Hello everyone,
I just started with home automation and have successfully installed about 12 Linear WD500Z-1 light switches.
Now I want to understand z wave 3 way light switches.
I have done some homework but would love some clarity on this.
The Linear brand i guess uses 1 WD500Z and 1 WT00Z (this is the addon i guess) - Linear brand does not need a travel wire from what i have read and just sends a z wave signal to the WD500Z to turn on or off the control.
Here is where i need help, I cannot figure out if i need some other product to tell the WT00Z to link to WD500Z or if i can achieve this via the smartthings app?
Now if not for the Linear brand, are there other brands besides GE that make z wave 3 way switches or do we have only 2 options for this type of light control ?
Side Note - I have a few google home devices so i mostly use my automation via voice controls and rarely use the wall switches - that said , could i use the 2nd on off / addon switch location to install a switch or some other z wave product and use that to control something else ?
Thank you everyone in advance
Vick S.
There is an FAQ for the Linear switches that should be of help (this is a clickable link)
As far as other brands, there are several other zwave brands that make master/auxiliary pairs for three-way set ups. So you have quite a few choices, just depending on the exact features that you were looking for. See The following thread. The light switch discussion starts around post 40:
Note, however, that you should always use the auxiliary which is designed to go with the specific master you were using. You canāt typically mix-and-match brands because they use different types of wiring.
If you donāt want to use the auxiliary position to control the master switch, you can use it for anything else as long as the device that you put there does have its own connection to the smartthings hub. The linear auxiliary is popular for this purpose as it cost a few dollars less than a master switch. But there are other brands that you can use as well. In these cases the auxiliary talks to the hub and then you set it up through the official smart lighting feature or some other smartapp to control anything else which can also talk to the smartthings hub. 
You do need to read the product descriptions carefully, however, because some brands, such as GE, do not put a radio in their auxiliary switches. Instead, the auxiliary communicates to its master through a physical traveler wire. Since the auxiliary doesnāt have a radio, itās invisible to smartthings, and you canāt use it for any purpose other than controlling its related master switch.
But for auxiliaries like the one from Linear/go control which do have their own radio, you can use it as an independent device if you want.
Thank You very much for your reply.
I think after reading your reply i have figured this stuff out a bit lol .
Its hard jumping into this smart home stuff with not too much experience , so once again thank you for pointing me in the right direction and the helpful tips.
Is there a reason you want to stay away from GE? Consistency in switches maybe? Iāve wired a few Res and found them to be very straight forward. You place the Smart Switch in the wall box that is nearest the panel (consider it the primary). Then you wire the add on switches with the traveler and neutral attached. I had to wire nut the load/line to keep power being distributed, but theyāve worked with no issues. The toughest part was finding the wall box that was āprimaryā. Of course itās the last one you assumeā¦