The third wire should be the ground wire and is usually colored green or bare wire. They will usually be colored one black and one white potentially with black stripe.
Smart Light Switch Wiring Diagrams Mr Electrician
Wemo switch no neutral. Smart switches require a source of power because they are always communicating with a hub. Neutral wire the wemo light switch requires this wire but isnt always present in your electrical wiring at home. Otherwise 80 90 of home automation switches need the neutral to provide the switch constant power. The home automation switch needs a neutral so that it can have power all the time so i can talk to it. Its impossible to say for sure based on this information alone. So make sure your shortlisted devices will work with the type of light bulbs you plan to use before you make your purchase.
Odds are this wont work with the wemo switch without running new electrical. The home automation switch wemo has a wire for ground not necessary neutral and 2 wires for the switch. Sounds like this switch is just wired to cut the hot and the neutral is never pulled back from the fixture it is controlling. On the wemo forum it says that when the green and the white are connected to the ground if the switch fails the fuse will pop. Use a different smart switch the lutron smart dimmer if you dont have the existing neutral in the switch box you will need to pull shielded romex wire to electrical box. I think that you are right mark i will have to get one of those inline micro switches that go directly in the light fixture box.
Two of the wires will be the current carrying wires that power the light. Most of the available smart switches for no neutral installs only work with incandescent or halogen lamps. Its normally green or copper in color. If present the neutral wire is normally found within the wall box with a wire nut on top of it. No neutral smart switch comparison table 2020 smart switches that work without a neutral wire. Switch without neutral wire the reason that some smart switches wont work in this configuration is that the switch is breaking the circuit when it is off so power is not flowing through the switch.
This typically means you will need to open holes in your wall to pull the new wire. Ground wire if present it should be plugged into the top of the light switch here. A switch box with no neutral loop will usually only have three wires see image below. This switch wont work but there are other automation switches that dont require a neutral. I think leviton makes an onoff switch that doesnt need one and some of the older ge dimmers dont require it. I checked and i have a neutral there.
Wemo light switch installation no neutral.