Hands-On Tech 222: Control an IR Tower Fan With an Apple Watch

Summary

Podcast Summary: Hands-On Tech 222: Control an IR Tower Fan With an Apple Watch

Podcast Information

• Title: All TWiT.tv Shows (Audio)
• Host/Author: TWiT
• Episode: Hands-On Tech 222: Control an IR Tower Fan With an Apple Watch
• Release Date: June 29, 2025

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Introduction

In this episode of Hands-On Tech, host Micah Sargent delves into the challenges and solutions for controlling an Ozeri Tower Fan using an Apple Watch. Listener Dave Steve posed a question about integrating his tower fan with his wearable device, sparking a detailed exploration of available technologies and workarounds.

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Listener's Query: Controlling the Ozeri Tower Fan via Apple Watch

[00:00 – 09:11]
Dave Steve reached out to Micah with his predicament:
"I have an Ozeri Tower fan that I can control from the top of the fan or its infrared remote. I also have the Ozeri app on an iPhone that I can control the fan using Wi-Fi. Is there a way to control the fan from my Apple Watch?"

Dave's query highlights a common issue among tech enthusiasts seeking seamless integration between devices and wearables.

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Investigating the Ozeri App's Compatibility

[09:11 – 16:33]
Micah begins by addressing the feasibility of controlling the Ozeri Tower Fan through the Apple Watch:

1. App Shortcuts Limitation:

   • "I downloaded the Ozeri app on my device... and it did not show up. Which tells me, okay, Ozeri is not an app that has any shortcuts actions." ([05:00])

   Micah explains that the absence of shortcut actions within the Ozeri app indicates limited automation capabilities, making direct control via Apple Watch unfeasible.

2. Apple Watch App Availability:

   • "I went into the Watch app on my phone... And I didn't see it there either." ([05:30])

   After thoroughly searching, Micah confirms that there is no dedicated Ozeri app for the Apple Watch, further complicating direct control possibilities.

3. Assessing App Updates and Integrations:

   • "If you look at the Ozeri app, it's scaled poorly. So you know that the app really hasn't had many updates in a long time." ([06:00])

   The outdated nature of the Ozeri app suggests a lack of recent integrations or support for newer technologies like the Apple Watch.

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Proposed Solutions: Utilizing IR Blasters

Facing the limitations of the Ozeri app, Micah explores alternative methods to achieve the desired control:

1. Introduction to IR Blasters:

   • "IR Blasters are pretty powerful tools." ([09:45])

   IR Blasters can emulate remote control signals, enabling devices without native smart integrations to be controlled via smartphones or wearables.

2. Recommendation of Tuya Smart IR Controller:

   • "There's a company called Tuya... that makes an IR blaster that's available for $27 on Amazon." ([10:15])

   The Tuya Smart IR controller is highlighted as an effective solution, offering both Apple Watch app support and Shortcuts integration, facilitating seamless control of the tower fan.

   • "This IR blaster does have... an Apple Watch app itself and it also has shortcuts integration." ([10:30])

3. Alternative Solution: SwitchBot Bot:

   • "Switchbot Bot is a tiny little device that you can attach to the side of a tower fan... it presses the button that way again, controllable via your Apple Watch." ([12:00])

   As a less elegant but viable option, the SwitchBot Bot physically interacts with the fan's controls, translating wearable commands into actions.

   • "I personally find that the IR Blaster is a much more elegant solution." ([13:30])

   Micah expresses a preference for IR Blasters over mechanical solutions due to their versatility and cleaner implementation.

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Advantages of Using an IR Blaster

Micah elaborates on the multifunctionality of IR Blasters beyond controlling tower fans:

• "There are lots of IR controlled devices... you could have it switch modes automatically and turn off the fan because you're trying to watch something on television." ([14:15])

• "You can say this has a humidity sensor and if the humidity raises above 56%, then please IR blast to turn on the humidifier." ([14:45])

These examples illustrate how IR Blasters can integrate multiple devices into a cohesive smart home ecosystem, enhancing automation and convenience.

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Final Recommendations and Conclusion

Micah wraps up the discussion with a strong recommendation:

• "Ultimately, I think the IR Blaster is your better choice." ([16:00])

He emphasizes the practicality and efficiency of adopting an IR Blaster like the Tuya Smart controller for achieving the desired control over the Ozeri Tower Fan via the Apple Watch.

Additionally, Micah shares insights into the broader applications of IR Blasters and encourages listeners to share their solutions, fostering community engagement and shared learning.

