing remotes can be tedious as you have to hold the remote very close to the bridge (within an inch or two) during this process. Each function must be separately programmed too. I did have to perform multiple programing attempts to find the optimal frequency. For example, the first time I paired a lamp, the bond bridge would pick 333.14 MHz. When testing the functions, it might not, for example, toggle the light reliably. On a second pairing, the bridge would pick 333.23 MHz. Then, the functions would be very reliable. What I found, during research of forums, is that the device remote (for your fan or lamp) needs to have fresh batteries and that you really need to hold the remote extremely close to the bond bridge during the programing process. Above frequencies are just examples, the point is that if you find that the first pairing is successful, test that function and make sure it works every single time you press the button in the app before program remaining functions. Once I figured out the quirks of the programing process, adding the rest of my fans and lamps was easy. I would often only need one programing attempt per remote. Once paired the bond bridge has amazing range. I live in a two story house and my bridge is setup on the first floor in one corner of the floorplan. It is able to send its signals through multiple walls and reliably control fans and lights on the opposite corner of the house on the second floor. I have seven fans and three lamps. Via the app, the bond bridge controls them flawlessly.Unfortunately for me, I was never able to add our electric fireplace remote. This is an IR (infrared) device. I tried multiple programing attempts over the past year, used fresh batteries. I pointed the remote at various spots on the bridge at various distances during pairing. No luck. What this means is that some devices simply can't be added. I had no other IR remotes to test, this difficulty may be due to my specific fireplace.Also unfortunate is the trouble I had adding Bond Bridge to Google home. I was only able to add to google a month ago. Initially the functions worked via Google (example: Hey Google turn off living room fan). Recently these have stopped working. Maybe the smart home integration works better on Alexa or Smart Things.Overall I recommend this to anyone who wants to add wifi connection to remote controlled fans and lights.