ST Newbie Here: Help with Simple Wiring of 2-way with Micro Switch

Looking for some help for what I believe should be simple. I’m trying to install a “Aeon Labs DSC26103-ZWUS - Z-Wave In-Wall Micro Controller” into a 2-way switch. I’ve got it all hooked up. Power is flowing to it as the red light comes on. SmartThings picks it up, and I’m able to toggle the on/off switch on SmartThings. And when I toggle it, I can here it click. The problem is that the light in the room that the switch is connected to doesn’t turn on. I’ve flipped the switch on and off a few times and did the same with the on/off control on SmartThings to no avail. I even went and bought a new light switch in case that was the problem (even though the switch/light worked just find before I started this installation). I’ve attached some pictures of my wiring as well as the wiring diagram that comes with it.

I’d very much appreciate any feedback on where I went wrong.

Picture 2

Picture 3

Looks completely wrong to me because you have a ground wire going into the load line.

But I can’t tell what the red and white wires going to the black box are. The diagram says they should go you your wall switch if you have one. Is that your wall switch ?

I have never wired one of these but the diagram seems to explain it well. But from the closeup photos it is difficult to determine your wiring. You don’t seem to have the correct number if wires.

Ya this is definitely incorrect. On the Load (L) one of those should be a hot wire, and one should be the hot going to the light. The White (N) should just have a wire coming from the wirenut where the 2 White wires are connected. Cround should be crimped with all grounds and the connected to your switch if there is a grounding screw.

From the pictures I can’t see the other Romex Wire (Bundle of black/white/ground). The connection type you most likely want is the bottom diagram, as that would be correct for 120V, where the top diagram would be for 220V

Hope that helps

That helps, but I’m still not sure what to do to fix the problem. Here’s a picture of what’s in the box as well. You mentioned a weren’t where 2 white wires are connected. I didn’t see that in the box. It looks like I just have one Romex wire coming in and that’s it.

Ahh. This will most likely not work with the Micro switch. If you have a tester my guess is you would see 120V from the ground (Bare wire) to Hot (Black), and nothing between the White and Black. When wiring houses sometimes it is easier to have power at the light and run a single wire down as a switch leg. So all you are doing when you turn your switch on is enabling the power to flow back from the black or white wire to the light to power it.

If this is the case you would need to put the micro switch in the box where the light fixture is. It would be the Hot to one L terminal and the light fixture black to the other, and a white to the N terminal Then if you wanted to still use your switch you would have the white and black wire going do that box go to the switch side.

Exactly the same wiring, just more complicated as it is separated between two boxes.

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The micro switch is usually installed at the point of the light not the switch. Do you have access to the wiring for the light itself ?

https://www.google.com/search?q=aeon+micro+switch+install&espv=2&biw=1297&bih=752&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjWwKC1x4_KAhUUSmMKHeh6A0kQsAQIMQ#imgrc=Is3MAll4EzGlhM%3A

I don’t think he has a 3 way as he only has 2 wires. He would require 3 wires for a 3way switch

oops, I corrected the image, posted the wrong one…

That is a great image. Should help him figure it out

Very helpful, thanks guys. One additional question, the two inputs at the bottom of the microswitch (the ones that hook up directly to the light switch in your diagram) only accept 18AWG. The wires in the light box are 12 AWG. I assume that I can just cut some 18AWG from my spool and then just use a wirenut to connect the 12AWG and 18AWG together, so that I can make the connection. Any problem with that?

Yes just pigtail the 18 off and connect to the switch. I think they do this to make sure someone doesn’t hook the hot wires up to that side of the micro switch. Won’t cause any issues doing it this way as it is just opening and closing a contact no real voltage or load on that wire.

Thanks for your patience with me here. One last bump in the road I hit here. The light fixture was connected to a black and white wire. The white one (which I believe is the power supply) is connected via wire nut to a bunch of other white wires (see picture). Do I need to pigtail off this white wire to make two wires for the top middle two inputs in your drawing?

House wiring done wrong can be dangerous. You could electrocute someone or burn your house down. I know people say stuff like that a lot, but it is a very real risk.

Based on your first picture, I am convinced that you do not know enough about house wiring to do this safely, and no matter how many pictures you post, it is very dangerous to do this in a web forum.

Please please please take a basic home wiring class, or find an electrician that will come to your house and do a couple installs for a fee, and maybe offer him or her some extra money to teach you basic wiring and some safety tips.

I’m very concerned about your safety. Please do not risk it to save a couple hundred dollars.

Good luck.

Todd

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While I agree with Todd on this, I believe you will most likely move forward on your own so …

A white should come off the bundle of whites and go to the N terminal.

Looking at the picture I am assuming the single white wire off the black bundle goes to your switch and is in the same physical romex cable as the black cable that goes to the fixture.

If that is the case you need to pull remove the white wire from the black bundle. Then you should do a continuity test between the black and the white you think goes to the switch with a tester. If the switch in the wall is on you will have continuity between the two wires, and if it is off you won’t. If they have continuity then that is your switch leg.that gets connected to the switch side of the micro switch.

You would then take a pigtail from the black bundle and put it on the L and then connect to the light with the other L terminal.

**Again to Todd’s point. Making a mistake here can fry the Micro controller, or worst cause a serious electrical issue that could ultimately burn down your house. ** So a tester is key and make sure that all the assumptions are correct. You should have 120V between the white and black bundle. No power between the white and black that go to your switch, but be able to test continuity.

From that picture it is still hard to tell Be best to pull the wires down and fan out what you have with what goes where.

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Gents, thanks again for the help. Took the suggestion and had a buddy (that’s an electrical engineer) come over and help me out. The switch is in and working like a charm now.

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Nice. Glad it worked out for you.