WD and WT00Z help

Ok so I’m trying to configure the Linear switches that will allow me to control a three way switch. I have a WD00Z a WT00Z and a minimote.

Switch One
4 wires
Black on one side by itself
Green which is my ground
Red which I’m guessing is my traveler wire
Black but it’s white, just covered in electrical tape

I was going to put the WD500Z-1 here and it has four wires coming out of it:

Ground to ground
Black to Black
Blue to the red traveler
White to the white wire covered in black electrical tape.

Up stairs I have the other three way switch which is sort of the same
Ground
One single black wire on one side of the switch
then another black wire and a red wire on the other side

On this end I was going to put the WT00Z-1 with this config
Ground to Ground
Black to Black
White to a black from that one side
Red to nothing.

Do I have that right thus far?

No way to tell–US code does not mandate wire Colors, so people can and do use any color for anything, especially if it gets towards the end of the day and there’s only one roll of wire left in the toolbox. :roll_eyes:

Before starting you need to test every segment of every circuit so you know exactly what it does. ( actually, the very first step should be to take photographs of the existing switches, including the back so you can see exactly which wires connect to which screws.)

If you don’t know how to test the circuits, you need to either get more education or bring in someone who does.

If you live near Home Depot, many have classes in wiring a light switch which will at least get you familiar with the tools and give you a lot of information. They won’t cover networked switches, which are wired somewhat differently. But at least it’s a place to start.

Don’t take advice based just on the color of the wires – – you could burn out your new switch.

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Also, read the wiring guide. These models do not use physical traveler wires, and the blue wire on the switch is not intended to attach to a traveler. So even if you do think that all your wire colors are conventional wire colors, the set up that you describe in the first post would not be correct. But don’t guess–use the right tools so you know before you start, or bring in an electrician.

Also, these models require a neutral wire, and based on your description, you might not have one on the old switch. So again, test to be sure.

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All good feedback… thanks JD

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Ok, I got this all wired up and working, plugged into smart things, but I have one challenge…

Switch 1 - Bottom of stairs - lights go on and off physically, ST implementation works
Switch 2 - Top of stairs - nothing seems to work…

So you’re thinking… you didn’t pair them with your mini mote… but I did. Hit add, pressed the switch got the solid blue light, ran up stairs, repeated the process, solid blue light, good to go. Both switches appear in ST.

Not sure why they don’t appear to be connected?

Because an Add isn’t the same as an Associate. One adds the device to the network, the other links it to an individual device.

Read the following thread for the exact instructions in post 5 and follow them, well, exactly. :sunglasses:

( also note that when you do the association you will be working only with the minimote and your two switches. You will not use the SmartThings mobile app for this process.

So once you have added all 3 of these devices to the network and they all show up in the things list in SmartThings mobile app, then close the mobile app and just follow the specific instructions for creating an association using the minimote.)

JD, have I said thank you lately? I really want to express my sincere appreciation for the direction and help you provide. I could have sworn I tried everything but I just tried your instructions and it worked.

Thank you sir, I really appreciate the time you put into this for the neophytes like myself :slight_smile:

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