With the cooper can I just have the main cooper switch in place of one switch and that controls the whole circuit the same as if it were regular light switches and just one is zwave compatible? Or do I need the RF accessory switches to replace every other switch to work properly?
Thanks!
You have to replace all the other switches with the Cooper accessory switches.
Thank you! We have a small hallway upstairs and a switch on either end, one end doesnât need it (itâs that small) and the 4th switch is in the kitchen, a pointless switch so if I bought one master and one RF and put the master on the bottom of the steps (thats where my aeon microswitch currently is) and then put the RF one at the top of the stairs, would that work (just those two, I know the other two switches would stop working).
Thanks for all the help!
It should. If you get the battery-operated Cooper accessories, you could have the other two working as well. They donât have to be on the same circuit, obviously. The Cooper accessory could be sitting on a table and it will still work.
Do order from someplace with a good return policy, though, just in case thereâs something else weird going on.
Also, make sure you photograph the current set up before you remove anything, including the screw attachments.
perfect, Iâll check around for some cooper stuff! thank you!
This is wisdom.
I learned this the hard way years ago on a 3-way setup. You do NOT want to learn it with a 5-way. 
haha yeah! I have been doing various home wiring things for years and I too learned the hard way - the very first thing I do now is take a picture and it has saved me so many timesâŚas long as I can always get back to a working state I am good to go!
That picture is only good if you have line and load at the same switch. Not so good for line and load at different locations.
Thatâs definitely an option just the cost is a little on the high side for 4 GE switches.
Not sure how much for @JDRoberts suggestion with Cooper RF but thatâs an easier option for sure.
Lowes, if they carry the Iris system, some do not, have the GE dimmer switch for $39.99 and the non dimmer switch for $34.99.
Amazon was cheaper with the extra 15% off. Dimmers are listed at 40.37 (couple of cents more) and 15% on top of thatâŚ
This Item is Eligible for the GE Promotion. Through September 13, 2015, receive 15% off select GE products when shipped and sold by Amazon.com
Here is an order summary for 4 dimmers:
Order Summary
Item(s) Subtotal: $161.48
Shipping & Handling: $0.00
15% off GE products: -$24.22
Total before tax: $137.26
Estimated tax to be collected: $9.60
Grand Total: $146.86
That is a better deal, sometimes just do not want to wait on shippingâŚI have a lowes 2 blocks awayâŚ
In a 3-way switch application, how can you easily determine which switch is the main box?
Not easy, especially if you have an older wiring. This is where an electrician comes VERY handy. Iâd always recommend calling an electrician for help and I am not one, so it would be irresponsible for me to do it.
In my setting it was somewhat easy because my main 3-way switches were in triple gang boxes and the auxiliary were in a single gang box where you could tell that it was added afterwards.
Maybe someone else can elaborate better for your wiring.
In a 3 ways. The easiest is looking for line hot and load. Usually the main switch is where the line hot is located. Check for voltage by flipping circuit breakers for line hot.