1 way or 2 way light switch
Updated: October 2026
The stair light dies halfway down because the new plate at the bottom is 1-way and the plate at the top is still waiting for a partner. Count the positions that already control that one light, then buy that mechanism. Gang is a different count: it is how many rockers share one face. This page is only the scheme, and which of these amazon.co.uk plates is which. Prices and finishes stay on the [light switch sockets comparison](/hub/electrical-equipment/light-switch-sockets). There is no full strapper diagram here. Figures are amazon.co.uk captures from 21 October 2026.
The stair light dies halfway down because the new plate at the bottom is 1-way and the plate at the top is still waiting for a partner. Count the positions that already control that one light, then buy that mechanism.
The stair light dies halfway down because the new plate at the bottom is 1-way and the plate at the top is still waiting for a partner. Count the positions that already control that one light, then buy that mechanism. Gang is a different count: it is how many rockers share one face. This page is only the scheme, and which of these amazon.co.uk plates is which. Prices and finishes stay on the light switch sockets comparison. There is no full strapper diagram here. Figures are amazon.co.uk captures from 21 October 2026.
Our top picks
| Badge | Product | Switching | Gang | Finish | Note | Price | Offer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall |  Knightsbridge Knightsbridge CU1000 1-gang 1-way switch | 1-way | 1 gang | White | 9.4 | about £3.99 | View offer |
| Best value |  Knightsbridge Knightsbridge CU2000 1-gang 2-way switch | 2-way | 1 gang | White | 9.4 | about £3.00 | View offer |
 BG BG intermediate switch, brushed steel, NBS13 | Intermediate | 1 gang | Brushed steel | 9.4 | about £5.99 | View offer |
Gang is not way
A double plate looks like more switch, and it is, in the sense of more rockers. BG NBS42 and BG NAB42 are each two gangs, and each gang is 2-way. That is two circuits, or two groups of lights, on one faceplate. It is not two positions of one light, and it is not the intermediate you need on a landing.
Buying NAB42 because the stair needs two ways puts an antique-brass double where a single 2-way belonged. Way answers how many places can turn this light on. Gang answers how many rockers are on this plate. The wider order is the buying guide.
One position or two
One position is a bedroom, a cupboard, or any light with a single plate and no partner elsewhere. Knightsbridge CU1000 at £3.99 is the only plate in this set titled 1-way only. It cannot serve two positions. Skip it on a stair. A 2-way plate can serve one position. Usual UK trade practice is to use COM and L1 and leave L2 unused. CU2000 is titled 2-way and does not repeat that sentence. Do not read the silence as a ban on one-position use.
Two positions need two 2-way plates, one at each end. A top-and-bottom stair is that case. A 1-way plate at either end will not complete the pair. You buy two of them, not one double. The best-value white 2-way on this amazon capture is CU2000 at £3.00, 4.6 from 1,579 reviews. Metal 2-way singles still have to be 2-way, not merely metal.
Three positions
A landing switch, or any third place that also controls the same light, changes the middle plate. The two ends stay 2-way. The middle becomes an intermediate. BG NBS13 at £5.99 is the intermediate in this set. The title says intermediate. An attribute row says circuit type 2-way. Follow the title. Three or more positions use one intermediate for each middle position, with 2-way plates kept at the ends. They do not use three intermediate plates.
A normal stair with only two switches does not get an NBS13 at all. Filling all three holes with CU2000 leaves a position that will not do the intermediate job. If you cannot tell which of the three boxes is the middle, stop. American listings call a two-position switch a 3-way switch. That name is not the UK intermediate, and it is not NBS13.
What this table will not do
This twelve will not dim the lamps and it will not join a Wi-Fi app. An attribute row that mentions Wi-Fi is not a feature of these titles. There is no pull-cord, so a bathroom zone is outside this mechanism choice. There is no 2-gang intermediate. If the middle position is a double plate because two lights pass through that landing, this table does not contain that part.
The table also will not earth a metal plate for you. Once the way is settled, a brass or steel face still needs a circuit protective conductor. Fitting, including isolation, is the how to replace a light switch page. Leave the intermediate in the basket unless a third position is really on the wall.
Common questions
What does gang mean if way means positions?
Gang is the number of rockers on that one plate. Way is the number of positions that control one light. A 2-gang 2-way plate, such as NBS42, can switch two lights from that location, and each of those lights can also be 2-way if the other ends exist. It does not, by itself, give one light two positions.
I have a switch at the top and bottom. Which plates?
Two 2-way plates. In white, that can be two CU2000 plates at £3.00 each. It can be two metal 2-way singles if the finish matches and an earth is present. It is not one double plate, and it is not CU1000. It is not NBS13. Fit like for like only after you have isolated the circuit.
There is also a switch on the landing. What changes?
The landing, if it is a third position for the same light, takes the intermediate. The top and bottom stay 2-way. NBS13 is the brushed-steel intermediate at £5.99. You do not convert all three plates to intermediate, and you do not add a third 2-way plate and hope. If you are unsure which box is an end, stop.
Is a double switch the same as 2-way?
No. Double means two gangs. 2-way means two positions. NBS42 and NAB42 happen to be both double and 2-way, which is why the titles are easy to misread as the stair switch. A 1-gang 2-way plate is the ordinary stair plate. A 2-gang 1-way plate would be two lights from one place only, and this set does not use that title. Read the gang number and the way number as separate words.
Is a UK intermediate the American 3-way switch?
No. In US usage a 3-way switch is the plate used in pairs for two positions, which is what Britain calls 2-way. The UK intermediate is the extra plate in the middle when there are three or more positions. NBS13 is that middle plate. Ordering an American 3-way, or calling NBS13 a 3-way, mixes two naming systems and usually sends the wrong mechanism.
Related pages
Sources
Public UK sources are listed below. Shelf prices and star lines are the amazon.co.uk figures checked on 21 October 2026.
- Electrical Safety First: What is notifiable work? (retrieved 21 October 2026)
- IET: BS 7671 18th Edition wiring regulations (retrieved 21 October 2026)
- IET: Section 701, locations containing a bath or shower (retrieved 21 October 2026)
- BEAMA: Load ratings for manually operated functional switches (retrieved 21 October 2026)
- BSI: BS EN 60669-1:2018 scope (retrieved 21 October 2026)
- B&Q: How to replace a light switch (retrieved 21 October 2026)
- Homebuilding: Types of light switches (retrieved 21 October 2026)
- amazon.co.uk listings for these plates (retrieved 21 October 2026)