Ways & Gangs, Panels & Switches Explained
Tags: Lighting, Lighting Control, Smart Home, Smart Home Automation

Ways & Gangs, Panels & Switches Explained

The 1-minute explanation

Ways are how many switches control the same light

1-way means a single switch for a single light

2-way means two separate switches controlling a single light

Gangs are how many lights (or groups of lights aka circuits) can be controlled from a panel

1-gang has a single button to control a single light

2-gang has 2 buttons each controlling a separate light

3-gang has 3 buttons etc.

A panel is the physical surface for controlling your lights

A panel can have multiple ‘gangs’ on it, or a single dimmer with on/off, brighter and darker buttons.

A single panel is square in shape, 86mm x 86mm and has a single switch

A dual panel is rectangular in shape, 156mm x 86mm, and has two switches

A switch is the electronic control mechanism behind the panel

A switch can be 1, 2, or 3-gang

Alternatively, a switch can be a dimmer with three buttons: on/off, brighter, and darker

The long read

Manufacturers don’t really use the same naming for the way their products work which leads to a lot of confusion regarding ways, gangs, panels, and switches. We’re going to clear that up for you. We’ll also include images explaining some of these concepts that you can also find in the product description in our lighting store.

Ways

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.

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.

There are two ways in the smart-switch world to have 2-way switches. One is the traditional way where both switches are wired to the light and each other. Another way has a primary and secondary switch only the primary switch is connected to the light and the secondary switch is wirelessly connected to the primary switch. I prefer the traditional way because it still functions even if your WiFi goes down but there are cases where the primary-secondary setup is useful, for example if you don’t have the control wire connecting the two switches.

We carry the traditional version, but if you really need the primary/secondary version reach out to us and I’ll special order them.

Gangs

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:

You have a light in your closet, controlled from a single panel, with a single button on it. This is a 1-gang switch

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.

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.

Ways & Gangs

There are a few scenarios where you may need a 2-way, 2-gang (or even 3-gang) switch. In my house I have hallway lights upstairs and downstairs. I can control both sets of hallway lights from two separate panels, one upstairs and one downstairs. Each panel has 2 buttons on it. This is a 2-way, 2-gang example.

Panels

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.

A panel can have up to three buttons on it. They can come in either 1, 2, or 3 gang configurations or with a dimmer 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.

Switches

A switch is the control mechanism behind the panel. A switch can be 1, 2, or 3-gang. Alternatively, you can have a dimmer switch with on/off, brighter, and darker buttons. We don’t carry, and haven’t found, dimmer switches that are more than 1-way or 1-gang. The switch is also the part that you connect to your wiring. The switches we carry all require at least 3 wires, a L (Line), N (Neutral), and L1 (Load) wire.The Line wire is the wire that comes into the switch from your electrical box. It carries power to the switch. The L1 (L2, L3) wire(s) are the Load wires and carry power from the switch to the light.The Neutral wire completes the circuit and allows the switch itself to be powered. This is also why your lights have a Neutral wire but the wiring to your switch may be missing it. Older mechanical switches didn’t need a Neutral wire because that switch isn’t powered. If you need to bring a Neutral wire to your switch, this requires a bit of elbow grease and fish tape (aka wire snake).Now you know!

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.

And if you have any questions about what you need, contact me and just let me know! I’m Happy to help.