Help installing Zwave switch

[shoes]

I've purchased both the master and aux HomePro zwave 20a 3way switches.
I'm having problems identifying the approriate way to install the switches.

I was told to put the aux switch first in-line, and the master switch on the end.
The wires from the zwave master switch is confusing also, with the Black(line), Blue(load), White(netural), Yellow(traveler or runner), and Green(ground).

I've identified the common wire at both switches.
Do I place the Aux switch at the switchbox where the hot line coming from the panel?
If so how to do I wire the Master switch? (I mainly confused with the Black and Blue wires, which are the line and load).

I called smarthome and they indicated they could not help with my home wiring.

My existing switches have Red, Black, Black, and white.
Middle Black wire on both switches are the common wires.
That leaves me with a Black and Red wires, besides the obvious white wire.

The models of switches I'm installing are the ZRW103(Master) and AS101(Aux).

ZRW103: Blue(Load), Black(Line), White(Netural), Green(Ground), Yellow(Runner).
AS101: White/Red(Netural or Line), Yellow(Runner), Green(Ground).

My current guess would be the following:
ZRW103:
Blue(switch) connected to Red(wall)
Black(switch) connected to Black(wall)
White to White
Yellow(runner) connected to Black(wall)
Green to Copper ground wires.
AS101:
White to White
Yellow(switch) to Black(wall) which Black? The one with resistence?
Green to Copper ground


Thanks in advanced for the help

 

[upstatemike]

The most important thing is to make sure you understand how your existing switches are wired. You can't just go by the colors because depending on the wiring a white wire could be a neutral or it could be a traveler, etc.

Whichever switchbox has the cable that goes to your fixture is where the master switch needs to go.

From your post it sounds like you are saying that the hot feed from the panel is in one switchbox and the cable to the fixture is in the other box. I assume the cable that connects the 2 switchboxes together has black, red, white, and ground wires. The feed from the panel should be just black, white and ground. The cable that goes to the fixture should also be black, white and ground.

IF THIS IS NOT RIGHT THEN STOP and figure out what you do have.

The white wires should have all been connected together in both boxes to feed neutral straight through to the fixture. In each switchbox you will need to add the white wire from the switch to that connection.

At the aux location you will connect the black wire from the panel feed to the black wire that goes to the master switchbox. (From your post it looks like the aux switch does not connect to hot. I am not familiar with these switches so check the directions to confirm that the white/red wire connects to neutral). The yellow wire connects to the red wire going to the master switchbox (runner).

At the master location the black wire on the switch goes to the black wire from the aux switchbox (panel feed). The yellow wire goes to the red wire from the aux switchbox (runner). The white wire goes to the other white wires in the box (Neutral). The Blue wire (load) goes to the wire that feeds the fixture (I assume black and should be the only wire left.)

DO NOT use these directions if your existing wiring is different in any way from what I describe here.

 

[upstatemike]

I guess if the red/white wire from the AUX switch really does connect to neutral, you could revers the switch locations if you wanted to for some reason.

In that case you would put the master switch in the box with the panel feed and and connect the white from the switch wire to the other white (neutral) wires in the box. Connect the black wire from the switch to the black wire from the panel feed (hot). Connect the blue wire from the switch to the black wire that goes to the other box (load). Connect the yellow wire from the switch to the red wire that goes to the other box (runner).

At the other box connect the red/white wire from the AUX switch to the other white (neutral) wires in the box. Connect the yellow (runner) wire to the red wire from the other box. Connect the black wire from the other box (load) to the black wire running to your fixture.

Of course ground is ground so all green or bare wires in both boxes get connected together.

Hope this helps.

 

[shoes]

Your description of the switches and house wiring is correct.
Again I have two switches, inside the house, and in the garage.
House Switch Cables:
Cable1: White, Red, Black, Copper
Cable2: Black(hot), White, Copper
Garage Switch Cables:
Cable1: White, Red, Black, Copper
Cable2: Black(resistence), White, Copper

From what you described below I would hook the switches as follows:

House Switch AS101 (Aux):
White/Red Strip: Can be connected to Netural or Line (you mention Netural).
Yellow: Connected to Red wire
Green: Connected to Ground wire
Link about switch => http://www.smarthome.com/22001w.html

Garage Switch (ZRW103 - Master):
Black: Connected to Black wire with resistence (with power off).
Yellow: Connected to Red wire
White: Connected to White Neutral
Blue: Connected to Black wire without resistence.
Link about switch => http://www.smarthome.com/22005w.html

If you look a the links provided, is connectivity stated above correct?

