This guide will lead you how to wire your illumino Dimmer Switch as a 3-way switch to your existing gang-box and lighting. This guide is a expansion of the illumino Dimmer Switch user guide.



What you'll need in this guide.

  • Voltage Tester
  • Screwdriver
  • illumino Dimmer Switch
  • Extra wire caps just in case.
  • 2x additional White Wires cut to the proper length you need. 



General US color coding for wires.

  • NOTE - The colors of these wires are typical for US installations, but it may not be the case for your home. If the colors in your own home do not match, please contact a professional electrician to determine if this is possible. 
    • Black = AC Live or Load input
    • White = AC Neutral
    • Red = Traveler wire
    • Bare copper = Ground (not used in this guide - can be connected in the top ground port of the illumino if used).


External Switch compatibility.


Illumino Dimmer Switch is compatible to many types of mechanical external switches, the only switch type that cannot work as an external switch is a dimmer/rotator switch.


You can utilize these switches as a external control of your illumino Dimmer Switch.

  • Toggle Switch (single pole)
  • Momentary push button (NO or NC)
  • 3-way toggle switch
  • 4-way toggle switch



Load compatibility.


illumino Dimmer Switch isn't compatible with all lighting, Below is a list of all the bulb types that are compatible with Dimmer Switch.

  • Incandescent bulbs
  • Halogen bulbs
  • Trailing-Edge Dimmable LED Bulb

Some LED Bulbs are Leading Edge instead of Trailing Edge, if a dimmable LED bulb is flickering it is highly likely that the bulb is Leading Edge or not dimmable.


These bulb types are not compatible:

  • Leading-Edge Dimmable LED Bulbs
  • Low Voltage Lighting
  • Smart LED Bulbs (WiFi, Zigbee, or Z-Wave as these devices have their own dimming circuits)


Unfortunately, most bulbs are not explicit about what type of dimming property they use in dimmable LED bulbs, but fortunately, most bulbs are Trailing Edge.



How to fit wires into illumino Dimmer Switch.



3-way wiring diagram.


There are 2 methods to wiring a 3-way switch to the 2 general or standard 3-way switch methods. You can wire the illumino Dimmer Switch in the gangbox away from the light, or close to the light itself. 


Wiring may be easier depending on what wiring is already available in each of the gang-boxes. 




Textual steps for wiring your Dimmer Switch.


Safety Steps.

  1. Turn off the circuit breaker connected to the lighting that you are trying to wire.
  2. Remove the faceplate
  3. Unscrew your old external switch from the wall. (Do not remove wires yet unless you know what you're doing)
  4. Pull out the external switch a little bit and make sure there are no wires touching each other.
  5. Turn on the circuit breaker.


Determine your wires.

  1. Make sure the the external switch is OFF and the light is OFF. 
  2. Move the Voltage Tester nearby each terminal
    • NOTE - The colors of these wires are typical of wiring, but it may not be the case for your home. If the colors in your own home do not match, please contact a professional electrician to determine if this is possible. 
      • Black Wire = No voltage detection is the Load Wire.
      • Black Wire = Voltage detected is AC Live Wire.
      • White Wire = AC Neutral
      • Red Wire = Traveler from 3-way external switch.
  3. Now turn off the circuit breaker
  4. Ensure there is no voltage across both black wires.
  5. Mark the 2 black wires to easily determine which is the Load and which is the AC Live wire. We recommend using electrical tape of different colors to help indicate that.


Wire your illumino Dimmer Switch.

  1. Unscrew all wires from the external switch you are replacing with illumino Dimmer Switch.
  2. Wire Traveler Wire (red wire) into the Traveler terminal.
  3. Wire AC Live into the Line terminal in illumino Dimmer Switch.
  4. Wire Load Wire (black) into the Load terminal in illumino Dimmer Switch.
  5. Wire both AC Neutral Wires (white) into the Neutral terminal in illumino Dimmer Switch. 
  6. With the 3rd white wire, connect that to the Neutral terminal on illumino Dimmer Switch.


Rewire your 3-way switch.

  1. Unwire the Black wire from the external switch and directly connect it with a CAP to the Load. 
  2. Connect a 3rd additional white wire to the COM terminal of the external switch.
    1. Wire the other end to neutral and cap off the neutral connection together. 
  3. You may leave the red wire in the original wiring location. 
  4. Now turn on power from your circuit breaker and test.