Aeon Micro Smart Dimmer Install Help 3-Wire

Hi All,

thanks a lot for all the helpful information in this community, I was reading a lot of the topic and really a lot of knowledge and information on how to automate your home using smartthings!

I’m new to Smartthings and managed to connect Dropcam, couple of sensors, IFTTT and Jawbone. Bought couple of Lifx LEDs however I think the best way to automate lighting is Aeon in-wall switch and dimmers. I ordered 1 in-wall switch and 1 in-wall dimmer to play with, see what works better for me and the house and then decide to buy what I need exactly. However, I’m reading the installation manual and I’m stuck with a point and would like your help if you have installed it before to give feedback or share your experience.

In the manual it says that the Micros has to be powered by a 3-wire system first in order to operate and as you can see in the picture below (I tried to share the picture but new users can’t share images or upload them) I only have 2 wires in the legacy switch. Should I ignore the 3-wire point? it says the neutral has to be connected and I only have 2 wires and no neutral in the switch at home.

Can you please share your experience on how to achieve the 3-wire connection or it can be ignored and just connect the 2 wires to micro and then 2 wires from the micro to the switch.

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/3192128/IMG_6696.JPG

Thanks in advance!

What are the two wires in the lower left of that picture near the back of the box?

-Todd

Are the wires that go into and out of the switch the only ones in the box? Are there wires that leave the box bundled with the wires from the switch? The neutral wire is usually wire-nutted together and tucked away. The micro-switch will need to connect to neutral in order to complete the circuit to power its internal electronics.

it is the same wires, the white & black ones coming from that whole to the switch. They are the only ones inside the box which provides electricity to the old light switch

Yes, they are the only wires.

I only have 2 wires to the old on/off wall switch. the white and the black one

In the box are there other wires that are not connected to the switch? The white ones in this picture are the neutrals.

http://0.tqn.com/d/np/home-fix-it/9781593370466_ocr_0288_001.jpg

If the wiring goes to the light before it goes to the box, you may not have a neutral in the box.

I don’t see ground wires, so I don’t know if other standards are being followed.

I think @Todd_Whitehead was asking about these wires:

What I know for sure, the house dont have grounding. I think in the main breaker only they have one.

The thick cable is the satellite TV and only passing through the same box to the TV switch next to it.

The other white cables I will open the box again and see where do they go. But I think it is the same white but because it is long they are combining it inside the pipe.

If I dont have neutral does it mean I cant use the Aeon Micros?

The power source from the breaker got to be somewhere. Either at the light switch box or the light box. Once you find this then the aeon switch will be pretty straight forward.

Since Z-wave devices need always on power to operate, you need to put the device where there is both hot and neutral power.

If the switch box does not have that (and it is pretty clear that it doesn’t) then the load (light or whatever the switch controls) must have it. Unfortunately, that will not allow you to use a z-wave wall switch.

Fortunately, there is something you can use. Aeotec sells a Micro Smart Switch that is a little box that you put in your electrical box and gives z-wave connectivity.

So, up in the light box, you probably have a black and white wire coming in from the breaker panel. (This wire will be hot all the time, regardless of the switch position.) The white wire from that pair will go to the light. The black wire from that pair will tie to the white wire of the pair that runs down to the switch. (this is one of the few times that it is okay to wire a black wire to a white wire).

Then, the black wire from the switch goes to the black wire on the light. This is called a switch loop. The current comes into the box, travels (loops) down to the switch and back and then to the light, then back out the white wire.

If you buy the Aeotec Micro Smart Switch, you would wire the wires from the panel (the one that is always hot to the line terminals on the Aeotec switch and the wires from the light to the load terminals on the Aeotec, and then wire the black and white wire that go to the wall switch to the switch terminals on the Aeotec (you will likely have to splice some lower-gauge wires in to do this, since those terminals on the Aeotec cannot handle 14-gauge wires. But it’s okay, but there really isn’t any real current flowing here, it’s just detecting the state of the wall switch.)

Once you get this wired, the Aeotec will monitor the switch loop and when the state changes, it will toggle the light. And, it will also toggle the light in response to commands from the ST hub.

Here is a link to the Aeotec:

Hopefully, this will make sense to you, Feel free to respond if you have questions.

Good luck!
Todd

1 Like

Hi @Todd_Whitehead @llamas
I opened the wall box next to my old switch, and found a lot of wiring which I think it is what you were trying to find. I believe the power source is the red wires (if im not mistaken) but it looks like a mess. will never know which wire will go where and how to do this! pictures below!

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/3192128/IMG_6706.JPG

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/3192128/IMG_6707.JPG

black and white on the right top going to to the on/off switch
yellow and black to the ceiling light
red and white below i think they are power

what do you think?

Red is usually a traveler, don’t guess, get a meter or an inductive tester on the wires to be sure…

from all the colors I see, I think the people who built the apartment never followed a standard. My best option os to get an electrician to figure out what is going on!

Yea, unless you are real comfortable doing this type of thing, that’s your best bet.

I’m willing to do it my self, but dont want to burn or damage the micro. im still looking at the picture I took and the manual in aeon page

http://aeotec.com/z-wave-in-wall-switches/848-micro-ses-2e-manual-instructions.html

I meant figuring out the crap wiring situation you have…

it’s hard to tell from this picture. You need hot an neutral for the switch.

If you can identify the wires that are always hot you should be able wire it.

Todd

Thanks all for your kind help and response. I will share the result after I’m done!

@Todd_Whitehead @Mike_Maxwell @llamas @Navat604 Sorry all, I forgot to mention that all my home electricity is 220v (country standard) and it seems in 220 they dont use Neutral.

does that mean I can’t use Aeon Micros?