OK, I’ll be testing this tonight while I test out the dimmers too.
Stay tuned!
EDIT:
Ok, just tested the rapid on/off with Line/Load in separate boxes with a GE 8.5W LED bulb and I can’t replicate the issue (don’t mind the OSHA violations!):
I will try a 4-Way with Line/Load in the same box just for kicks.
Question: I just want to be clear on if this is what you’re doing on your end in terms of speed. In addition, is there anything I’m missing? I can also try a lower wattage bulb too if that would help.
Here’s the 4-Way Line/Load in the same box (same setup w/GE 8.5W LED bulb):
Yes, that’s about the same speed. It puzzles me too because with the two smart switches in the same box one works just fine. When I put another smart switch on the circuit that has the issue it did the same thing so I’m thinking it’s just something with my configuration. I jump power (line) from one smart switch to another since there’s two switches in the box. Would that have an affect?
In my configuration I have been able to fix the lag with incandescent bulbs and/or certain brands of LED… I had a few GE bulbs in other lights and when swapped into the fixture the issue goes away.
Kyle has all the details on the 5 bulbs I test, but to say the least my issue with both 4-way and 3-way concerns went away…
I have the same exact issue. Today I have discovered that reducing the number of bulbs in the circuit to exactly one bulb makes the issue go away. When using two or three bulbs in the same circuit and when set to the traveler wire, the switch performs in the same manner that you described.
Does using exactly one problematic bulb in the circuit make the issue go away for you? Perhaps the issue is that the Inovelli switch struggles to detect multiple LED bulbs in the same downstream branch.
Question for you all: what Hub/Gateway are you all using?
What we found for Home Assistant was that if the switches were paired securely, this (for some reason) caused this issue.
However, as some mentioned, it may be the bulbs.
I’m testing a few scenarios and I’m waiting on some Satco bulbs to arrive for another person having an issue – but so far, I’ve tested three bulbs downstream with over 200’ of wire and it worked perfect, so I’m a bit puzzled as well bc I can’t replicate the issues above.
Now when I flip the dumb switch into the “bad” position I can’t use the smart switch to turn on the lights at all. The led on the smart switch will get brighter like normal but it doesn’t turn on the lights. When I flip the dumb switch back to the good position the smart switch works fine. I haven’t changed any wiring so I’m not sure why it’s doing that now. I did hook it up to homesense to test it out but that was the only change.
@Eric_Inovelli, I recently was able to get the dimmer switches working ok with the 3 way by changing the neutral setting like @Newlance mentioned. I don’t see this setting on the on/off switches. Is this something that wouldn’t apply or could this be a potential fix if the option were available?
Great question – no, we didn’t put this in the On/Off switches as when we tested everything, they were able to get the auto-detection figured out (ie: whether or not your switch is using a dumb or aux switch) and every scenario we tested (listed in the wiring manual) worked perfectly.
It wasn’t until we saw the issues pop up in the forum that we figured there may be an issue with some of the 3-Way setups. Even then, I’ve personally replicated a lot of these setups to no avail in getting the same issue, so it’s hard for us to pass this info onto the manufacturer.
Once we do figure it out though, I’m hoping it can be a firmware fix as when we initially built the Dimmers, they had auto-detection built in, but there was a lot of problems with it, so that’s why we chose to have the end-user manually configure the dimmer (I’m hoping they can figure out the auto-detection as manually programming comes with its own set of problems).
Net: We’re trying to replicate the 3-Way issues here at the office, but haven’t been able to experience the same results. Now that things have died down a bit (Black Friday, bulbs, etc) we’ll have more time to dig into the issues and see if, hopefully, we can diagnose what’s going on.
I can say that the manufacturer is eagerly waiting for a diagnosis and they are definitely willing to help. Maybe what I can also do is start a PM with them and anyone experiencing this issue so we can quickly get this resolved. The only issue is the language barrier and 12hr difference. But, if you’re open to it, I’m happy to set something up!
@Eric_Inovelli for what it’s worth, i also work in the electronics industry, though a different field (automotive.). I work exclusively with our international department and have daily dealings with our dealers in China. I also travel there 2x per year (preparing to go December 1st this year.) I have to assume based on the time difference you reference, this is the area you are referring to. I am not fluent in Mandarin but know enough and have a lot of contacts there.
I just tested out the on/off in my jig and with an incandescent bulb I experience no issues. Both sides work as expected. With a single bulb (normally more than 1 is in the load but my jig only has 1 spot) that’s rated as 125mA, I see switching problems when the dumb switch is on the traveler leg. If the dumb switch is on the load leg then the smart switch will switch the LED on and off no problem and I can switch the dumb switch on and off no problem.
I’m assuming the manufacturer is in China. I do know someone who speaks fluent mandarin and is well versed in electrical wiring and circuits so they could has things out potentially.
I’ve attached another video to showcase the issue I’m seeing. The issue with 1 bulb on the jig closely relates to what I’m seeing with what I’m seeing on the ones I installed previously controlling 2 and 3 of the same bulbs. Although in the wall most of the time now I can’t use the smart switch at all when the dumb switch is in the “bad” position.
Ignore the other dumb switch. It’s on there to make sure the 3 way circuit was working correctly before putting the smart switch in. This same jig works fine with the dimmer switch unless I switch the dumb switch quickly and then sometimes the smart switch doesn’t seem to recognize the change and stays in the previous state until I cycle the smart swtich and then it’ll turn on/off quickly to “catchup”.
Awesome, I will PM you shortly when I’m back home. Thank you so much!
Can you let me know what materials you were using in the jig (ie: LED make/model and schematic setup)? I have a similar one that I test on and it’s wired with line/load in different boxes, but 8n a traditional 3-Way setup (ie: Smart switch = Black to Line, White to neutral, Red to Traveller, Black to Load / Dumb switch = Neutrals capped, Travellers to Traveller terminals, Load to Common).
Edit: So I messed around and installed light fixture to the rig and am able to replicate! I was using a standard A19 prior to no avail, but for some reason the fixture is definitely causing the same results as you. Videos incoming!
@Eric_Inovelli - Close or similar for me. I couldn’t see if your smart switch ever turns the led off or not. E.g. Smart switch on, dumb switch off (my blue led remains on and bright), but lights to turn off. Vice versa, if smart switch is off, dumb switch on (toggled), it never turns on smart switch or exterior lights. Led remains dim level.
Here’s a crude drawing. In the video there’s an extra dumb switch but that one isn’t being used. It’s just left over from making sure the circuit works fine with dumb switches.
)
