Pairing/Connecting a GE-14292 SMART Switch - Made Easy

Devices & Integrations
1

Tried to pair a new GE-14292 Smart Switch and was having trouble adding via Add a New Thing…After fighting with the software and following numerous community suggestions of turning the switch toggle in the on then off position multiple times, I read the switch instructions.

IF YOU ARE HAVING ISSUES WITH YOUR HUB FINDING THE GE-14292 SMART SWITCH, follow GE’s manual instructions and perform a factory reset of the SmartSwitch, after performing a Z-Wave Device Exclusion (discussed elsewhere throughout the community).

To make it easy to understand see the following process.

General Pairing/Connecting Instructions:

  1. Wire switch in accordance with Manufacturer’s recommendations
  2. Enter Add a Thing
  3. Press SmartSwitch toggle to on and release

If connection is unsuccessful try the following:

  1. Perform a Z-Wave Device Exclusion (discussed elsewhere throughout the community)
  2. Perform a factory reset of the GE SmartSwitch (see below)
  3. Open Add a Thing
  4. Press and release the toggle in the on position
  5. Your hub should then find the SmartSwitch

FACTORY RESET
To perform a factory reset on your GE-14292, simply press the toggle to the on (UP) position three (3) times in succession, followed immediately by pressing the toggle to the off (DOWN) position three (3) times in succession.

Hope this saves you some time. Best to all.

NOTE:
I currently use an Alcatel Idol 4S (Windows Phone) and the Marketplace Thing - Switch options for GE switches, in particular the SmartSwitch options all present “an unexpected error occurred.” This error makes the connection via MarketPlace Things impossible.

2

I bought the same switch and I am having a heck of a time getting it to actually work!

If I do a factory reset then add the device it pairs. But when I actually try to toggle the switch using the Smartthings App nothing happens. Only once out of 4 pairs actually update the switches status when I manually toggle it.

I don’t think it is a range issue as I have a Samsung Motion Detector (using Zigbee) that works perfectly fine in the same room.

Any advice or troubleshooting help would be appreciated, or even a solid recommendation of a switch to replace it with would be great.

EDIT
Ok, so now it is working. Turns out Z-Wave Plus range is not near as good as Zigbee. Moved my Smartthings Hub 3 feet off of the ground and the switch started working right away. I think I may invest some time into getting a Z-Wave and Zigbee radio for a raspberry pi and test signal range around the house.

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3

Hi Derek:

Try rebooting your phone…when I performed the reset I went all the way and also performed a phone reboot to eliminate any possibility of APP conflicts before starting the pairing process. If the APP “sees” the device it should, by logic", be under APP control.

It’s odd that only one of your 4 devices function. Silly question: Do you have metal switch plates on any of the devices that don’t work. Am thinking that you paired without plates on. Anyway, are all the switches in the same gang box or are they in different parts of your “room”?

I did read somewhere that pairing within ~25 feet of your hub is preferred with SmartThings Hub v2.0. I know, seems ridiculous, but if you can easily relocate and pair, that may be worth a try. It does sound like a range OR an APP conflict issue though. Seems like something is interfering with the update and signal to and from your switches to the hub. I would have to research the hub range, but, there are so many variables to consider like interior walls, framing, electrical, wall coverings, etc., the specified range will likely reference ideal conditions anyway. The good news is you have a ZigBee device that is working.

If your switch plate is metal, try controlling with the plate removed…of course use common sense with live electricity. If you gain control, replace with a plastic switch plate cover and you are done.

Try this and let me know. Happy to try to help.

  1.   Verify that your phone is current on operating system updates

  2.   Verify, and update, as required, the SmartThings App (Apple, Google and Windows Store)

  3.   Manually reboot your phone (shut it down, remove the battery if you have one) and start from a "dead" phone.

  4.   Manually reboot your hub.  (Disconnect from internet and power, remove batteries for minimum of 20 seconds) - verify your hub back-up batteries are fresh.

  5.   Attempt to use the switch manually and through the app.  If it is controlled and updates on manual cycle, congratulations you have succeeded and are done with troubleshooting.

  6.   If still having issues remove the switch from the SmartThings APP and perform my "Easy" process after removing the switches from the SmartThings App.  Basically, you will start over.

FYI, the Samsung Hub updates automatically, so no need to verify the software version. Rebooting will reset any abnormalities.

You and I (and likely many others) are feeling the pain of lack of standardization across the industry and we are suffering the result of a large company (Samsung) buying a well performing small company and gutting the things that made them high value. Namely the development teams that would release packages for “Things” that actually worked are gone. Since the Samsung purchase, they do not seem to have the same dedication to making things work seamlessly without a deep understanding of technology. The SmartThings (compatible) devices, unless they have a SmartThings logo are far from Plug-N-Play. Sad, but, I will not digress.

