Here is the simplest scenario to install; two switches on the wall, one turns on the lights the other turns on the fan. You can put a dimmer on the lights, but adjust the fan speed with the pull chain. Anyone with a little experience can wire this setup. If you really want to adjust the fan speed from the wall, that complicates things and you will have to get a specific speed control from the manufacturer or someone with enough experience to be able to give you the one that will work with your fan. In my experience, fan speed controls caused buzzing which annoyed me. I have been happy with the setup described above. Mark F

Your assuming correctly. You should have a wall switch. Its nice to turn off the switch so you can install your fan and hook up the remote sensor with out getting shocked. My remote can with a cradle. Screwed it up next to my wall switch so when I come in the room I hit the light button on the remote to turn my lights on. On my fan you hold down the light button and it starts to dims low then comes back up to high. If you let go of the button when its at, let say the lowest setting, and then turn it off by remote, and then turn it back on, it comes back on in that previous setting. When I want to reset the dimming setting on the light, I turn off the wall switch and then back on. So now when I turn on the light by remote its set at full brightness instead of having to hold it down to go through the whole dimming process to bring it back up to full spectrum.

Are both blue wires twisted onto just one black wire?

Should be ok.