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Closing Remarks

The episode concludes with Micah promoting Club Twit, an exclusive membership offering ad-free content, bonus feeds, and access to special events and communities. He invites listeners to join and participate in the vibrant TWiT community.

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Notable Quotes:

• "I have an Ozeri Tower fan that I can control from the top of the fan or its infrared remote. Is there a way to control the fan from my Apple Watch?" — Dave Steve ([00:00])

• "I personally find that the IR Blaster is a much more elegant solution." — Micah Sargent ([13:30])

• "IR Blasters don't have to be single-purpose devices. You can use them in a room that has multiple IR-controlled devices." — Micah Sargent ([15:00])

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Conclusion

In Hands-On Tech 222, Micah Sargent provides a comprehensive analysis of integrating non-smart devices with modern wearables. By exploring the limitations of existing apps and presenting practical solutions like IR Blasters, he empowers listeners to enhance their smart home setups effectively. This episode underscores the innovative approaches necessary to bridge gaps in device compatibility, ensuring technology serves users seamlessly.

Transcript

[Micah Sargent]

Coming up on Hands on Tech, let's take a look at gaining access to a fan via our Apple watch. Stay tuned. This is Twit.

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3 month plan equivalent to 15 per month. Required new customer offer for first 3 months only. Speed slow after 35 gigabytes of networks busy. Taxes and fees extra. See mintmobile.com hello and welcome to Hands on Tech. This is the show where I, Micah Sargent, take your tech questions and answer them. Yeah, it's that easy. You write in at Hotwit tv and I answer your question. I love it, and you love it, and that's why you're here, right? All right, so this week we got a question in from Dave Steve, who writes, I have an Ozeri Tower fan that's spelled O Z E R I Tower fan that I can control from the top of the fan or its infrared remote. I also have the Ozeri app on an iPhone that I can control the fan using Wi Fi. Is there a way to control the fan from my Apple Watch? I wish there was an Ozeri app for the Apple Watch, Dave. So here's the thing. I looked into this. This issue. I downloaded the Ozeri app on my device. And one of the ways that you can see if you are able to sort of set up a way to pull off this automation is by launching the shortcuts app and tapping to create a new shortcut by hitting the plus icon in the top right corner and then simply scrolling down in the actions pane and looking for the name of the app. So in this case, Ozeri. And it did not show up. Which tells me, okay, Ozeri is not an app that has any shortcuts actions. And honestly, one way that you can also tell is just by launching the app. And if you look at the Ozeri app, it's scaled poorly. So you know that the app really hasn't had many updates in a long time. So that's the other way that you can kind of tell, okay, this probably doesn't have any integrations for automation. So I said, if I can't get it to work that way, is it possible that Dave may have just missed that there was an Apple Watch app? So the next thing I did was I went into the Watch app on my phone, because that is where you can go to install apps. And you scroll down until you get to the section that says available apps. And I scrolled through and I looked for a Zeri, and I didn't see it there either. And then I said, okay, sometimes it does take a sort of cache refresh to make that happen to have it appear. So I launched the Ozeri app. I force quit the Ozeri app. I launched the Apple Watch or the Watch app on my iPhone and quit the Watch app on my iPhone, restarted both of them, looked through again. No, now I can confirm absolutely there's no Ozeri app and there's no Ozeri shortcuts integration. So what do we do in this instance? How do we fix this problem? How can we make it possible for our dear friend Dave to be able to control the Tower fan from an Apple Watch? Well, then I said, you know, not too long ago I had an episode of Hands On Tech where someone was asking about changing the media buttons on their TV remote and I suggested that they get a, an IR Blaster that they could use to control the TV in a different way from what they were doing before. And so I, and I also have one of these devices. It's a Broadlink RM4 Mini. So I looked at the Broadlink RM4 Mini app. It's just the Broadlink app. And I launched the Watch app and I launched the Shortcuts app. And also none of them supported the Broadlink. So I knew, okay, that's not going to work either. Well, dear Dave, I believe I found your answer. There's a company called Tuya T U Y A and Tuya makes, what's it to you? Makes an IR blaster that's available for $27 on Amazon's website. And this IR blaster does have. Oh, and by the way, there's a sale, there's a $3 coupon so you can actually save a little bit of money. This does give you the ability to control via ir, but more importantly, it has two things. It has an Apple Watch app itself and it also has shortcuts integration.

