Anyone figure out a viable option for wiring option #3? Or am I better off looking at a non hardwired 3 way switch option?
Option 3 will work fine with GE switches. Just install the smart switch in the box with power as shown in the installation documents.
In the light box connect the black (load) from the smart switch to black in the light. Connect the white (neutral) wires together and to the white from the light. The black cable to the add-on switch box will not be used.
For the add-on just connect white (neutral) and red (traveler).
Thank you! I’ll give that a try!
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Thanks for the very detailed description Joe. I was scratching my head trying to figure out the best way around this and your directions got me through it!
Note for those reading this thread. Here are all of the wiring diagrams for 3-way GE switches.
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Would appreciate it if someone can chime in and help me with my current situation. I currently have something similar to an Option 9 except the HOT Line goes through the fixture from BOX 1 instead of the Neutral. When I install the GE Z-Wave switch it flips out and cycles the light on and off very rapidly. I managed to wire up a mock up of the current wiring setup in my Garage Bench and was able to repeat the behavior but was unable to figure out how to overcome the problem.
Any help would greatly be appreciated. BTW the house is a fairly new construction built in 2003.
Definitely doable, your main issue is black line wire in box 1 being hooked up to the fixture neutral.
Box 1 (left one with line and load):
- Black Line from breaker to switch line
- Black Load from fixture to switch load
- Red traveler to switch 2 to traveler
- Bundle all 3 white wires together plus a 4th short pigtail wire with a large wirenut. Hook up short pigtail to your switch neutral
- Put a wirenut on black wire going to switch 2, you don’t need it
Box 2 (right):
- Red wire to aux switch traveler
- White wire to aux switch neutral
- Put a wirenut on black wire, you done need it
How do I wire the smart switch when there is only a black/hot, ground, and neutral? We assume the power is coming from the light into the switch. We hooked the hot to the line and the neutral and ground as directed. nothing is connected to the load. The light is blinking blue but it is not being recognized by our Smartthings hub.
For a couple of these in my house I followed @Expose in post #7. Pulled out all the switches, determined where my hot was from the circuit breaker, then using a spare piece of wire and a multi meter figured out which wires were going where (made a look to check continuity), labeling each end of the wires (1, 2, 3, etc). Once that was done I could put the “master” anywhere for the most part and reused some of the old wires as new neutrals/hots as needed. At that point it came down to where do I want the switch with the blue light to be.
Glad that worked out for you. For those of us who don’t do electrical work on a daily basis, this can be challenging. I still think the trick is just forget wire color and test/label as a rule. In almost every case, if you have 3-wire ran to your boxes and loads, your good for just about any setup you want.
If you go to the 3 way FAQ:
I am assuming you have the options toward the bottom of 1st post that says not supported by GE switches.
I have several lights like this and had to use micro switches. There are several options available.
I just bought these to find out i have option 5. I have figured out how to get it wired by flipping the wires in the light ballast and using mirror behavior with a smart bulb. Kind of sucks but i couldnt return the switches since i bought them from someone online. Anyone know how to reduce the delay with mirror behavior?
Anyone know if I can wire in ge start z wave 3 way switches with this wiring configuration? I am struggling to get my brain around it.
Not possible with GE Z-wave 3 ways. You are missing a neutral at the switch boxes.
Thank you for the help. No wonder I couldn’t figure it out. 
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All, I sure could use some help. I have three different areas where we use 3-way switches. I have purchased the GE Smart Dimmer and Add-On switches for each area. I’m not sure how they should be wired. Below shows how the existing switches are wired.
Line Switch
Load Switch
Any help would be appreciated! Thanks!
Can you please unscrew both switches in both boxes and pull them out to take a clear picture of the wiring inside of the box. I cannot tell where wires are going to provide assistance. We need to determine if you have load and line in your “load switch” box. Which I suspect you do.
Thanks for the reply. Here’s a few more pictures. FYI… the black wire on the bottom right of the Load switch is only hot when I switch on the Line switch.
Line switch
Load switch
Thanks. I suspect line and load are both In the box you are labeling load switch (I will call box 2) and line is being sent to the other switch you are calling line switch (I will call box 1). It’s hard to tell with that many wires so do me a favor.
In box 2 you have two traveler wires hooked up to the switch that are red and white that go to a 14-3 (red, black, and white) Romex. Follow the red and white to locate which Romex it is in the back of the box. Now follow the black wire of that Romex and tell me what it is connected to. Is it hooked to a bundle of black wires and is one of those black wires hooked up to the other switch in this same box? If yes then that bundle is your line from breaker.
Please confirm and I can provide further instructions tomorrow.
Thanks… yes is the answer to both of your questions.