Thanks for the help.

 

[shoes]

Tech Support from SmartHome did tell me the Aux Switch should be first in the line, and the Master should be at the End. That's all they would tell me.

 

[upstatemike]

No, I think you have the master (Garage Switch) wrong. The blue wire needs to go to the fixture (load) which will be the black wire in the black-white-copper cable. (The one you say shows resistance when measured).

The black wire of the master switch needs to go to the black wire coming from the other switchbox. This would be the black wire in the black-red-white-copper cable which will be your HOT wire feeding through from the house switchbox.

Make sure at the house switchbox you connect the two black wires to each other even though they don't connect to the AS101. This will send your panel feed HOT out to the garage where it gets connected to the black wire on the master switch as noted above.

 

[shoes]

I read you're alternative method of installing the switches. The Aux Switch in the Garage and the Master switch in the house.

It made sense to connect both Blacks together in the garage, since the master controls when the black connecting both switches is hot.

How does this method of wiring the switches correspond to the comments SmartHome techsupport made to me.

The first in-line should be the Aux Switch (assume this is the house), and the Master should be at the end (assume this is the garage).

I will also go back and study the reply you just posted.

 

[shoes]

I guess I'll forget the alternative method of wiring, since the Aux switch should be the first in line.

I went over your reply about the wires I had wrong in the garage, and here is my recap of what I will connect:

House Switch AS101 (Aux):
White/Red Strip: Connected to White Netural. (Netural or Line, according to guide).
Yellow: Connected to Red wire
Green: Connected to Ground wire
Black(hot) connected to Black(to other switch). Does not connect to Aux switch.
Link about switch => http://www.smarthome.com/22001w.html

Garage Switch (ZRW103 - Master):
Black: Connected to Black wire without resistence. (from other switch)
Yellow: Connected to Red wire
White: Connected to White Neutral
Blue: Connected to Black wire with resistence. (to light).
Brown: not used.
Link about switch => http://www.smarthome.com/22005w.html

Thanks for confirming and all of the feedback you've provided.

 

[upstatemike]

I can't speak to comments made by Smarthome tech support except to note that most home automation switches require the auxiliary switch to be connected between the runner and the HOT wire instead of the runner and NEUTRAL. In this situation you can't put the master first because there is then no full-time HOT down the line, just the switched LOAD wire.

Maybe they were just drawing on general experience without taking into account that this particular AUX switch uses the NEUTRAL wire.

 

[upstatemike]

Yes, I think that will do it.

 

[shoes]

Mike,

Everything worked great on the 3way wiring.

I have one other question about a 2-way switch.

If I'm using a similar 3-way switch, because it's 20a, on a current 2-way, I would hook the wires as follows:
Switch - House Wiring
-----------------------------
Black - Black (hot)
Blue - Black (light)
White - White (netural)
Green - Neutral
Yellow - not used
Brown - not used


Again, thanks for the help on the 3way.

 

[shoes]

Last weekend, everything seems to be working fine.
I tested turning the lights on and off from both switches and things were working.
I added the on and off programs to the zwave intermatic controller.

But I started noticing the lights were coming on at different times. Seemingly very frequent. So.... I removed the switch from the network, and eventually removed the programs and pulled the batteries on the controller to get it out of the picture. But, the lights continued to come on, after a few minutes off.

So late tonight, I pulled the Aux switch out of the way, and left the two black wires connected, but the the lights continued to come on. For now I threw the breaker and will get more into the issue tomorrow morning.

Would like to get anyone's thoughts on why the ZWave master switch is turning on frequently, without belonging to a network, or having a signal sent to it by a controller.

 

[upstatemike]

If I'm using a similar 3-way switch, because it's 20a, on a current 2-way, I would hook the wires as follows:
Switch - House Wiring
-----------------------------
Black - Black (hot)
Blue - Black (light)
White - White (netural)
Green - Neutral
Yellow - not used
Brown - not used

The Green should go to the ground wires in the box which are usually bare copper. The White wire on the switch should connect to BOTH of the White Neutral wires in the box. You should also put a wire-nut or tape on the end of your Yellow and Brown wires that are not being used to make sure they don't accidentally touch something in the box. Because this particular switch can be activated by Hot OR Neutral on the Travellers, you could get unexpected operation if the end of the Yellow or Brown wires touched anything including ground.