Getting Good Quality Electrical Connections with the Insteon 2477S Switchlinc On/Off Relay and Keypads

Now that Smarthome has upgraded the rating of its Switchlinc Relays and Keypads to 15A current capacity, the size of the leads have increased to 12Ga. This has caused a bit of difficulting with installing these new devices - the leads are thicker and less flexible, and take more space in the electrical box reducing the space for marettes. The devices themselves, now dual band (wireless and powerline) are now larger also, so the box becomes a tight fit. This makes good quality mechanical connections even more important.

Here's a tip on how to get a good connection with those larger 12ga leads and standard 14ga house wiring:

Note the piece of paper protecting the paint on the drywall when installing these Insteon Switches

Wrap the 14ga copper house wiring around the 12ga Insteon lead - which has almost no flexibility / ductility. This will allow you to get a good mechanical connection before installing the Marette to hold and insulate the connection.