HS220 not working with 2 dimmable "dumb" bulbs

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HS220 not working with 2 dimmable "dumb" bulbs

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HS220 not working with 2 dimmable "dumb" bulbs
HS220 not working with 2 dimmable "dumb" bulbs
2020-06-03 01:50:54
Model: HS220  
Hardware Version: V1
Firmware Version: 1.5.11

Hi there!

 

I have TP-Link HS220 "Smart Dimmer" (TP-Link Page).  I have installed this dimmer to control 4 recessed can light bulbs.  The bulbs are "dumb" TCP RLBR30950KD6 (Energy Star Page)  These bulbs are LED, Dimmable and are 9 watts each (65W each incad. equivalent)

 

My Issue is when I have 4 bulbs installed, there is no dimming capabilities, they are either on, or off when I try to use dimming function.

  • If I have only 1 bulb installed, I get full, expected dimming range from about 10% to 100%. Its "beautiful" and works!
  • If I have 2 bulbs installed, I get intermittent dimming and flickering from anything less than 100%.
  • If I have 3 bulbs installed, similar to 2 bulbs installed, but worse.
  • It does not matter what position these bulbs are installed (I think this rules out a questionable, single can light fixture)
  • I have a second HS220 that I installed in another part of the house, with the same bulbs mentioned above, experiencing the exact same problem when I go from 1 bulb to 2 bulbs.


I try some other troubleshooting I see on the forum, and confirm I have no Wi-Fi issues (Unifi wifi-router is about 20 feet away), and the circuit is 120V, 60Hz. I had a neutral wire pulled to this switch to be able to use.  I understand these switches have a limit of 150W of LED lighting, I assume this is the actual LED load, and not the "equivalent" load. Either way I am under this with the 2-bulb test.

 

I have no issues connecting to the switch, updating the firmware, and going though all the on-screen prompts to set up the switch.  Control via the app, and google assistant work great, with the exception mentioned above of some seemingly physical limitation of 2+ bulbs not dimming.

 

Looking for any input on what my issue is... are my bulbs bupkis? are both my dimmers shot? are this the least of my worries these days?  Thanks in advance! :)

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6 Reply
Re:HS220 not working with 2 dimmable "dumb" bulbs
2020-06-03 17:01:54

@Jigg 

 

The line/load wires do not matter to the HS200, but the HS220 needs to have the correct wiring to each screw.

 

Was there a previous dimmer switch that did work for both lights?

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#2
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Re:HS220 not working with 2 dimmable "dumb" bulbs
2020-06-05 13:26:16
Damaris keep jumping out of Wi-Fi go on solid red or just flashing orange and green
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#3
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Re:HS220 not working with 2 dimmable "dumb" bulbs
2020-06-08 03:31:40

@Tony Thanks for the response

The old switch was an on/off only, I was upgrading with the HS220 to have the dimming and smart capabilities. Anyway, just now I installed an old-school dimmer i had lying around, and confirmed the LED lights dimmed as expected.

While I had the HS220 out (and re-installed it), I confirmed that the line/load wiring was correct as well.

In the 4-light scenario, for funnsies, I put a single incandescent bulb mixed in with the dimmable LEDs, and the dimmer works as expected. What do you think this could be?

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#4
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Re:HS220 not working with 2 dimmable "dumb" bulbs
2020-06-10 15:42:16

@Jigg 

 

Apparently the issue may be the method of dimming the bulbs support. 

 

HS220 supports dimmable incandescent and LED lights based on TRIAC and forward-phase-control, and does not support lamps based on PWM (pulse width modulation) and ELV (electronic low voltage) dimming. It is recommended to contact the bulb manufacturers to see what dimming methods are supported.

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Re:HS220 not working with 2 dimmable "dumb" bulbs
2020-10-16 16:30:47

@Jigg 


As @Tony stated above, it is the type of bulb!!

 

I had the same issue with 2 BR30's in 2 recessed lights.  Both were 11 W LED.  They would turn on but not dim.  If I took one of the LED's out and replaced with an Incandescent, then they would dim.

 

I went to the store, bought some new LED bulbs.  They work.

 

Philips bulbs (not the Hue's)  work.  TP-Link really needs to get a list of compatible bulbs since the none of the bulb manufacturers d list TP-Link as a supported dimmer.

 

The bulbs I bought were:

Philips

Model: 9290018703

Ordering Code: 7.2BR30/PER/927-22/P/E26/WG T20   

 

Home Depot  3pk for $9  I imagine other Philips non-Hue bulbs work as well.

 

 

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#6
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Re:HS220 not working with 2 dimmable "dumb" bulbs
2020-10-17 00:51:53

Thanks for the responses all!

I understand now that it is from the type of bulb. It is unfortunate because the dimmer is an "led dimmer" and I bought led "dimmable" bulbs, and apparently that information is not enough in being able to plan ahead (I bought 12 matching bulbs). 

I appreciate @Tony 's response in clarifying the control type, unfortunate that this information is not in the specification page. This is similar to the LED manufacturer, where I don't know if it is PWM or ELV or control besides "Dimbable: yes" (I did contact TCP but they never returned my email). It seems it is left up to the consumer to throw money into the wind and see what works... hooray. (frustrating because it worked just fine with one bulb, rendering buying one bulb from a few manufacturer to try out kind of meaningless!)

Mini-rant over ;)

 

I will try some of those phillips bulbs you mentioned @mattstache. Hopefully their 5000K version looks good with the TCP 5000K non-dimming bulbs I already got here. Thanks for providing the spedific model you used.

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#7
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