Pro tip: The switches will be identified by a label on the common terminal and/or the terminal screw will be a different color. Here are step by step instructions on how to wire up a three way lighting circuit or to change a existing two way light circuit to a three way system, this is very useful on stairs etc. as you can have a switch at the bottom of the stairs and one at each end of the landing. Ensure the electricity is isolated before working on any electrical circuit! For three way switching you need a special light switch with 4 terminals, this is called a intermediate switch and is easily identifiable. You will also need two light switches that are "two way", these will have three terminals.

To add the switch, you’ll use one of two wiring a light switch diagrams (shown below), depending on whether the power comes to your light switch first (the most common situation) or to the light fixture first. Either way, follow these five steps for 3-way light switch wiring: A panel is simply put the control surface for your lights. Depending on what kind of switches you have right now, you’ll probably need a single or dual panel. Sometimes more. Single panels are square 86mm x 86mm, dual panels are wider 156mm x 86mm. You have two clusters of lights in your bathroom, a set in the ceiling and a set around the mirror. These are controlled from a single panel with two buttons on it. The first button controls the ceiling lights, the second button controls the mirror lights. This is a 2-gang switch. If you’re replacing older switches, these are often 1-gang each. If you have lots lights controlled from a single panel, this means you have really wide (and ugly) panels. I personally suggest replacing these wider panels with multi-gang single panels and filling in the old gaps in. This is a really easy way to clean up and modernize your living spaces.You add a ventilation fan to your bathroom that you can turn on and off from the same panel as your ceiling lights and mirror lights. You do this from a single panel with three buttons on it. This is called a 3-gang switch. You have a light in your closet, controlled from a single panel, with a single button on it. This is a 1-gang switch Let’s start with ways. A ‘way’ is a term for how many switches are controlling the same light. The most simple switch is a standard 1-way on/off switch. Most of the lights in your house will likely be controlled by these 1-way switches. A 1-way switch can have 1, 2, or 3-gangs (we’ll get to gangs in a bit), or have a single dimmer switch.

So now you know your stuff about ways, gangs, panels and switches! Every house is a little different in how it’s wired and can differ in what you want and where you want it. But it’s really just about understanding what you want to do and what the terms are so you can find the exact product you need. We have a 30-day return policy, which means you have 30 days after receiving your item to request a return. Pro tip: It’s likely you’ll also need to replace the existing switch box with a larger one to accommodate the extra wires for the 3 way switch.

Introduction

A panel can have multiple ‘gangs’ on it, or a single dimmer with on/off, brighter and darker buttons. Gangs are just an electricians way of saying ‘light or groups of lights on a single circuit’. Your standard ceiling lamp is a ‘gang’ but the cluster of LED’s in your bathroom can also a gang. A panel can have up to 3 gangs on it, which means it will also have 3 buttons on it, each for a single gang. Some examples: Some of your lights may be controlled by 2-way switches. A 2-way switch means two separate switches control the same light. They always work in pairs (or more). Examples of 2-way switches are a light in your hallway controlled by switches at each end, or a light in your stairwell controlled by a switch at the top and bottom of the stairs. Confusingly, a 2-way switch is also sometime called a 3-way switch, multi-way switch or hotel switch.