HS210 3-way wiring problems to half-receptacle

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HS210 3-way wiring problems to half-receptacle

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HS210 3-way wiring problems to half-receptacle
HS210 3-way wiring problems to half-receptacle
2021-12-28 23:16:37 - last edited 2021-12-28 23:20:00
Model: HS210  
Hardware Version:
Firmware Version:

I'm trying to wire the HS210 to one of the two switches in my parent's master bedroom and leave the other dumb switch intact. I'm running into an issue where the most I can manage to get is rapid flickering out of the lights when I flip the dumb switch on, and, the HS210 doesn't seem to be working at all. I can't figure out what I'm doing wrong. I thought I knew this stuff pretty well as I re-wired all the switches in my house, but, my house is much newer than my parent's.

 

The "light" in the bedroom is actually a half receptable where a lamp is plugged in. The first switchbox has a 2-wire romex plus a 3-wire romex. The second switchbox only has a 3-wire romex. If I'm not mistaken, my common wire is the one coming out of the 2-wire romex in the first switchbox. The only switchbox that appears to have neutral wires is the first.

 

First switchbox:

 

Assuming I have labeled everything in that picture correctly, I connected everything to the proper locations on the HS210 (white into the neutral bundle, ground to ground, common to common pole, and the two travelers to the top poles). I didn't take a picture of the second switchbox (dumb switch), but it only has a red and a white wire connected to the traveler poles and a black wire connected to the common. The wiring diagram seems to align with this one I found online, except, the only difference is that this controls a full outlet instead of a half outlet:

 

 

Here's the part I'm confused on: I checked the "common" wire in the first switchbox with my multimeter by touching the leads to it and the ground wire, and, it was not reading 120VAC. It was reading a small amount of voltage, but, not what it should have been. So I guess if that's not the actual common wire, where the heck is it? Is this perhaps some janky setup where the common is actually coming from the outlet wiring instead of the switch wiring?

 

Thanks for any help you can offer.

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#1
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Re:HS210 3-way wiring problems to half-receptacle
2021-12-30 09:15:41 - last edited 2021-12-30 09:22:27

Hello @Oni 

If the Common wire/ Line Wire is not reading 120VAC, it could be a wrong Line wire.

When use HS21  with a dumb 3-way switch, it needs to be installed on the Line wire side (Line wire is energized when test with a  voltage tester) as Q13 in FAQ here. 

 

Here is video found online that helps to identify wires in a 3 way: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xp4FWJRzHdo

Video for wiring HS210 : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ENQGH-uYk34

- Identify Common Wire (could be a Live/Load): Locate the wire that’s connected to a Different Color screw (normally BLACK screw) on old 3-way switch 
Neutral Wire: normally white or a bundle of white wires secured with a wire nut.
Traveler Wires:   the remaining 2 wires , usually one black and one red, travelers are on the Same Color screws opposite to each other on the old 3-way switch 

Hope this helps!

 

 

 

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Re:HS210 3-way wiring problems to half-receptacle
2021-12-31 01:16:54 - last edited 2021-12-31 01:17:28

@Solla-topee 

 

Thanks for the response.

 

Upon further investigation, it looks like the white wire bundle that I thought were the neutral wires are actually the load wires. This appears to be the wiring layout that we have:

 

 

The only difference is our case being that the white is connected to white in the first switchbox, and the white is connected to the black screw on the second switch (i.e., the colors are inverted).

 

So,our power source is entering at the fixture and not at either of the switchboxes. I believe it's not going to be possible for me to install the HS210?

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#3
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Re:HS210 3-way wiring problems to half-receptacle
2021-12-31 06:17:40 - last edited 2021-12-31 06:59:18

Hello @Oni 

I would suggest reaching an electrician who is more professional with the wiring to get more help.

Most of the time I met the case that power source coming into the 3-way switch first, not from a light then to the switch.  So far I doubt if there is a neutral wire in your first and second switch box. Can I have a photo of the wiring in your second switch box and I will consult our team about this kind of wiring, thank you for your understanding.

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