LZW30-SN 3-way w/GE Aux & Smart Bulbs question

Switches Wiring Discussion
#1

I think I already know the answer but just checking:

For a couple of my 3-way lighting circuits I am using smart bulbs (Hue ambiance) that I am controlling through Hubitat to change the color temperature and level during the day.

I was using GE/Jasco Smart Switches with the matching addons. I replaced the master switches with LZW30-SN Reds so I could add scene control and such, however I was also interested in the “Smart bulb” feature disabling the internal relay. On some of my other single-pole GE switches I tied line & load together to keep the power on to my smart bulbs then setup my hub + switch to trigger the correct scenes so I’m familiar with the concept, just looking for an easier backup method (meaning tapping the config button 8x times to disable/enable local relay is a sight easier than tripping a breaker, pulling out the switch, and flipping wires).

The problem is the addon switches don’t work if local relay is disabled. I was hoping, probably naively, that they would still signal the master switch somehow and relay that to the hub but, no. I’m guessing I have to put an actual zwave switch in each addon location to ultimately get the behavior I am looking for? That is to say, power is not cut at any switch to the lights, only trigger commands are sent to the hub to turn them on/off/etc ?

Should note that when local relay is enabled the switch and GE addons work fine, was just hoping to find an easier/cheaper way to do what I wanted.

#2

Yup, you’ll need a second zwave switch and use associations to get the functionality you want. At this time aux switches can’t trigger scenes. I believe it is something Inovelli was looking into if it could be addressed in a firmware update, but I have not seen any word back on that.

#3

Yeah, lots of reading up once I knew what to look for. Shame because that would be a real boon for a lot of setups.

In my case I can re-purpose a couple of my GE switches and their addons elsewhere in my house, where I’m not planning smart bulbs and have dumb switches on 3 ways. I’ll re-use 3 of the GE smart switches as relays for my smart bulb setups that are on 3 ways. Hopefully I can do zw association between them and the Reds otherwise I’ll need to mirror them in Hubitat.