Youll economize on power bills and get the right amount of brightness you need at a given time after installing a three way dimmer switch. This helps to fund the ongoing development of the site. Why go through the hassle and time suck it would take to make each switch box work with the other smart switches. Thanks. The key to creating a smart switch that works without the neutral loop is to make R1 the perfect resistance. There are a few options for installing smart switch without neutral wire, but first lets check to see if you have a neutral wire. Thanks again Stus! Plus, the Lutron Caseta is the gold standard of smart switches and it is HomeKit compatible. I was finally able to make sure I matched the name in Alexa to the name I named it in the GE app, and removed the one in Alexa that had a problem and everything is working as it should now. sorry to revive this again. Can control a Load if the Red wire is connected and not capped off. Unfortunately, the new light fixtures blinked as well. Thanks for the info! Thanks! Older homes typically dont have a visible neutral wire in the wall socket. My other option would be to use a Z-Wave controller at the transformer and just leave the old 2 wire toggle on all the time. These are cool switches but they are not compatible with LED bulbs so unfortunately does not fit the criteria. So they dont seem to fit the criteria. You won't need it. The Nest Note N260 error code indicates that your thermostat needs a common or C wire. At the same time, it needs to let enough current through so that the switch can power itself. When I turned all off, one would remain on, go off several seconds after the others then 3 would come on after that it was a mess, reset them all a few times, ungrouped them, nothing changed. When youre checking a light switch neutral wire, exercise extreme caution. You cannot use a dimmer switch on these LED lights or you will damage them. If you want to use smart switches and dont have a neutral wire in your switch box, you canhire an electricianto run a neutral wire between the light fixture and the switch. Also forgot to mention the issues with too many wifi connections. If you use Bluetooth, then you can not use the full capabilities of this switch. From there a hot wire and white wire pair travel down to a switch box and are wired across the switch. Below is a diagram of a smart switch installed in the first configuration (with neutral). I essentially just need this to operate like a powered remote in the wall. This is the neutral. Finally, try this idea. I only need a switch for this, not a thermostat. http://www.wago.us/products/terminal-blocks-and-connectors/installation-connectors/compact-splicing-connectors-for-all-conductor-types-221-series/overview/. The transformer converts the incoming 13.2 kV electricity down to a usable 240V. Thats because most modern smart switch brands dont require a neutral wire. The C by GE switches are a great all around option. However, that introduces the new problem of figuring out what to do with the existing switch (heres some ways to solve it). Theres a leftover traveller wire I can repurpose as an always-on line, but the 2474D wont come alive unless I touch itsneutral to the receptacles ground (I didnt leave it that way!). If you dont have a neutral wire, several options are open to you. Items purchased after clicking on our links may earn us an affiliate commission at no extra cost to you. What is a dimmer switch and how does it work? The power will still be coming from a dimmer right. Load has to be an Incandescent or 120 Volt equivalent halogen bulb. Iotpadstaff is having a professional career in the IT industry for over 30 years with extensive experience in smart technology, engineering and project management. The Shelly products are so versatile, reliable, and reasonably priced that I have no reason to try anything else. In addition, you have the option to install C by GE smart bulbs in your fixture to add color lighting to your system. In this article, we will talk about smart switch no neutral. trying to light 2 fixtures with 3 t8 florescent ea. At that point, why wouldnt you just buy a smart bulb? I tried installing another switch thinking that it was a faulty device but same problem happened. My existing switch box does not have a red wire. What actually happens in these cases is that the hot wire and neutral from the breaker panel go directly to the fixture box. It did show some voltage but not 120V. Describe the wiring in the ceiling box. Additionally, the Shelly app is quite versatile. If youre going to be installing your own smart switches, you will be working with some potentially dangerous wires, so its probably a good idea to know what youre dealing with so you can avoid making a stupid mistake. The switches are pretty much a one time purchase and Ive yet to have one die on me Wifi bulbs on the other hand are expensive and seem to have a shorter life I just wrote a poor review of the 6 tracklight bulbs I bought for about $45 that lasted about 4 months til the last one died And then I just installed 4 led wif bulbs in my overhead fan and found like other purchasers that the bulbs have decideed to not be Alexa compatible. Install FanLincs in the other three fans. It also needs to be turned off from the switch. How to replace a regular switch with a dimmer switch? You need to change that so that white is neutral and black is line. A switch box with no neutral loop will usually only have three wires (see image below). I guess I could wire the 2 wire 2474 in and pig tail off both wires to put the fans on a Switchlinc that is controlled by the dimmer. Smart switches require a source of power because they are always communicating with a hub. I suppose the added complexity would make it more expensive. The diagram below shows this configuration (this circuit HAS a neutral). Supplying the AC Line {Black} and Neutral {White} power connections. The truth is I havent tested