LZW30-SN in 3-way with add on switch

Any idea why an add on switch that was working with a GE this morning (both on and off) will work to turn the new Inovelli red series on but not off? It works fine (both on and off) from rules and the main switch of course but the add on will only turn the lights on.

I installed two other switches today one of those was hooked up to an add on switch in the same way and that one turns on and off from either switch.

Thanks.

Hey @Terk - very puzzling. So, just so I’m making sure I understand:

  • You had a GE smart switch hooked up to a GE Aux switch this morning and it worked fine
  • You swapped out the GE smart switch with an Inovelli smart switch and can only turn the Inovelli On but not Off from the Aux switch side?
  • Other setups in same scenario (ie: Inovelli + Aux work just fine)

This correct?

Yes, it’s very strange.

@Eric_Inovelli I noticed on my other 3-way that works, hitting the off button on the add-on switch works most of the time, but occasionally it doesn’t turn off the Red series switch. I’m not real worried about this issue as I rarely use the switches manually any more. I love these switches, how quickly they report to Hubitat, and the programmable notification LED!

I installed another two switches today and plan to install at least one more next weekend but I need more time on that one to figure out how to fit them in the old metal box or how to replace the box.

I’m using GE add-on switches are there others you’d suggest?

I’d say the GE and HomeSeer are about the same in terms of functionality, but my preference is the GE model. I’m not sure what it is, but the HS seems more stiff and rigid.

I do get the same thing with my GE aux switches sometimes when I press them as well and I can’t tell if it’s the GE aux switch or something with the Inovelli switch. But usually if it happens, I just tap the GE again and it works.

I appreciate the kind words – the notifications are pretty sweet. I really love it too.

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Thanks, I just ordered a gen2 GE add-on switch, I think it’s supposed to be smaller than the original which would be welcome in my old metal boxes. I’ll try replacing the one downstairs that only turns on. Any idea when the Dimmers will be available for new orders? I need a few of those now and would like to stick with one brand where I can.

Cool, yeah they (GE) did a great job with the new versions – no heat sink tabs, shorter depth, etc

Well, since you’re in the community, I’ll let you in on a little secret… We are shipping a small batch extra to Amazon along with our Pre-Orders. Reason being is because in order to get into Amazon.ca, we have to have stock on Amazon.com. So, there will be a small batch coming to Amazon.com along with the Pre-order shipment which ships to the US on October 25th.

I would imagine, things would be up on Amazon.com maybe a week after depending on Custom’s Clearance.

I’ll definitely keep this thread updated: UPDATE: Dimmer Switches Update Thread - Production Starts Oct. 4th! - Projects & Roadmaps - Inovelli Community

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Adding my experience here in case it might help someone else…

I spent 1/2 a day trying to figure out why my aux switch and then dumb 3-way switch were both having issues with the LZW30. With the aux switch I was experiencing the aux turning on the LZW30, but not off. With the dumb 3-way I was experiencing the LZW30 turning back on after physically turning it off (at the LZW30). Same issue through the hub (off resulted in the LZW30 turning back on within a second). I upgraded to firmware to 2.20. No improvement. I set parameter 13 (Load Type) to Special Load (T8). No improvement.

Then… I decided after reading numerous threads of people experiencing the same issue and responses that the LZW30 is supposed to auto-detect a 3-way circuit, that I would try replacing one of the 3 LED bulbs on the circuit with an incandescent. Bingo! the 3-way circuit worked. Problem identified… the LZW30 needs a load greater than what the LED bulbs were creating in order for the LZW30 3-way auto-detect to work. Since I’m not going to live with a mix of LED and incandescent bulbs, I’ve installed a load resistor (similar to what is needed for some older dimmers after swapping to LED bulbs). I use the Aeotec version, but there are others out there. Google “Aeotec bypass for nano dimmer”.

The resistor connects “across (or in parallel)” with the light (or outlet - if that is what you’re controlling) itself, thus creating constant resistance on the load (which is what an incandescent bulb would do). You can wire the resistor at the LZW30 itself by connecting one of the resistor’s leads to the Neutral connector, and the other resistor lead to the Load connector (along with the wires needed for the circuit - as seen in the Inovelli documentation).

I’d like to see a firmware update which forces the 3-way config (doing away with auto-detect). I’m not really enjoying dropping $15 on a load resistor to solve the problem.

Hope this helps others. Cheers!

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