3 way with one 3 wire and one 2 wire

I have 3 wires at one location and 2 wires at the other. It sounds like the aux goes at the 2 wire location?

Is there some reason a smart switch can’t go where an aux would go and just be programmed to behave like an aux?

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I would take a closer look. It’s impossible for a properly working three way to only have two conductors at a switch location. Do you have Romex? Pics?

Maybe I’m using the wrong terminology. One switch has a neutral wire and the other does not. Photos attached.

I assume this isn’t unusual since the inovelli instructions specifically call out that you need an aux switch when there’s no neutral wire.



In the second pic, was it just those 2 black wires and the ground attached to the dumb switch?

If so, then it wasn’t part of a 3-way, since those wires are just line, load, and ground. The first pic is in a 3-way (but not with the switch from the 2nd pic).

A neutral wasn’t connected to either dumb switch - aside from some very rare exceptions, neutrals aren’t used with dumb switches/dimmers.

Can’t say for certain from those pics, but it looks to me like you may have a neutral bundle in each box. Better pictures of each box would help confirm that.

Going back to my first post, this couldn’t have been a properly working 3-way. A 3-way switch has three conductors attached to it (not counting the ground). You only have two.

Was this 3-way working properly? In other words, could you flip either switch and each switch would change the on-off status of the bulb.

Do you have any pictures of the switch that came out of the box with the two black wires before you disconnected it? If you don’t, post pictures of the switch you removed . . . both sides.

This was the switch that I disconnected. It only has three connectors, one of which is a ground.

The three way was working properly. Both switches operated the same array of overhead lights.

Yep, that is a 2-way switch. At least to my thinking, there is no way that a 2-way switch will properly interact with a 3-way switch to make the 3-way switch leg work properly from both locations. It seems to me that if you only have a 2-way switch, The other 3-way switch would only work with the 2-way switch in one position.

Did you use both switches regularly? Or did the switch that is still wired only work with the switch that you removed if it was in one position?

The problem is that what you have is not standard, so it’s difficult to provide you advice about how to move forward. Not only is it not standard, I don’t even understand how it would work, which makes it even more difficult.

If you can, post more pictures of the box where you removed the 2-way switch. Remove the blank cover and then pull all of the conductors out so that we can see the bindings and see clearly into the box.

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You’re right! I got the switches mixed up. The blank was a 3 way switch.

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Also, Hydro is right about the neutral bundles. I have unused neutral wires in the box. You all have been incredibly helpful!