Hello, this is my first post. I’ve recently started replacing all of my home switches with the GE/Jasco switches and now I’m onto the add-on switches. I just installed the first one and it doesn’t appear to be working right. I can turn the light on from this switch but it won’t turn off. Likewise, if I turn it on from the primary smart switch, I can’t turn it off from this add-on switch. So basically everything works but I have no off on the add-on switch. I have 4 wires coming from the wall including 2 black, 1 red, and 1 ground. Here’s my wiring:
Any idea what I could be doing wrong or is the switch just bad?
Are those black wires from the neutral bundle in the add on box? From your description I doubt so. It sounds like you described a load switch box with no neutral…
I was going to post the same question as I have a GE add-on switch that stopped working. The symptoms are the same, it will turn the light on, but not off regardless of how it was turned on (locally or by the actual master switch.)
It was working fine for a few months before it stopped.
I did purchase the GE add on switch. My add on switch has a neutral, traveler, and ground only. Really don’t see how it would allow me to turn the light on but not turn it off.
BTW: thanks for your awesome reference…it’s very detailed. Perhaps a little too much so for me especially since I have no idea what the wiring configuration is for these lights…
Ok. You need to connect the two black wires together and not to the switch. Where those black wires are it says “neutral”. You need a connecting white wire from the other two white wires to the neutral point on the switch.
On your master switch, ensure the red and black wire bundled together are connected black to “line”, red to “traveller” and the black running to the light to “load”.
Ok then it’s wired wrong. Read the Faq posted above. Wire it again.
In typical configuration (again read the FAQ above and verify your wiring first) The one with your red wire should be the connection back to the traveler in the other switch. The blacks in your box end up getting wired to each other with a wide nut and you need to pigtail the one you currently have the two blacks currently wired in back to the neutral bundle in the box.
Just to emphasize what has been said … there is no relationship between how the old 3-way switches worked and how the smart add-on switch works, so don’t go by how the old one was wired. The old 3-way switch actually switched power to the load. Smart add-on switches just send a change of state to the master which does all the switching.
Also, when you are installing switches that will have one or more add-ons, fully test the master by itself before adding the add-ons to the mix.
I have a few of the GE Jasco switch/dimmers as well as wrote some custom DTH for them. I had this issue with the wiring incorrect, but had a friend help to resolve.
I have given the Inovelli light switch a try and it works well. It is a 3 way switch that does not need the add on switch… I dont think ill get another GE one after this, its cheaper than buying a single switch.
This worked @Edward_Niedziejko! All good, thanks so much. Glad that there’s a community like this to help resolve these kinds of issues. I have about 30 more switches to do unfortunately so I’ll be back with more questions. Thanks so much everyone! Here’s a picture for reference in case anyone else has the same issue:
