I have a switched outlet in my bedroom. With a standard single-pole dumb switch (only line and load wired to the switch, neutral wired together), the outlets read ~119V and my nightstand lamps work fine. When I swap in the Blue 2-1, the nightstand lamps no longer work and the voltage at the outlet read ~135V. I’ve tried wiring the Blue switch with and without neutral and in either case the voltage reads too high and the lamps do not work.
Am I missing something or is the switch faulty? I have a second Blue switch that I wired in a 3-way configuration in the basement that seems to work correctly. I’m scratching my head at this one.
Interesting, somehow I missed that it wasn’t rated for an outlet. I have verified line and load are on the correct ports.
In either case, I don’t actually want the Blue 2-1 to control the outlet; ideally, the outlet would have constant power and the Blue would be used to control a smart bulb on a separate circuit on the other side of the room.
In such a scenario, would it be possible to use a wire connector to simply wire line to load directly + a tertiary wire running from the connected line/load to the “line” port of the Blue 2-1? Then connect the Blue to neutral, effectively leaving it in a constant “on” state running in smart bulb mode?
You do not want the outlet running through the blue switch at all. It is not rated for it.
If your outlet is a switched outlet, it’s usually only 1 half of the outlet. If you pull it out of the wall you’ll likely notice the tab in the middle has been cut. You’ll want to replace the actual outlet and rewire it so that it’s always on. From there, you’ll be able to provide the blue switch with just a line and neutral and bind it to a smart bulb in your lamp.
Yes, you have the right idea. Connect the hot in the switch box to the black going to the receptacle and the neutral in the switch box to the white going to the receptacle. Then use two pigtails (which you are referring to as tertiary) black and white to connect a hot and neutral to the Blue 2-1. Also connect ground to ground (if you have ground conductors) and pigtail a ground for the switch as well.
If only half of your receptacle is switched, you’ll either have to replace it as @MRobi suggests, or you can use a black pigtail to connect the two screws together to bridge where the tab is broken.
The thing about the switch not being rated for a switched receptacle is based on the National Electrical Code (NEC)(in the US). That code specifies that any switch controlling a receptacle must be rated for the full capacity of the branch circuit. In other words, the switch must be able to carry the full capacity of the circuit breaker (15 amps, possibly 20 amps). Unfortunately, smart switches generally aren’t rated to carry 15 amps.