Glossary
Intermediate switch (conmutador de cruce)
A four-terminal switch fitted between two two-way switches so the same light can be turned on and off from three or more points. One is added for each extra point. In US English it is a four-way switch.
What a conmutador de cruce is
A conmutador de cruce or cruzamiento lets you control a light from a third point, or a fourth, or a fifth. British electricians call it an intermediate switch; Americans, a four-way switch. From the front it looks like any other switch, but behind it has four terminals instead of two or three.
How it works
A normal two-way setup has two conmutadores joined by two wires called strappers (travelers in the US). The intermediate switch sits on those wires: in one position it passes them straight through and in the other it crosses them, so any switch in the chain changes the state of the light.
- The live arrives at the first two-way switch.
- Two strappers run to the intermediate switch.
- Two more run from it to the second two-way switch, or to another intermediate.
- The switched wire leaves the second two-way switch for the light.
Where it is used
Long hallways with three doors, bedrooms with a switch at the door and one on each side of the bed, stairs in duplexes and three-storey houses, and large living rooms with several entrances.
Intermediate switch or relay
Each one needs four wires in its box, and with several points the boxes fill up. From three or four points, a latching relay (telerruptor) with push buttons in parallel, or a presence detector, usually makes more sense.
Cost
If the conduits have room, the new wires are pulled without building work. As a guide, each switch costs 30 to 50 euros and a new chased line 80 to 150 euros, plus VAT. See handyman electrician in Seville, Spain.
Related services
Extra sockets and lights
We install extra sockets in your apartment in Seville, Spain where you now use power strips, new light points, two-way switches, USB, data and TV sockets, and new lines for appliances that need them. It is one of the jobs most requested when moving into a new-build home or rearranging the furniture.
Motion sensors and dimmers
Motion sensor and dimmer installation in Seville, Spain, together with dusk-to-dawn switches and timers, means lights come on only when they are needed and at just the right level. You save in stairwells, entrance halls, garages, hallways and gardens, and gain comfort at home.
Need an electrician in Seville, Spain?
Call us or send a WhatsApp message with a photo of the job. You get a fixed quote before any work starts.