Product Library / Switches & Dimmers

Research profile · last verified 2026-08-30

Inovelli White Series Smart Fan/Light Canopy Module (VTM36)

Compiled by SmartHomeWorkflow Research · Inovelli · Switches & Dimmers · ~$60 (at time of research (Inovelli's own store) — never treated as a live price)

Exactly which product this is[1]

Model number
VTM36
Generation
Not established
Region this page covers
Not established
Also sold or listed as
Not established

“Not established” means we have not sourced that detail yet — not that the product has no model number, generation or regional variant. We publish the gap rather than filling it.

Compatibility

EcosystemSupportThe catch
Amazon AlexaDoesn't workVerified: does not work with this ecosystem[4]Inovelli says so itself, on the page selling the module: 'Not compatible with Amazon Echo as their platform does not support the Matter Fan profile at this time.' The blocker is on Amazon's side, not the module's — a Matter fan device type that Alexa does not yet implement — so it could change without any hardware change. Note that Inovelli's own help-centre manual lists 'Amazon Alexa' in its platform sentence; the two Inovelli surfaces disagree and the disagreement is published below.
Google HomeWorksWorks with this ecosystem[1]Listed by Inovelli as 'Google Home (with compatible device)' — the compatible device being a Google speaker or display that acts as a Thread border router and Matter controller. Inovelli does not publish which fan features Google exposes, and the basis for this cell is Inovelli's own list rather than a Google source.In Google Home you also need: a Thread border router · a Matter controller
Apple HomeWorksWorks with this ecosystem[1]Listed by Inovelli as 'Apple (with compatible device)'. A HomePod or Apple TV with a Thread radio is needed as border router and Matter controller. As with the other ecosystem cells here, the basis is Inovelli's compatibility list, not an Apple document, and feature depth is not published by either party.In Apple Home you also need: a Thread border router · a Matter controller
SmartThingsWorksWorks with this ecosystem[1]Listed by Inovelli as 'SmartThings (with compatible device)' — a SmartThings hub with Thread, acting as border router and Matter controller. Inovelli does not publish per-feature detail, and the basis is Inovelli's own list.In SmartThings you also need: a Thread border router · a Matter controller
Home AssistantWorksWorks with this ecosystem[1]Inovelli lists Home Assistant and annotates it 'requires Thread Border Router'. Home Assistant's own Matter integration is official and local push, and this device is CSA-certified Matter 1.2, so both parties document the path. Hubitat is also listed by Inovelli, excluding the C-4.In Home Assistant you also need: a Thread border router · a Matter controller

Protocols: MATTER · THREAD[2][8]

Needs before it works: Yes. Inovelli states it plainly: 'This module requires a hub that supports Thread.' In practice that means a Thread border router on the network plus a Matter controller for whichever ecosystem you use — Inovelli's own compatibility list annotates Home Assistant and Hubitat with 'requires Thread Border Router' explicitly, and the manual gives the radio budget as up to 100 metres line-of-sight between the module and the closest border router.[1]

What it can do[3]

You can tell it to

  • On/off
  • Brightness
  • Fan mode

It reports

None documented by the vendor

Listed capabilities are what we could establish from vendor documentation. An ability missing here is unestablished — not necessarily absent.

Subscription reality[3]

✓ Works without a subscription: Yes.

Vendor account required: No — no vendor account is involved.[9]

No subscription appears on the product page or in the help-centre manual. Inovelli is a local-control hardware vendor and this device speaks Matter over Thread, so there is no vendor cloud to gate.

Maintenance reality[1]

The catch

Two catches, and the first is unusual enough to lead with: this is a Matter device that does not work with Amazon Echo. Inovelli states outright that Alexa does not support the Matter Fan profile, so the module joins Apple Home, Google Home, SmartThings, Home Assistant and Hubitat but not the largest voice platform in the US — and Inovelli's own manual muddies that by listing Alexa anyway. The second is the same limit its Zigbee sibling has: AC motors only, no DC. Inovelli's manual is blunt about it — 'only to be used to control AC Motor exhaust and ceiling fans. Do not use the module on any sort of lighting load or DC Motor' — which rules out a large share of modern fans. It also needs a Thread border router before it does anything at all, and it installs inside the fan canopy rather than in the wall box.

Who it's for

Apple Home, Google Home, SmartThings, Home Assistant or Hubitat households with an AC-motor ceiling fan and a Thread border router already on the network, who want fan and light on separate smart controls without replacing the wall switch. Not a fit for Alexa households, for DC-motor fans, or for anyone without a Thread border router.

