4 way switch wiring - Power from light fixture to light switch setup

Long time lurker, need a bit of guidance on wiring for a 4 way switch setup. Can I put in smart switches given my wiring setup? If the switches I have won’t work are there ones that will? I searched the forums and did plenty of reading but couldn’t find a clear answer. Thanks

I have a 4 way switch setup that appears to be wired like this:

I have (1) GE 12722 paddle switch and (2) GE 12733 add-on switches I’d like to put in.

The setup is in a stairwell and 2nd floor hallway. Three wall switches:

Switch #1 - Bottom of stairs, standard 3 way switch
(didnt have time to get a pic but can get one tonight if needed)

Switch #2 - Top of stairs, standard 3 way switch

Switch #3 - Far end of hallway, 4 way switch w/ hot wires (black) pigtailed in box

Fixture #1 - Bottom of stairs
Fixture #2 - Hallway way, 2nd floor

You unfortunately do not have a neutral wire based on that wiring diagram. What you can do however is install a relay in the light fixture. By doing that the light can be remotely controlled and your existing switches will still work.

Would I need one relay or two given that I have two fixtures? One of the light fixtures is a recessed light so getting a relay in there might be tough.

I like the idea of leaving my existing switches and adding a relay. Could I add the relay in behind one of my switches? This is just an on/off, is there a non-dimming relay that would work w/ SmartThings?

Take note, the diagram shows "momentary " switches as the wall switches not standard switches. It can probably be wired with standard switches just a different setup.

Based on the pictures of my actual switches does the wiring diagram appear to be right?

Two things that don’t look right to me is that Switch #2 has a white wire where I would expect to see a red (traveler) wire. Also I don’t know how you would wire two light fixtures into this setup. I have two lights controlled by this 4 way setup.

Thanks again.

This is so old that no one may see this. But I have the exact same situation. It does have a neutral wire available but can’t figure out how to wire in a smart switch. Have the same GE 12722 as well as a Zooz ZEN27 available. Thanks Brian

Certainly an old post, I can’t remember how I ended up wiring it up, but can tell you I was able to wire it w/o running anything new. From what I recall I determined I did have a neutral in the circuit, the diagram I linked was not my wiring setup.

Best advice is to (carefully) identify your source hot and neutral, take pics and reach out to Zooz or GE support. They’ll give you directions on how to wire things up. If you can find a diagram that represents your 4 way circuit You can also post here on a new thread and folks will try to help sort out your wiring.

Zooz has diagrams on how to wire up a 4 way circuit here:
https://www.support.getzooz.com/kb/article/211-4-way-diagrams-for-zen26-and-zen27-switches/

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Thanks so much. Was going to reach out to Zooz directly as well. Cheers.

Update from Zooz - i was told that my wiring configuration will not support use of smart switches.

You can make this work with a GE smart switch and two GE slave switches. Is your line w/ neutral and load in the S3 box (left)?

As long as you have a neutral in your circuit somewhere you can make it work, even if the neutral is not in the same box with the line. Take a look at this (see the 4 way wiring diagram)

https://byjasco.com/support/faq/z-wave-faqs

You can also call them and they’ll walk you thru the wiring setup:

https://byjasco.com//tech

Good luck.

Yes, the line with neutral and load are in the S3 box on the left. I will check out the links and connect with them today. Thanks!

Hi @hawaiianbrian410,
Your installation diagram cannot be like this, it would make a short circuit between line and neutral every time you connect a switch.

It has to be something like that.

Do not trust the colors. Measure with a multimeter

Here is an accurate diagram that I found online that represents what I have going on. I noticed that the representation I drew did not have the correct connections on the middle 4 way switch.

@Mariano_Colmenarejo - thanks for the response and input. Don’t worry, I don’t trust colors. When the house was built, the wiring was completed and then the painters came through and sprayed the entire house. So all of the wires in the boxes are white anyway :slight_smile: