GE Smart Switch Toggle install

Trying to install a GE Toggle wall switch on a 4 way.

Couple questions here.

  1. On the switch I want to replace there is 2 Traveler wires. What do I do with the second?

  2. The instructions say that this device need to be 10-15 ft away from the hub for pairing. Has anyone tested the accuracy of this? I am close to 15 ft but before I go installing I wanted to see if anyone thought this may be more liberal.

Any help here would be great!

  1. Depends on how the current switches are wired, you’ll need to provide more information for anyone to answer this question.

  2. I’ve paired switches 20-30 ft away, just depends on how many obstructions are between the switch and the hub.

Chris,

Thanks for the replay. I realize how vague I was on that first question.

I ended up calling tech support and they said that I would need to replace all 4 of my switches. 1 with the zwave receiver and then 3 more extenders. The tech explained to me that they have had a really hard time getting this technology to work well with 3/4 way switches. Might have to figure something else out or let this one go for now.

Replacing all 4 is true, zwave smart switches dont work with traditional on/off switches, as the wiring and the method by which the circuit is opened or closed are both different. I’m confused about his comment about having troubles with them, I have not heard or experienced any issues as long as the wiring is done right. Was that Home Depot tech support or GE tech support?

Usually a 3 way circuit will have the line coming into one switch box and the load leaving another. The travelers are used to connect the switches together, since either switch can close or open the circuit.

The zwave switches work a little differently. The master switch needs to be connected to both the line and the load, as it’s the only switch that actually opens and closes the circuit. The other auxiliary switches essentially just act as signaling devices, using a traveler wire to signal the master switch to turn on or off.

If you have the line in one box and the load in another with two travelers between each of the switches (and neutrals in each box), you can use one of the two travelers to extend either the line or load from one box to the other (depending on where you want your master switch), and the other traveler to act as the signal wire.

@jhamstead put together a FAQ on 3-ways so you may want to read through it because 4-ways are quite similar.

BTW a 4 way has 3 switch locations and a 5-way has 4 so wanted to make sure you knew that as you are researching how to do this. It is definitely possible to use smart switches in this type of setup assuming your line from the breaker is going to one of the switches and you have a neutral as well. When in doubt hire an electrician.

Thanks again for all your help with this. I have successfully installed a 3 way toggle in my kitchen and is working great.