Non neutral setup. Tried wiring 2x ways swapping what I believed was the line / load) and it behaved the same way each time. The Ikea Floalt led panel installed in ceiling would just strobe. Also, the LED panel on the switch wouldn’t do anything other than flash white every minute or so. Not using a bypass as there is barely room for the switch itself. I tried resetting the switch and nothing changed. Any hope or should I just return?
The light has been working fine with a dumb switch for several years.
I’m guessing this isn’t going to be compatible with direct wiring. It probably has an inductive load and if that is the case (there isn’t much info on the ikea website) it can result in damaging the switch. I did something similar with powering DC power supplies for LED light strips. That being said, it looks like it’s zigbee compatible and you would be able to directly bind it to turn on/off or dim instantly.
So when you are wiring a switch, it’s important to know which is the line and which is the load first, then wire it properly. That is done with a meter or at minimum, a proximity tester. Your “let me just stick these two wires somewhere” approach might have damaged the switch if you wired it backward.
Presuming the switch is ok, you should try a bypass. I know you said that there is “barely room for the switch itself”, but that is not where the bypass goes. It should be placed in the light box, not the switch box.
Of course, as @bgreet suggests, that light panel may not be compatible, but you really won’t know that until the switch is wired properly.
Thanks for the response. With the half a dozen or so Lutron Caseta switches I’ve installed I’ve never had this issue. I wanted to try out this brand due to the ‘Smart Bulb’ feature. It is unfortunate that compatibility isn’t known. I think I’ll have to pass in this case.
This is typical behavior for low powered lights in a non-neutral setup for pretty much any smart switch. This is why bypasses are made and sold. Remember, a smart switch is completely different technology than the old dumb switch you had installed there with that light for several years.
I’d try a bypass, it installs at the light fixture and not in the switch box and they’re fairly cheap. Also, as already mentioned, you need to be certain which is line and which is load when installing smart switches. A meter or even a test light. Putting power where it doesn’t belong with electronics can cause some damage.