Install A Smart Switch With No Neutral - How To Guide
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Installation of Lutron Castea Smart Switch With No Neutral Required
In this post we teach you how to install a smart switch with no neutral wire. If you live in an older home with no neutral wire in your light switch junction box you might be wondering if you can still install a smart light switch?
The answer is yes! you can install a smart light switch without a neutral and we provide you with several options so you can add smart lighting to your home or any home for that matter. There are three main options to install a smart light switch with no neutral and we teach you everything you need to know including how to choose the right smart light switch and install a smart light switch with no neutral wire.
Options For Installing A Smart Switch With No Neutral
Install a smart light switch that does not require a neutral.
Use a smart light bulb and wireless switch.
Add a neutral wire.
Any of these options will work for installing a smart light switch with no neutral, but my favorite option is selecting a smart light switch that does not require a neutral wire. Because in my opinion it’s the easiest and most effective option. If you already know what a neutral wire is and how to identify one skip ahead. If not we have a short video and explaination that teaches you what you need to know to identify a neutral wire.
What Is a Neutral Wire? How To Identify a Neutral Wire?
The neutral wire is the white wire
A neutral wire by color designation is a white insulated wire that takes return electrical current back to your electrical panel. In most newer homes (built after 1985) you will find a neutral wire in the electrical switch box. But in older homes it wasn’t always a requirement for the neutral wire to be wired through the switch box, and instead the neutral wire is connected at the light fixture or electrical outlet and hidden behind the walls.
However it is easy to check if you have a neutral wire an you can either follow the steps below or watch the video we have on how to identify a neutral wire.
How To Check For A Neutral Wire:
Turn off the power at the circuit breaker for the light switch you want to check for a neutral wire. The best way to do this is turn on the light switch so that the lights are on and then go to your circuit breaker and turn off the circuit for that light switch. When the lights go off you will know you have selected the right circuit.
Use a screwdriver to remove the electrical outlet cover plate.
With the electrical cover plate off it’s best to check that the power is turned off at the light switch. You can do this with a non contact voltage tester or a multimeter. I recommend using a non contact voltage meter. If you don’t have one try turning on and off the light switch at the switch again, if the lights don’t turn on it should indicate that the power is off.
With the power confirmed to be off you can now remove the light switch. Unscrew the two screws holding the light switch to the junction box. You can now remove pull the light switch forward and inspect the wiring inside the junction box to determine if there is a neutral wire. If you see a white wire in the junction box it typically indicates that you have a neutral wire. The tutorial below shows how to identify a neutral wire.
Option #1: Install A Smart Light Switch That Does Not Require A Neutral Wire
This is my favorite option for installing a smart light switch with no neutral wire, it’s simple, it’s easy and it works. Most people don’t know this but there are smart light switches on the market that don’t require a neutral wire. My favorite smart light switch system that does not require a neutral wire is the Lutron Caseta smart light switches. Lutron is a well known brand that has a long history of providing smart lighting product.
Wiring Diagram If You Install A Smart Light Switch With No Neutral Like the Lutron Castea Switches
To install the Lutron Caseta smart switches without a neutral all you need is a Lutron Caseta Hub & Light Switch kit and then additional smart light light switches. Lutron offers both standard and dimmer smart light switches that work without a neutral, however the price is so similar for the two styles of smart switch I recommend installing all dimmer switches.
The switches have, an on off button and integrated dimming functions right on the front of the light switch. Once you setup the Lutron Caseta and have installed the smart switches connecting the devices to the Lutron Caseta Hub for smart control is as simple as pushing a button. Then you will be able to instantly control your smart light switches from your phone. The Lutron app offers an abundance of control options where you can set schedules and scenes to control your smart lighting.
The Lutron Caseta smart light switches are also compatible with the most popular smart voice assistants and will work with Alexa, Siri, HomeKit and Google Home providing you the ultimate flexibility in voice activated control of your lighting.
Smart Switches With No Neutral Will Work With Alexa, Google Home, Siri, HomeKit or your phone.
Because the Lutron Caseta smart switches don’t require a neutral wire it makes the compatible with any standard home wiring even older homes that don’t have neutral wires in the switch box.
I like the Lutron Caseta smart switches because they are easy to install, and a have a large reliable well known company that stands behind their product. However there are also other options for installing smart light switches without a neutral wire. Below is a video showing how to install a Lutron Caseta smart light switch.
