Installing Lightwave Smart Switch

[James Carmichael]

Note one switch is Two way, they may be on Two different circuits

Good spot. My answer assumes all of the lights are on the same circuit.

(I am not a spark so quick q: Yes, they could be on different circuits and the OP needs to check, but wouldn't that be an existing compliance issue? I thought having multiple circuits in the same accessory was a regs no no? Hence no borrowed neutrals etc?)

 

[James Carmichael]

This was my single passage switch just before I swapped it with a Lightwave single switch.
This is the slave 2-way switch which connects with one of the switches in my 3-gang.


From the left, it shows Live - S - X.

I have kept the wires in the same places on the Lightwave switch.
The Live went into the N. The S went into the L. And the X went into the X.

From my understanding, this is the way I should wire it.

NOTE the advice given above about checking all lights on the same circuit.

That looks to me like your single light switch has the switch drop from the bulb and a 3 core strap to the three way switch. If I am right, follow the 'two wire' three way switching guidance on LRF's website.
,
If you don't want to do that, work out which of the cores in the two core cable at the single switch is always live, and wire that into L on the new one way switch. Wire the other into its X together with any one of the cores from the three way cable (one of its black, grey, brown). Safely terminate the other two cores and make sure everything is sleeved.

Return to your three way switch and wire the same coloured core from the three core cable into its 'X'. Safely terminate the remaining cores and sleeve appropriately.

An electrician onhere may indicate that there is a norm for which of the brown, black, grey in the three core cable should be used in this scenario. If they do, follow their advice.

Then, go the app (you must have the gateway for this to work) and create a two way switching automation between the one way switch and the right gang of the 3 way.

 

[James Carmichael]

Pictorially, the basic setup you should aim for (once completing all the checks already indicated to you) is:

16096656583142618268005235997141

• James Carmichael
• 3 Jan 2021

NOTE I AM GUESSING YOUR EXISTING WIRING SETUP BASED ON YOUR PHOTOS. A GUESS IS WHAT IT IS; A GUESS. YOU NEED TO BE SURE OF YOUR SETUP BEFORE PROCEEDING.

 

[James Carmichael]

The basic setup will work. This would be better as you can repurpose one of 1 or 3 at the light fitting to provide a neutral:

16096661983666178951534204117923

• James Carmichael
• 3 Jan 2021

If you don't know how to do this safely, don't do it. Remember you still need to terminate unused cores, sleeve appropriately and follow the advice given so far.

 

[yorkspark]

Having had a rethink, its not going to work with wiring as such and its a software config.
The hallway switch needs the twin and earth brown and blue connecting to live and switch live only, and in the software make it a master.
The 3 gang dimmer, leave the switch for the 2 way empty and safely terminate the brown,black and grey 3 core and then make that gang of the dimmer a slave in the app.
Set up the hallway on the app and get it working, then pair the gang on the 3 gang dimmer through the app to act as its slave, mimicking the hall way switch.
This will only work if you have the lightwave hub also.

 

[James Carmichael]

Having had a rethink, its not going to work with wiring as such and its a software config.
The hallway switch needs the twin and earth brown and blue connecting to live and switch live only, and in the software make it a master.
The 3 gang dimmer, leave the switch for the 2 way empty and safely terminate the brown,black and grey 3 core and then make that gang of the dimmer a slave in the app.
Set up the hallway on the app and get it working, then pair the gang on the 3 gang dimmer through the app to act as its slave, mimicking the hall way switch.
This will only work if you have the lightwave hub also.

Agreed, the OP needs to set up their 2 way switching in the app; with the new LRF swicltches it cannot be done in wiring.

Good spot on the master/slave setup - this massively flummoxed me the first time I set one of these up as the instructions don't really sing out that it is necessary.

One question (I don't know the answer): Once a switch has been set up as a slave, does it no longer need a load connected across it? That is, in my diagrams above, could the OP do away with the core connecting the two switches? I've always added one, but unthinkingly so. Never tried the experiment of doing without.

 

[Jetheat]

I can set up the software part, but I wanted to make sure I slot the right wires into the right holes before I do so.

I'm not familiar with the terms or what the symbols mean, so I was just looking for a step by step instruction on what to plug where, like, "Put the 2 brown wires from the left side into the L slot on the Lightwave switch" etc...

I really need it dumbed down.

Appreciate the help,

JH

 

[flameport]

Once a switch has been set up as a slave, does it no longer need a load connected across it?

Each switch needs a power supply. No requirement to have any connection linking multiple switches together.

 

[James Carmichael]

I can set up the software part, but I wanted to make sure I slot the right wires into the right holes before I do so.

I'm not familiar with the terms or what the symbols mean, so I was just looking for a step by step instruction on what to plug where, like, "Put the 2 brown wires from the left side into the L slot on the Lightwave switch" etc...

I really need it dumbed down.

Appreciate the help,

JH

I am not sure how much dumber I can make it than the diagrams above.

However, we cannot just from your photos give you exact guidance. It is imperative that you know which wires in your existing switches are permanent lives and which are not. It is also imperative you know whether your lights are all on the same circuit. Only you can know this, by checking. Any attempt on our part to tell you to put the brown wire here and the blue wire here will be based on ill informed guesses. At best, it may not work. At worst, it may lead to a dangerous configuration.

Given my understanding that you previously tried stuffing a wire that had been wired into a live terminal on your old switches to a neutral terminal on your new ones, I respectfully suggest that the right level of dumbing down, if you can't fathom it from the images above, is to urge you to engage an electrician.

 

[James Carmichael]

Each switch needs a power supply. No requirement to have any connection linking multiple switches together.

Great, thanks.

 

[Jetheat]

I think they may be on different circuits.
When I flip one of the fuses in the mains box, it switches one of light switches off and not the other.

How does this affect me in my 2-way circuit?

JH

 

[terryplumb]

You can't fit that 3 gang dimmer on two seperate circuit's unfortunately.

 

[Jetheat]

You can't fit that 3 gang dimmer on two seperate circuit's unfortunately.

Do you mean the new lightwave one?

My existing one is on a 2-way already.

I think Lightwave say that all their dimmers are 2-way.

JH

 

[terryplumb]

The light wave 3 module dimmer ,has one incoming live terminal . You can't connect the permanent lives from two circuits together in that terminal .
Your existing dimmers are 3 seperate modules ,and are not on the same circuit.

 

[Jetheat]

If that's the case, I'll have to return the Lightwave switches. Dammit.

Any alternative?