I purchased a 3-way fan control to be mounted in the switch on the wall. There are two wires coming from the new switch. There are two wires on the present switch and a ground. How do I know what is the hot wire? What do I do with the ground. Presently the ground is connected to the switch. The fan has three speeds on it but is mounted on a 12 foot ceiling. I wanted to mount the new switch to control the speed of the fan from the wall.

You determine which wire is hot with a tester. Test from each wire to ground. You have to do this with LIVE wires so if you are unsure of yourself hire an electrician.

Does the speed control have a ground wire? If so connect it to the ground in the box.

Don't forget. The fan MUST be on high speed at the pull chain. The wall control slows the fan down. If the motor is not on high you will burn out the fan motor in time and the fan will never run above the speed that the pull chain is set to.

It doesn't matter, just connect the two wires from the old switch to the two wires on the new switch. It should work either way. Connect ground to ground.

Ceiling fan remote controls - help and FAQ- Ceiling Fans N More