There are some Z Wave smart light switches on the market that can be installed without a neutral wire but the disadvantage of this is that the Z Wave smart light switches require a Z Wave home hub in order to operate. My favorite Z Wave smart switch that does not require a neutral wire is the Inovelli smart dimmer switch.
The Inovelli smart dimmer switch does not require a neutral wire and offers paddle style dimming. To turn on and off the switch you tap either the upper or lower paddle. To adjust the dimming on the smart switch you can press and hold the dimmer up or down to change the dimming levels. The side of the light switch has a LED indicator showing the current dimming level. These switches are simple to install and work with standard Z Wave hubs.
If you don’t already have a Z Wave smart home hub I recommend using the Smartthings home hub which has Z Wave control built in. Once the switch is connected to the Z Wave hub it can be controlled from your phone or controlled with Alexa and Google Commands.
Option #2: Install Smart Light Bulb & Wireless Switch
If you don’t feel comfortable installing a smart switch without a neutral wire you can install a smart light bulb with a wireless light switch. The Philips Hue smart light bulbs offer easy installation and have wireless battery powered light switches that allow you to control individual smart light bulbs or a group of light bulbs paired together.
To install the Philips Hue light bulbs you connect the Philips Hue hub to your wifi network, and then screw in the new light bulbs. With the light bulbs installed you can easily pair the Philips Hue light bulbs with the Philips hue wireless remote which will allow you to control the smart light bulb just like it was connected to a switch.
The Phillips Hue wireless remote looks just like a built in wall switch and has peel and stick adhesive on the back which allows you to mount the switch on the wall like a built in switch.
The Phillips Hue smart light bulbs work with Alexa, Google Home or Homekit. They can also be controlled from your phone where you can set schedules, scenes and lighting colors for bulbs throughout your home.
Option #3: Run A New Neutral Wire To Your Light Switch
If you are remodeling or don’t mind opening up your walls to run a new wire you can add a neutral wire to your existing light switch. If you do add a neutral wire to your light switch you can use pretty much any smart light switch on the market and you’re not restricted to using one of the options we’ve listed above.
However running a new neutral wire for a smart light switch is typically a fair amount of work and it’s much easier to install a smart light switch like the Lutron Caseta system that does not require a neutral wire. If you plan to add a neutral wire to your light switch the wiring diagram for how to need to wire the light switch is below.
Smart Light Switch Wiring Diagram With Neutral
But if you are dead set on using a particular smart light switch that does require a neutral wire I’ve included the instructions on how to add a neutral wire to your existing light switch. I also created a video which explains how to add a neutral wire for a smart light switch.
To add a neutral wire to a light switch you need to do the following:
You need to find where the neutral wire is located on the same circuit as the smart light switch. Typically you will have a neutral wire in an outlet on the same circuit as the smart light switch or the neutral wire could be located in the light fixture switch box. To locate which lights and outlets are on the same circuit you can turn off the power to the circuit you want to work on and then test to see if the outlets in that circuit or room have power.
Once you have located the outlets or lights that are on the same circuit you will need to inspect them for a neutral wire. To do this confirm that the power is turned off at the circuit breaker and then remove the cover plate for the device.
Once you have removed the cover plate for the device it’s a good idea to confirm the power is off with a non contact voltage meter or a multimeter. Then remove the screws holding the outlet to the junction box. Pull the outlet forward to inspect the wiring. If you see a white wire it means you have a neutral wire. You will need to extend this wire to your light switch.
Extend the neutral wire to the location of the smart light switch. If you have conduit you can fish the wire through the conduit to the outlet and will most likely not need to open up walls. If you don’t have conduit in your walls you will need to run new Romex wire from the outlet to the light switch. This typically requires opening up the drywall to create a path for the new wiring.
Connect the neutral wire at the outlet and switch box. Then install the new smart light switch.
How To Install A Smart Switch With No Neutral: Summary
If you’re thinking about installing a smart light switch, I highly recommend it. I love being able to control my lighting using my phone or voice and it’s one of my favorite smart home upgrades. If you have a neutral wire the vast majority of smart light switches will work with your home wiring. If you don’t have a neutral no big deal, my recommendation is to install the Lutron Caseta smart light switches as they are a high quality reliable option that does not require a neutral wire.
There are of course other options for installing smart lighting without using a neutral wire but I feel that installing a smart switch that does not require a neutral wire is the best option if you don’t have the existing wiring.
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Best Smart Light Switches That Don’t Require A Neutral Wire
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