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Thread: Stuck figuring out how to wire an existing 4-way switch with a keypad and RD-RD

  1. #1


    Hi everyone,

    Sorry if these pictures below aren't ideal, I wasn't planning on uploading them when I took them, it was more for my reference but I'm a bit confused as to how to wire everything here. I have the current setup right now with basically a 4-way switch; there's several pot lights in my hallway, and there's a switch at the front door, a switch in the hallway, and a switch in the kitchen that all turn these on and off. I was hoping to change the one in the kitchen to a hybrid keypad, and the other 2 to RD-RD remote dimmers but not sure if that's possible. I'm confused trying to determine which of these 3 is the actual dimmer that would take the keypad (or if that can't go in the kitchen, the RRD-6ND dimmer) and which would be the RD-RD as the one in the kitchen I've never seen before.

    Here's the one in the hallway:

    Here's the one at the front door, not a great picture but it looks exactly the same as the hallway one, a red on the top and then white black on the bottom:

    And here's the one in the kitchen where I wanted the keypad that's confusing me the most:

    The kitchen one has 2 reds on the left and 2 white on the right, and they say IN and OUT on each of the connectors.

    I'm assuming I can't put the keypad here which is fine if that's the case, but not sure which of the other 2 are the actual dimmer, and then how I'd wire a RD-RD here in the kitchen. Alternatively I'm curious how I'd wire the one in the kitchen here should I want to just use a Pico remote instead of a RD-RD.

    Thanks so much, if all 3 looked the same as the hallway and the door I feel like it would be easier but that kitchen one is confusing me with the 4 wires IN and OUT.

  2. #2
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Oct 2013
    In a typical scenario you have a 3-way switch at each end with 4-way switches in the middle. Power comes in at one 3-way and goes out to the lights (switch leg) at the other 3-way. The switches are connected by a 3-wire (black, red, white) cable. Since you have a white wire attached to the switch it appears you have what is called a dead-end 3-way. That just means that the power in and the wire going up to the light are at the same end. They used the black wire of the 3-wire to relay power or the switch leg to the other end.

    The 3-way switches have a screw/terminal that is a different color than the other 2. This is called the common. With the lights off, test for power at the common screw. This will be the end where the power comes in. Put the RD at this location and connect red-blue, power-black, white-brass. Put a RD in the kitchen. One of the whites will have power from the first RD, connect it to the black. Connect the other white to the brass. Red-blue. At the other 3-way, the white that is connected to the switch should be hot, connect it to the black. Red-blue, black (switch leg) to brass.

    The dimmer/remote dimmers will work properly, and may not work at all, until all the devices are connected. The test is to verify the lights dim from the rocker at each location.

    Here's the problem... you have a neutral dimmer. It wants/needs to be at the end where the wire goes up to the light. It needs a neutral connection. It needs the same neutral as the switch-leg. You should not cross neutrals between 2 circuits. IF they sent the switch-leg to the dead-end you need to rewire and send power to the dead end. This will allow you to connect to the same neutral as the switch leg.
    LED, Incorporated
    Raleigh, NC 27614

  3. Thanks psychobunny thanked for this post
  4. #3
    Thanks so much! I was able to figure it out, the switch by the front door was the main one. Luckily I had a non neutral dimmer lying around so I just used that to avoid the neutral issue you mentioned. Thanks again as well as for your answers to my other posts.

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