Sources & method

Numbered sources below back the facts marked with the matching number above. This is a research profile: compiled from manufacturer documentation, certification registries, and published testing — we state facts, not verdicts, and we have not physically tested this unit. How we work →

  1. [1] inovelli.com product page 'White Series (Thread/Matter) - Smart Fan/Light Canopy Module' — vendor-page research, verified 2026-07-31
    Backs: Product identity, Price, Required hub or bridge, Google Home compatibility, Apple Home compatibility, SmartThings compatibility, Home Assistant compatibility, Maintenance
  2. [2] CSA-IoT certified product listing, 'Smart Fan/Light Module', Inovelli, LLC — registry-lookup, verified 2026-07-31
    Backs: Protocols, Market availability
  3. [3] help.inovelli.com article 10826375, 'White Series Fan/Light Canopy Module • Manual' — vendor-page research, verified 2026-07-31
    Backs: Capabilities, Subscription, Service status
  4. [4] inovelli.com product page 'White Series (Thread/Matter) - Smart Fan/Light Canopy Module', compatibility section — vendor-page research, verified 2026-07-31
    Backs: Amazon Alexa compatibility
  5. [5] docs/candidates/2026-07-31-canopy-modules.md (discovery sweep brief, since deleted) and this verification pass — discovery-sweep lead + agent verification, verified 2026-07-31
    Backs: Research status
  6. [6] help.inovelli.com, 'White Series Fan/Light Canopy Module • Manual' (VTM36) — vendor-documentation research, verified 2026-08-17
    Backs: Power source
  7. [7] inovelli.com, White Series Matter/Thread Fan-Light Canopy Module product page — vendor-page research (BQ-181 evidence read of an already-cited source), verified 2026-08-18
    Backs: Works without the internet
  8. [8] BQ-222 batch 1 confirmation pass, 2026-08-20: this record's existing protocol evidence was re-read against the ruled definition of `protocols` (what the DEVICE ITSELF speaks; reachable-via-a-bridge belongs in `integrations`/`hubs`). No new external source was fetched — the evidence already on this record was re-examined, and the entry states what it establishes. — protocols-definition sweep (BQ-222 batch 1; ruling §1 of docs/decisions/2026-08-20-RULINGS-SITTING.md), verified 2026-08-20
    Backs: Protocols
  9. [9] Inovelli Help Center, "Hub Platform Compatibility Chart" — "This article shows what Inovelli Products are compatible with the various hubs and border router platforms… If you do not see your hub listed, it is not officially supported by Inovelli customer service and you should reach out to the hub manufacturer… All of our products go through an extensive protocol certification process and, in theory, should work with another certified hub." The chart's three columns are "Blue Series (Zigbee) · Red Series (Z-Wave) · White Series (Thread / Matter)"; no Inovelli app, account or cloud service appears anywhere in Inovelli's compatibility story. — vendor-page research, verified 2026-08-21
    Backs: Vendor account required
  10. [10] No source was read for this entry. It records how this record's existing evidence for its no-support ecosystem cells was classified, so a later pass reads the classification instead of working it out again. — classification pass (16 #453) — reading only, no re-verification, verified 2026-08-22
  11. [11] inovelli.com — White Series Fan/Light Canopy Module storefront endpoint, read 2026-08-30 — vendor structured-endpoint research, verified 2026-08-30
    Backs: Price, Market availability
  12. [12] inovelli.com storefront and help.inovelli.com, both reachable 2026-08-30 — vendor-page research, verified 2026-08-30
    Backs: Service status
  13. [13] help.inovelli.com — Hub Platform Compatibility Chart, fetched 2026-08-30: 200, ~4k chars, navigation only. No fact taken from it. — vendor-support-doc research (content not served), verified 2026-08-30
    Backs: Research status

Where sources disagree

Where two sources we consider reliable say different things, we publish both positions and what we recorded, rather than quietly picking one.

Amazon Alexa compatibility

We publish: none

Both pages are Inovelli's own, so neither is automatically the more authoritative. We went with the product page for two reasons a reader can check. It is specific — it names the actual blocker, that Alexa does not support the Matter fan device type — while the manual just lists platform names. And it works against Inovelli's own interest: a company selling a fan module has every reason to claim Alexa support and no reason to disclaim it unless it is true. We recorded no Alexa support and scheduled a re-check, because Inovelli's own wording, 'at this time', says the answer is expected to change.

Compatibility and lifecycle information reflects the last-verified date above and can change without notice (firmware updates, cloud-service changes, discontinuations). It is provided as-is, for information — verify with the manufacturer before purchasing. Spot an error? Tell us and we'll fix it. Full terms: Terms of Service.

Check it against YOUR setup →