any others because I have no need. For example, I have a dual 30A relay on my water heater connected to esp8266. Here is a diagram of a standard switch with a neutral wire: A smart switch can simply tie into the white neutral wires to complete the circuit and get a source of power to keep the radios in the switch working at all times. In any installation, either the light switch or the light fixture MUST have a neutral wire. It looks to me like the Aeotec switches suggested by Stephane all require a Neutral wire. See the part about the perfect resistance in the blog post. The Caseta switch works with Wink and theCaseta Smart Bridge(the Caseta Smart Bridge allows the switch to interface with Alexa,Apple HomeKit, andGoogle Home). You can choose to use them with cloud integrations or without (local control only). You run the risk of the ground wire becoming exceedingly hot, which raises an electric shock hazard. You don't think the Keypadlinc will introduce the dimmer buzzing issue. Between the three listed (Lutron, Inovelli, and C by GE) in this article, you should be able to find one that fits your needs. The standard Lutron on/off switch will NOT work without a neutral. Im still waiting for their techs to figure out why their webpage wont accpt the password that I chose on their app But mainly price. But manufacturers responded to demand, and now theres a handful of good ones available. Then cap off the Keypad red load wire. I am ordering in bulk for my neutral wire connections. Works perfectly without neutral, so I think it does a good job at solving the no neutral smart lighting dilemma. At the fan, connect all white wires together. This switch doesnt require a neutral but you will need the hub too. By using the affiliate links, you are helping support our Website, and we genuinely appreciate your support. Regular SwitchLinc dimmers work without the load wire attached to anything but do these? And while not preferred, it is perfectly legal. Even if you have asmart switch no neutral, you can install it. BUT, if this switch requires the load wire to be attached to work as a RF remote in the wall,then my plan wont work. If the only wires in the switch box are black and white, then white is the line and black is the load. A smart switch is much more convenient, only one connection to worry about, not several. Unfortunately, I still have a few switch boxes that dont have a neutral. It has nearly everything you could want in a smart switch. I know, I know that the surface area of the push in connectors is much less than the wire nuts, but for a 4 fan installs over my head 10' ceilings with a small box they were life savers. It simply screws into the socket before the bulb. Then, from the light bulb, another loop goes to the switch. Prices pulled from the Amazon Product Advertising API on: If reliability is what youre looking for, then look no further. 2477D can be used as a controller for other Insteon Modules. But it needs to be manually turned on. I havent used the Insteon system, but I did see the dimmer youre referencing. It still has pieces of the original knob and tube electrical wiring nailed to the floor joists in the basement. Ive used the Shelly relays and they work really well. It is too complex to waste time describing. If theres no power to thermostat wires, you need to resolve the problem ASAP. Your thermostat is the primary controlling system that runs your HVAC systems. With one of these smart switches, the existing switch does not need to be changed and will continue to work. I did not want to have to spend the extra on a hub, especially after purchasing new fixtures, so I Googled and found your article and even though the reviews for the C were quite mixed, decided to try it and if it didnt work, could return it. Would it be possible just to run a neutral wire from the outlet below my switch into the box with the light switches? This dimmer switch works perfectly with up to 10 smart bulbs only. Though, formerly, these switches were typically hard to find. Typical electrical transmission lines in the United States have high voltage electricity (13.2 kV which equals 13,200V!). There are several compact smart switches which can fit inside electrical boxes and light fixtures. Therefore, if theres no neutral in your switch box, the light fixture will have one. Connect the blue FanLinc wire to the light and the red FanLinc wire to the fan motor. Ive been using the Inovelli switch for about 2 weeks and I love it. The case that everyone refers to when they say no neutral is when the line voltage comes to the light bulb first. Ie Chandelier type with 5 candle bulbs, or multiple recessed lights in a kitchen (12 bulbs in my kitchen, all switched on together). I used the + and symbols to represent the different phases. A typical Insteon 3-way configuration uses two 2477D switches (if the load is dimmable). This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies. To HAVE a neutral, we want the line voltage to come to our switch box first. I want to have the switch controlled through Alexa. I bought the CE Smart Home Wi-Fi Smart dimmer light switch. Appologies for the post revivial, but I have a three-way question: I replaced the upstairs switch with a2474D, hooked up line, load and neutral as expected. Make sure to wear protective gloves and use a multimeter to test the wires for a current. However, the Lutron switches will be the most expensive of the group. The third wire should be the ground wire and is usually colored green or bare wire. Like the Lutron switch, it requires Insteons own hub/bridge if you want to link it to anything else, but its been around longer than nearly any of the other solutions listed here. These brands include Inovelli, Lutron, and C by GE. We'll also give you some options in case your home is wired without neutral wires to your light switches. You can also have an electrician rewire the switch and light fixture, which is potentially more expensive.