Installation of dimmer switch non-neutral with bypass

Switches Wiring Discussion
#1

I’m new thanks for allowing me here. I got the Red series dimmable switch (Non-neutral setup with aeotec bypass). I read all instructions and translated it for my electrician. We tested for Line and load wire with multimeter, Powered off at the mains. Wired in the switch (Line and load wire only) and because the lights are out of reach we tried to wire in the bypass at the switch (not the light)(as per https://youtu.be/X65KC3Nf35A?t=481)
I connected the bypass at the line and load ports on the switch.

Went down hill from here.

We turned on the power and the light wouldn’t turn off. The LED blinked a few different colours then powered off. I tried to get into config mode by holding the config button but the strip never lit up. No matter how long I held it, it wouldn’t light up. Meanwhile my light wouldn’t turn off.

No dice.
Anyone know how to get through this?

#2

I also attempted to install the bypass a the switch per the same video with the same result. That appears to be bad information. By doing that you are completing the circuit around the switch which is why the light will not turn off. The bypass needs to create a current draw across the switch and will need to be installed at the fixture as seen in the manual. Sorry, I’m sure installing at the fixture will not be fun but the switches are great once it’s done.

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#3

As @flipontheradio mentioned above, the video appears to have incorrect information. The point of the bypass is to allow a bit of current to skip (or bypass) the bulb. When you wire it according to the video, you are now allowing current to bypass the switch instead of the bulb. This is likely why your light will not turn off.

The bypass needs to be installed at the light. However, it might be worth trying the switch without a bypass first (since that would probably be easier than changing the wiring at the switch). It might work just fine for you without the bypass (every bulb is different, so its tough to tell which ones will work and which ones wont).

#4

And if you can, temporarily switch the bulbs out to incandescent. That way you can confirm that the switch is wired properly.

#5

Just a bit of added information; @ jtronicus stated the function, but perhaps a deeper explanation would help. Oh and the YouTube is wrong.

In a neutral installation, the internal electronics is powered from the line and the neutral. It requires a very small current. When the neutral is not available at the switch, the folks at Inovelli made their switch so the electronics could “steal” some power from the “Load to Neutral” circuit. Because the “Load to Neutral” circuit only exists at the light, the bypass must be installed there.

I am not a youtube subscriber, if someone reading this is a subscriber they might flag the above linked video as needing review because the bypass installation is not correct.

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#6

Thanks for taking the time to reply. A carefully placed ladder on my dining table and kitchen Island in the wee hours of the night did the trick. bypass placed and switch working. I’ll message ol whats his face. The rest of his info is spot on. When my electrician placed the bypass behind the switch his volt pen tester lit up all around the switch. Lucky it didn’t blow the switch or worse… my wife seeing this wasn’t as easy as i said it would be.

#7

Good info. Even in non-neutral setup?

#8

I’ll message him. His info is so helpful for starting up.

#9

Yes, its possible, depending on the bulb characteristic. Some allow the small amount of current (energy) to pass through that can sometimes be enough to power the inovelli internal radio and electronics.

However sometimes without a bypass it will seem to work but might be unstable (i.e. barely working) and can be difficult to troubleshoot.

John

#10

I have 1 incandescent bulb in most of my multi LEDs circuits (chandeliers, can lights, etc) and they work fine without a neutral.

FYI, I never received my bypass I was promised as a pre-production buyer.

#11

As soon as I put the bypass in near the lights and got a proper dimmable LED bulb… it’s runs like a glass of warm milk.
The incandescent bulb puts you over the 25w minimum? i’ve only just found a local source for dimmable LED’s i’m not even sure where to start for dimmable incandescent bulbs… bypass works.

#12

Glad you got the bypass installed and the switch is working. Very few of my red series dimmers have dimmable bulbs attached. I left my non dimmable LED bulbs in and switched the ramp rate to 0 on the dimmer switch, effectively making the dimmer an on/off switch. That way I don’t have to replace a bunch of perfectly good bulbs and I have a uniform switches across the house.

#13

Good to know! We’ll be doing the same.

#14

Sorry about this - we sent a form out via email to pre-orders, but possibly it went to spam on your end. Either way, shoot @Courtney_Inovelli and I a PM and we’ll take care of you!

#15

@rvenable Hey Ross! I’ll get that in the mail first thing Monday morning.

#16

"Courtney_InovelliOperations Manager

@rvenable Hey Ross! I’ll get that in the mail first thing Monday morning."

thanks

#17

Hey Inovelli community! First, let me say that the no-neutral z-wave switch is my first foray into Inovelli products. I picked up 3 Red Series dimmers for my bar/bonus room with no neutral wires. I, too, watched the incorrect video and spent 2 hours in frustration before I saw this thread. :frowning:

I installed the new dimmers, paired them easily to Hubitat, and I am in love with all of the features (my vision is to show red indicators when the garage door is open). I purchased 4 of the Aeotec bypasses because 2 of the dimmers are not behaving consistently (both dimmers control multiple lights). The old school light w/ incandescent bulbs is fine on the new dimmer, but it is going to be replaced w/ a full LED switch soon, so I need to understand this.

I am having a heck of a time understanding how to wire these bypasses “parallel to the light” as a software person (I see that comment all over the docs, but have no idea how to implement it). Can anyone point me to the correct instructions for an Inovelli no-neutral config?

Also, here is a photo of the first one - pool table lights (2 lights, one cable). Previous owner split the standard cable in half and wired to the ceiling power box. If this one isn’t doable with the bypass, I’ll buy another light, but am trying to delay it.

Thanks to anyone in advance for their help!

pool table lamp
pool table lamp750×1000 311 KB

#18

So the light has a switched hot (usually black) and a neutral (usually white) connected to it. Wiring the bypass in parallel simply means connecting one conductor on the bypass to the white on the light and the other conductor on the bypass to the black on the light. Just trace the two conductors attached to the light back to the two wire nuts and hook one conductor from the bypass to each.

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#19

Thank you, @Bry. I have it installed and the dimmer is doing what it is supposed to do! Now all is need to do is monitor it and make sure it doesn’t get temperamental again.

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