Hi all. I have a smart wall light switch. I’m having an issue connecting it. I have 2 wires that come out of my electrical box. 1 black and 1 white. On the switch, there are 4 wires. Green, I know is ground. There is a black, red and white. I’m guessing black to black, white to white. Where does the red go?
Don’t guess. US code does not mandate wire color in most instances and people can and do use almost any color for anything just depending on what spools they have in the toolbox at the end of the day.
You need to map the circuit. There are tools to do this with.
If you haven’t worked with electrical systems before, and you live near a Home Depot, many of them have a free workshop on installing a light switch or installing a three-way switch. They won’t cover smart switches, but you will learn about circuits and tools and that will be helpful.
Otherwise bring in an electrician.
Also, you may already know this, but assuming that is the Switch made by Hidin Tech ( and then usually rebranded by someone else) , it doesn’t work with SmartThings.
Thank you, I’m in Canada, but I’ll guess it’s the same. I think I’ll get someone in, I do it I’ll end up burning my house down.
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The instructions that came with your smart switch should explain how to install it. It likely says that white goes to neutral, black to line, and red to load. However, whoever you get in will then tell you that the supply from the breaker goes into the fixture and has the hot leg running down to the switch and back, leaving no neutral in the box. If that’s the case you’ll need to find a smart switch that doesn’t require a neutral. If you can identify one that meets your needs you might want to have it on hand when the electrician shows up so (s)he can install whichever switch works.
Thank you, the electrician told me I had no neutral wire. But I might be able to add the white from switch to the ground wire.
Thanks for help.
I’ll have the EMT and Fire Department on standby.
Don’t try to use the ground wire and the neutral wire interchangeably. It’s a bad idea.
It may be possible to fish up a neutral wire from a nearby outlet, but that’s a very different process.
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Here are some other options if you don’t have a neutral at the switch: