Kasa smart switch install1/28/2024 ![]() Smart switch manufacturers use different wiring techniques. You can use wire snip or any similar tool for this step. You might need to snip and strip off about a half inch of the wire sheath to expose he copper wire underneath. The C by GE smart switch we’re installing uses pigtail wires other switches have screw terminals and still others rely on backstabs.ĭisconnect your old switch from your home’s wiring. The ground wire will prevent you from getting shocked if there’s a short circuit.ĭisconnect your old switch from your home’s wiring. The final wire, protective ground, will be either a bare wire or a wire in a green jacket. The “line” wire that carries power from the breaker panel to the switch will customarily be colored black, red, or blue.The “load” wire carries electricity to the socket (and by extension, to the bulb) and will typically be colored white or gray, like the neutral wire. If your wiring doesn’t include a neutral wire, your choice of smart switch will be limited (more on that in a bit). The neutral wire carries power back to the circuit breaker panel to complete the circuit, so despite its innocuous-sounding name, an electrified neutral can shock you. Most smart switches require four wires to operate, including a “neutral” wire which should be colored white or gray. Once you’ve confirmed that the power is off, remove the screws holding the switch to the junction box and pull it out so you can access the electrical wires. If there’s more than one switch in the box, make sure they also don’t have electricity flowing to them. The battery-powered tool should beep and light up if it detects current. Waving a non-contact voltage tester inside the junction box is the best way to confirm that electricity is not flowing to the switch. The next step is to remove the cover plate so you can access the switch itself. You’ll find instructions for installing a C by GE C-Start Smart Switch Motion Sensing+Dimmer on a multi-way circuit here, but the upshot is that you’ll need a C by GE smart switch on all the other legs of the circuit. ![]() (And if you don’t need all the features this dimmer offers, GE Lighting offers four simpler and less-expensive alternatives.) The first step-and the most important-is to identify which circuit breaker controls the electricity flowing to that switch and to turn it off. In this how-to, we’ll replace a single-pole switch with a C by GE Start Smart Switch Motion Sensing+Dimmer, but the process isn’t radically different for a multi-way circuit. (The latest Wemo WiFi Smart Light Switch 3-Way is an exception to that rule, and it can also be used in a single-pole installation. If you’re replacing a dumb switch on a three- or four-way circuit, you’ll typically need to replace the other switch or switches on that circuit with companion switches from the same company that made the smart swtich you’re installing. If two switches can control it-for example, switches on opposite sides of the room-you have a three-way switch (if more than two switches control the same light, it’s described as a four-way circuit.) If only one switch controls the flow of electricity to that bulb you want to control, you have a single-pole switch. Next, you’ll need to determine if you need a single-pole or a three-way switch. In a three- or four-way circuit, more than one switch can turn the bulb on and off. Single-pole switches are the easiest to replace, since only one switch controls the circuit. When looking at the bottom of the switch, I see that there is a copper (i think it is) attached to the screw, which touches the metal junction box.Do you need a single pole switch or three-way? Daniel Masaoka / IDG You can see that the hot wire and neutral wire come out of the same area. UPDATE 2: Please see image 3 onward for updated photos with the copper cut at the back of the junction box. Does this mean that the box is grounded and the switches are grounded as they are connected to the box? UPDATE: okay, I looked harder and saw that there is a copper wire attached to a screw that the back of the junction box (and is cut with no extra copper wire). Is this correct? The junction box is metal. I read a grounded wire is not needed if your switch is plastic. Do I leave this wire as is and surround the nut around this wire with the KASA wire? The bottom black wire actually hooks around and then connects to another light switch to the right. If this is a black hotwire, this would go into the black KASA wire. Is the top black wire a hot wire or a ground wire? This seems to be going to the same area as the neutral. I currently have two black wires (one stabbed into the switch and the other is wrapped around the bottom screw on right side). I started to install my KASA smart switch but when I opened the unit I wasn't able to find a ground wire.
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