LZW31 4way non-neutral not working

Switches General Discussion
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1

Greetings. I’m having some trouble with my non-neutral 4-way setup. I have one Inovelli Black (LZW31) and two Inovelli Aux switches. The LZW31 works but pressing the buttons on the Aux switches does nothing.

Firmware version: 1.48

Config parameters are set as:

  • AC Power Type (Param 21): No-Neutral, value == 0
  • Switch Type (Param 22): Multi-Switch (Auxiliary Switch), value == 2

Wiring is done as:

wiring_diagram
wiring_diagram790×320 31.1 KB

Note:

  • My house has weird wiring.
  • I didn’t illustrate the grounds as they are trivial and would make the image necessarily messy. But they are connected.
2

Your drawing and parameter settings look correct.

What hub are you using? I would try changing the Aux type parameter setting to something incorrect and saving and then put it back to the proper setting.

It sounds like a parameter issue. There have been occasions where the hub seems to display the proper parameter but isn’t actually using it. So changing and putting it back sometimes fixes it.

3

I toggled both the params 21 and 22. Now the the Aux switches can turn on the lights but cannot turn them off. Just to be safe, I rest ALL the params to the defaults, then set params 21/22 again. No difference.

4

Hmmm, here are some general suggestions to help find the source of the issue:

  1. Factory reset the switch. (Long press on the config button until it turns red.) It will return to the default neutral and no Aux parameters, so you’ll have to reset.
  2. If you have another switch, try swapping it out.
  3. Check the connections on all switches for loose connections.
  4. Try it with one Aux. Remove the traveler conductor going between the “middle” and “left” switch in your drawing.
  5. If you have grounds in the boxes (is this conductors in EMT conduit?), try metering between the terminals with the line and ground (metal box, maybe) to see if you get 120VAC.
5
  1. Factory reset - Result: Light can turn on but not off (no change).
  2. Try another switch - Tried another LZW31 on firmware 1.57. Result: Light can turn on but not off (no change).
  3. Check loose connections - Attempted. Result: Light can turn on but not off (no change).
  4. Try with one Aux - Attempted. Light can turn on but not off. Result: Light can turn on but not off (no change).
  5. Grounds - I have normal grounds and they are connected (not EMT conduit). Meter shows between 122-123V between line and ground. Meter also shows ~5V between traveler and ground when the Aux bottom paddle is pressed. It also shows ~40V when the Aux top paddle is pressed.

It seems the communication is working from the Aux switches.

Would a Red series work better (LZW32-SN)? I wouldn’t think so as it appears the only difference is scene control (which I never use).

6

Better late than never:

image
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So I’m thinking you can either re-flash the black with 1.56. (I checked with a colleague about if you can go backwards and got a “maybe”. Thanks J. Maybe someone can comment here.) Or you can use a LZW31-SN as you suggested, which apparently doesn’t have that limitation on the most recent firmware.

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7

I managed to get it working by working around the Black Series switches entirely.

What works:

  • Red Series 2-1 (VZW31-SN) that I bought for another 4-way setup. It has factory firmware of 1.2.0.

What doesn’t work:

  • Black Series (LZW31) with firmware versions 1.48 and 1.57.

Did not attempt:

  • Firmware upgrade/downgrade as updates for these specific switches always fails.
  • Test if my Red Series (LZW31-SN) worked as it is in service with group associations.
8

@Bry Thanks for you help on this. At the very least, it was great to get independent confirmation that my wiring was correct.

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