Let me know.

Regards,
Z

4

Hours later I find this thread. My 14292 won’t connect to SmartThings WiFi hub.

The exclusion process also fails.

Maybe I’m being impatient or something. I start the exclusion process in the app and press up on the switch. Nothing. Then down and up on the switch. Tried factory reset during exclusion process. I’ve tried 10-15 times to get exclusion to work.

Any tips?

5

Know this last post was 18 months ago, but I’m in the same boat. In the middle of a hub migration. Had a hell of a time just getting this switch to exclude. Finally got it to excluded, but no luck getting it to repair to the new hub. I’ve tried factory resetting at least 50 times, but with no feedback I have no idea if it’s actually reset. I’m brought the hub within inches of the switch, still nothing.

Best video to demostrate process. Still nothing.

6

Hi Greg:

Okay, apologies for the delayed reply. I would recommend you try the revised switch from GE (v2.0). First it is ~20% smaller and has a blue LED in the toggle when on…They are great. I have installed 2 of them last month. Easier to install
(pair with the hub). Second, you know the switch requires a lead or control wire to work properly. Right? Without this third wire the switch will not function properly. This is not the red three-way lead wire. This is a White to White control wire. It
was the pigtail white jumper that came with the switch.

Your experience leads me to believe it is a wiring issue and not with the switch itself or the hub. GE did a horrible job on the wiring instructions and reset procedure. Read all the fine print.

During my recent installation I had to factory reset both switches twice. Yes, twice, and there was an abnormally long delay (~3 minutes) before successful pairing. The SmartThings App, I believe, was part of the problem too…I run both
the Classic and New version on a high-end Android phone (SuperFast WiFi chipset) am reasonably certain it has nothing to do with the phone.

You may have already resolved or given up and returned the switches, but, I am fairly certain I can help.

Check your wiring and let me know.

All my best.

Bob

FYI:

I have somewhat of a line into the ST organization. I’m the one pressing for an opt-out feature for the Home Security feature. When they sunset the Classic App they plan on making users set and disarm the alarm manually rather than via
the GPS geofence awareness. They are trying to avoid a liability issue and some young attorney is likely trying to show how much he doesn’t know. If enough users push back to enable an opt-out option they will allow the feature to remain as-is, however,
we need to group and voice our opinions.

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7

I’d actually try using the Classic app to force exclude and to rejoin the device to your new hub.

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8

Arming and disarming using geofence is working perfectly fine in the new app. Also using virtual switches with Alexa.

10

who? is this written somewhere?

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11

Thanks so much for the thorough response @MaritimeMan. The 14292 had been working for nearly 2 years, but a recent migration to ST v3 hub forced me to delete the device and re-pair.

I actually JUST got this re-paired yesterday! The trouble I had was really around factory-resetting the damn thing. I tried up-up-up-down-down-down a thousand times to no avail. Yesterday I happened to kill the breaker to that room because I was replacing a separate outlet. I was hopeful that by doing this, perhaps there was a chance the 14292 could be reset. Turns out I was right! Once I flipped the breaker back on, I ran the factory reset procedure and knew right away this time was different. The lights gradually faded on.

Using the classic app, I excluded it. (this would have been good advice @johnconstantelo!) and using the new app I ran inclusion, which worked on the first try!

I don’t know why this toggle is such a pain but it was the last of a 64 device migration. Glad I don’t have to replace it.

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12

I’d really be curious who because just recently the new app significantly improved upon arm/disarm via mobile presence and within Automations, so I find that really hard to believe.

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13

If anyone doesn’t think this loss of functionality is reality, call customer support.

14

Look at the urls and highlites in one of my last posts.

15

Haven’t seen or heard that anywhere recently. Do you have a link? I think direct access by 3rd party tools like webcore won’t work but everything within Smartthings should be ok.

16

Looking but don’t see any URLs or anything highlighting anything/one official from ST from your posts above. What I see is this:

Up until recently (I don’t know when for sure), arming/disarming was only done manually and then came along the ability to do this via mobile presence in the new app. That feature and direction the new app has taken seems to contradict whoever your line into the ST organization may be saying.

Now that this capability exists, and is being used, I would like to think someone in ST would have had a leadership role in that decision to not do as you’ve stated you’ve heard from their head of development. It’s not to say that ST, or any company, can back out of anything they say or do, it just seems very odd.

Anyway, we’re off topic from this post, although interesting nonetheless.

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17

Thank you for sharing your experience. I am having a similar difficulty with my toggle switch. I’ll try to kill the breaker, then try to reset the switch after turning the breaker back on. When I accidently deleted my hub, I lost all devices, and have not yet been able to reset a single device or pair any of them.

Larry