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I'm trying to replace my light switch with a new one. The switch has two switches on it. The replacement switch I bought has two switches but is slightly different than the old one. This as far as I can work out is because the bottom switch is a two way switch. Will I be able to use this new switch?

Old Switch

New Switch

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  • You can use a 3 way switch for a 2 way. Are you sure it is a 2 way I see 3 sets of wires on each switch. Over here in the US many times I find a white wire used as a traveler for a 3 way and not marked. – Ed Beal Mar 15 '16 at 13:09
  • You need to turn your screwdriver upside down. – jqning Apr 20 '16 at 1:58
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Yes; just wire it up as it is now. The terminals should be labeled the same.

Note that US/Canada and the rest of the world have different definitions for 2/3 way - in Aus, 'two way' means a light that is controlled by two switches, while in the US, that would be called 'three way', because each switch has three connections.

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    The UK also uses the same terms as Aussies - two-way switches normally means two switches controlling one light. In electrical engineering terms, we call a Single Pole Double Throw (SPDT) switch a "two-way" switch. – RedGrittyBrick Apr 19 '16 at 9:11

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