GE Smart Switch Wiring issues

Devices & Integrations
1

Hi everyone,
I have searched the forums high and low and google for help. No matter what, I cannot get these smart switches to work with my home/setup.
I have a recently built home (2017) in a 3-way light switch configuration that I want to control the outside lights (3 lights). One switch is inside the garage (labeled garage switch) and the other switch is inside (labeled inside switch).

I have wired the add on switch to the garage and the main smart switch to the inside switch. I have tried the following configurations and there is no power/function to the switch to the outside lights. (referring to the labeled pic and wire number)

Main switch: 3-traveler, 1-neutral, 2-line, gold-ground | Add on: 3-traveler, 1-neutral.
Main switch: 3-traveler, 2-neutral, 1-line, gold-ground | Add on: 3-traveler, 2-neutral.
Does anyone have any suggestions? I am a total loss. I reinstalled the original switch and works just fine.

Thanks!
Paul

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3

Try a look at the FAQ.

We’d need to see inside those boxes to confirm the wiring above.

4

What you have connected to each switch is a common and two travelers. One common is your line, the other is your load.
None of your pictures show a neutral wire, is there one in the box?

Just because you have a white wire does not mean it is a neutral - in the pictures you posted it is NOT a neutral wire it is a current carrying wire that happens to be white. Although it “should” be marked in some way, usually by a piece of tape, marker, pen, etc. it is not entirely uncommon to have the mark come off or not be there at all - especially in 3 way switches.

If you do have a real neutral it is probably a white wire tucked in one of the boxes or perhaps both depending on what kind of wire was used when the switch was installed.

1 Like
5

If you DON’T have a neutral in either box - you can’t use the smart switches. To do so you would have to run a neutral to the box and it ‘should’ be on the same circuit as the switches - ie have an electrician do it.

If you HAVE a real neutral in one of the boxes, you then have to determine how your 3 way is wired…

Are you able to tell what number represents the way your switch is wired? (ignore the color of wire used in the pictures, pay attention to traveler common and hot) WHAT PICTURE NUMBER DO YOU HAVE

6

First off you need to find out which switch has the black wire with 120 volt line voltage. Only one of the switch will have that. Open breaker. Pulls switches out from wall. Preferable to disconnect all wires and separate them. Then turn the breaker back on and test to see which ONE, single wire is hot. This is the location of your main smart switch, not the add on switch.

Open breaker and put that wire into the line wire spot. Put the white wire into the traveler wire slot. Put the ground into the green screw ground slot. The remaining black wire will be the load wire and that goes into the load slot. Now you have one spot left which is neutral. You take the pigtail they gave you and fine the 2 or more white wires in the box that are wire nutted together and you wire nut the pigtail to these white wires. The other end goes into your main switch where neutral is. you are done with the main switch.

You will only have wire 3 spots on the add on switch. Ground, traveler and neutral Go to your secondary switch and put the white traveler wire into traveler spot on the add on switch. Put the ground to the green ground spot. You will have one spot left labeled neutral. You will put your pigtail in there and make sure the other end goes to the white wires that are wirenutted together in the box already.

If you don’t have 2 or more white neutral wires paired together in the box then you probably don’t have a neutral wire and these switches will not work. At this point you will have 2 wires left over which will be the original black load wire ( 120 volts from the main switch) and then the wire that goes to the light itself. You will tie these together with a wire nut.

On mine they used a red traveler with a white as a load so I ended up having to tie the white and black together.

Please update us with your results

7

Thanks for your reply… I definitely have neutrals in both boxes… they are all wire nutted together. I have four neutral wires in the double Gang Box and three in the single. Just opened both boxes back up… Took some pictures… trying to post links from my Google Drive with pictures now