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[Micah Sargent]

Dear Dave, is you will if you if you choose to do this, you'll get the Tuya Smart IR controller and you will set it up with your tower fan. There are a bunch of ways to do this. It's got like a library, but it can also learn what the command is. And of course it needs to be in the same room with the fan. And then from there on your Apple Watch you can install the Tuya Smart app and set up the device that way. Or you could use a shortcut and so you can run that shortcut from your Apple Watch. But in either case you would then be able to use the Apple Watch to actually make this control. It's kind of wild how often our the problems that people have with automation can be solved with an IR Blaster. They're pretty powerful tools. There's one other suggestion that I have for you that I don't think is as elegant a solution. But the company Switchbot is a company that's been around for a long time and it makes all sorts of little devices, including what's called the Switchbot Bot. And the Switchbot Bot is a tiny little device that you can attach to the side of a tower fan, for example, or a humidifier or whatever device it happens to be. And all it amounts to is being a button. It presses things. It has two options. There's the rocker switch mode which can switch on and off lights, or other rocker switches, and then just the button mode which will press a button. And so you could stick this to your tower fan and have it press the button that way again, controllable via your Apple Watch. So either of these solutions will work for you. I personally find that the IR Blaster is a much more elegant solution because I'm going to share in the discord an image of something that you would never catch me doing. But they do offer it as an option, and that is using that SwitchBot button to turn on an espresso machine in the morning. But you have to stick the honkin wall wart thing onto the espresso machine and it looks so goofy. Maybe John will be able to add this in post, but essentially, if you can imagine a small little rectangular prism just, just glued to, sort of awkwardly glued to the side of an espresso machine, sticking out all over the place. No, there's no way. Not, not in my lifetime. But it is. You know, if you've got no other solution and you want to make something automated, that's a way to do it. Ultimately, I think the IR Blaster is your better choice. And we know now that Tuya makes an app for the Apple Watch and also an app for or shortcuts integrations. I should mention that switchbot is also supported by the Apple Watch. So if you decide to go with that option, you can use that directly. But I have to say I'm very glad that I can now delete the Ozeri app from my iPhone that we've done that research to determine what's possible. I should mention too, tower fans are not the only thing that IR blasters are good for, although it seems to be the modern choice. There are lots of IR controlled devices. You know, you might have a humidifier that has an IR option. You might have a space heater that has an IR option. You of course have televisions that have IR options. Almost all of them do. And the cool thing about IR Blasters is they don't have to be single purpose devices. So you can use them in a room that has a tower fan, that has an overhead fan, that has a remote perhaps that has a humidifier that has a television. And when it comes to the television, different buttons send out different codes. So you can use that IR blaster to send out different codes. So you could have it, for example, switch modes automatically and turn off the fan because you're trying to watch something on television. And then of course you're starting to be able to get things set up. So you can say this has a humidity sensor and if the humidity raises above 56%, then please IR blast to turn on the humidifier in the space. That's one example of a way to use it. So yeah, this can become really powerful pretty quickly if you are looking to do that. So Dave, that is my suggestion for you and as always, I'd love to hear what solution you end up taking. That's my favorite thing is hearing back and knowing that the the option that you chose to to take and how it worked for you. I believe that it's time for me to remind you all about our wonderful offering called Club Twit at Twitter TV Club Twit. When you head to Twitter TV Club Twit, you will gain access to to our awesome benefits. It's a monthly subscription or a yearly subscription and in doing so you will get every single one of our shows ad free. You also get access to the Twit plus bonus feed that has extra content you won't find anywhere else behind the scenes before the show. After the show, special Club Twitter events get published there access to the members only Discord Server which is a fun place to go to chat with your fellow Club Twit members and those of us here at Twitch plus check out special Club Twit events like my Crafting Corner where we all hang out and have a chill nice time where you can check out our book club and also see our live coverage of tech press events. Leo and I recently recorded WWDC in the Platform State of the Union and that was certainly a lot of fun to do and so yeah, be sure to check all of that out when you become a member of Club Twit. And if you're listening to this and you are a member of Club Twit, thank you. Because you don't have to listen to this version that has the ads in it. I want to remind you, head to Twitter TV Club TWiT referral where you can bring your friends into the fold and earn months of Club Twit for free. That would be awesome. We'd love to see you and your friends in the club. Thanks so much and yeah, don't forget Twitch TV Club Twit. All right folks, that is going to bring us to the end of this episode of Hands On Tech. I will be back next month with more episodes of the show, but until then, I remind you, Hotwit TV is how you get in touch with me. It's time now to say goodbye. We'll see you next time.

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