Our family room is where we spend most of our time.  So, naturally, we want to be as comfortable there, as possible.  We want to be able to control the light, and the ceiling fan in several different ways.  So, we bought the Hampton Bay Light and Thermostatic Fan Remote Control model 838-956.  This is a fancy remote control that does a whole bunch of "tricks".  Not that we use all of them all the time, but it's nice to know they're available.

This remote control is fairly hefty.  It's 5 1/2" tall, 2 3/4' wide, and 1" thick.  The top portion is an LCD screen that shows you, at a glance, what's happening with your light and your fan.  The top row of the screen shows you the room's current temperature, as well as the 'set temperature' (the temperature at which you want your fan to come on, if you're using the 'automatic' feature).  You can choose to see all temperatures in Fahrenheit or Celsius.  The next row has a box that shows you the status of your light.  If the light is off, the box is empty.  But if the light is on, you'll see a light bulb in this box, as well as an indicator from 20% to 100% showing you the brightness level of the light.  The next row on the screen shows a picture of a sliding scale from 'LOW' at one end, to 'HIGH' at the other end.  This picture changes, as your fan's setting changes, to show you the fan's current speed.  There are other portions of the screen, with other indicators that come into play when you use some of the remote's fancier features.

Under the LDC screen are eight buttons.  The top three control the fan.  The biggest button, in blue, has a picture of a fan on it, and controls the fan's speed, as well as its on/off status.  The first press sets to fan to high.  The next press sets it to medium and the third press sets it to low.  The fourth press turns it off.  This isn't as convenient as having separate buttons for 'low', 'medium', 'high', and 'off".  We use our fan on 'medium' most of the time.  This means we have to press a button twice to put the fan on, and twice more, to turn it off. 

The other two buttons are 'fan auto' which means you want the fan to come on/go off based upon the room's temperature matching your pre-set desired temperature, and 'for/rev' which toggles the fan between forward-spinning blades, and reverse. 

The next row of buttons has one that sets the timer, and two that control the light.  The biggest button, in yellow, has a picture of a light bulb on it, and turns the light on and off with single-presses.  Holding the button down cycles the light through its various brightness settings, from 100% down to 20%, then back up again.  You can stop at any point along the way, if you want a setting somewhere in between.  We frequently lower the light down to about 60% when we're watching movies.  The next time you turn the light on, it will "remember" the most recent brightness setting.

The next button is one of my favorites.  It's called 'light delay'.  Pressing this button means "turn the light off, in three minutes".  In other words, it lets you get out of the room, before it shuts the light, for you.  We use this button every night when we leave the family room, for the last time. 

The final row of buttons are shaped like triangles, one pointing up, the other pointing down.  These are your "up/down" buttons, used when setting various points.  For instance, after you press the timer button, you have to choose how long you want the light or fan to stay on.  Pressing the up button moves the setting from 0 to .5 hour to 1 hour, to 2 hours... all the way up to 24 hours.  The down button moves the settings in reverse.  You also use these buttons when setting your 'desired temperature' for use with the 'auto' feature.

When the timer is set, or the light delay has been activated, the screen alerts you to the current status. 

The remote takes 4 double-A batteries.  We have a problem where the battery clips are a bit loose. As a result, the batteries sometimes dislodge themselves.  We frequently think our batteries have died, when in fact, all we have to do is open the battery compartment door, and re-set the batteries back into place.  When the batteries really do get low, an indicator on the screen flashes, to alert us.

The remote came with a plastic wall-hanger, but we leave ours sitting on the coffee table where we can access it easily from all of the seats in the room.

Overall, I'm thrilled with this remote control.  It does everything I want, and then some.  With clear, easy to press buttons, and a detailed screen that tells me at a glance everything I need to know, this remote definitely helps keep us comfortable in our family room.  I recommend it, if you want a remote that "does it all".

Of course, at around $45, this remote does not come cheap.  There are cheaper models that do as much - you'll have to decide what's right for you.

Other ceiling fan remotes:

Casablanca Adapt Touch W-52

Craftmade UC-2000

Hampton Bay UC7083T


Recommended: Yes