What Is an Air Switch? Wide Rocker Modular Switches Explained

Air switch: the short answer

In modular switch boards, an air switch is a 2 module switch with large, flat rockers that press with a light touch. It comes in two forms: two switches side by side on one 2M module, often called a 2 module 2 switch, or a single wide rocker filling the whole 2M space. Either way it looks cleaner and is easier to press than a row of small 1M switches.

The name is about the look and feel, not about air. An air switch is an ordinary on/off switch inside, rated in amps like any other, wired the same way and fitted into a standard modular plate.

We make an Air range in our VIZA series, in the grey and matt black line, from the V1291 2 module 2 switch at ₹165 MRP to the V1346 32A air DP switch with indicator at ₹460. This guide explains what an air switch is, what 2 module 2 switch means, the ratings and models we make, where they suit best, how they compare with our KEMPS Aster 2M switches, and the other products people mean by “air switch”.

What is an air switch?

An air switch is a modular switch with an oversized, flat rocker on a 2 module body, either as two switches side by side or as one wide switch, designed to look sleek on the board and to operate with a soft, light press, while inside it works exactly like any other 1 way, 2 way, bell push or DP switch.

What sets it apart:

2 module body Large flat rocker Light press Clean, flush look

What does not change: the wiring, the rating rules and the plate. An air switch needs the same phase and load wires as a normal switch, must be rated at or above its load, and clips into a standard base plate in a 2M slot.

In our catalogue the range is headed 10/20 amp 2M Air switches, in the VIZA grey and matt black line. Our types of electrical switches page covers the other switch types, and the VIZA modular page shows the series.

What does 2 module 2 switch mean?

A 2 module 2 switch is a single modular part, 2 modules wide, that carries two independent switches with their own rockers, so it gives you two switches in the space of one 2M slot, the same width as two ordinary 1M switches, but as one neat unit with matching wide rockers.

How it counts on a board:

1 part 2 modules wide 2 switches 2 loads

Each of the two switches controls its own load, for example a light and a fan, and each has its own terminals. Combinations are common: two 1 way switches, a 1 way with a 2 way, a 1 way with a bell push, or a 10AX with a 20AX.

Our VIZA Air twin models are listed as 2M, 2 switch: V1291 to V1298. When you plan a plate, count each as 2 modules. Our 1 module and 2 module switches guide covers module counts, and the plate size calculator adds them up.

Air switch vs normal modular switch: what is different?

An air switch differs from a normal modular switch in its face, not its function: its rockers are larger and flatter and need a lighter press, it is built on a 2 module body, and it costs more than a plain 1M switch, while the rating, wiring and fitting into the base plate follow the same rules as any modular switch.

Side by side:

Rocker: larger, flatter Press: lighter Size: 2M Price: higher Wiring: same

The look is the main reason people choose it. A board of air switches has fewer, larger rockers, which reads as cleaner on a modern wall, especially with a dark or metallic plate. The lighter press helps elderly users and children.

The trade-off is cost and space. Two 1M switches and one 2M twin take the same width, but the twin costs more. Our modular vs normal switch guide covers the wider comparison.

Is an air switch the same as a wide rocker switch?

A single air switch, with one rocker across the full 2 module width, is a wide rocker switch, and that is the version to choose for a geyser, a 2 way staircase point, a bell push or a DP switch, where one large rocker is easier to find and press than a small 1M switch.

Our single-rocker Air models, all 2M:

V1341: 20AX 1 way V1343: 20AX with indicator V1344: bell push V1346: 32A DP, indicator

A wide rocker is easier in the dark, at a bedside or by a door, and for anyone with limited grip. That is why we suggest it in our electrical safety for elderly at home guide.

The 32A air DP switch with indicator, V1346, is the Air version of the DP switch used for an AC or geyser; our DP switch guide explains when you need one.

Which air switches do we make, 2 module 2 switch?

We make eight VIZA Air 2 module 2 switch models, from the V1291 1 way twin at ₹165 MRP to the V1297 20AX 2 way twin at ₹325, covering two 1 way switches, two 2 way switches, mixed 1 way and 2 way, 1 way with bell push, and a 10AX with a 20AX.

The V1291 is the everyday choice for a light and a fan. The V1295 pairs a light switch with a heavier 20AX side. See VIZA product gallery for photos.

Single air switches and the air DP switch: prices

Our single-rocker VIZA Air switches, each one wide rocker on a 2M body, run from ₹200 MRP for the V1344 air bell push to ₹235 for the V1343 20AX 1 way with indicator, with the V1346 32A air DP switch with indicator at ₹460 for an AC or geyser point.

A wide-rocker bell push by the door is easy to find. Doorbells are in our door bell guide.

What ratings do air switches come in?

Our air switches come in 20AX for 1 way, 2 way and indicator models, 32A for the double pole air switch, and a mixed 10AX and 20AX twin, while the lighter twin models V1291 to V1294 are for lights and fans, and the exact rating should be read on the module, as on any switch.

By model, from our catalogue:

20AX: V1296, V1297, V1298 20AX: V1341 to V1343 10AX + 20AX: V1295 32A DP: V1346

The AX means the rating also covers lamp loads with a switch-on surge, such as LED drivers. Our AX rating guide explains it. The lighter twins, V1291 to V1294, are 10AX in our catalogue, for lights and fans.

The rule does not change with the style: a switch rated at or above its load, a 20A switch for a 16A socket, and a DP switch for an AC.

Where does an air switch suit best?

An air switch suits places where the look of the board matters or where a larger, lighter rocker helps, such as living rooms, bedrooms and bedsides, entrances, staircases with 2 way switching, and homes with elderly people or children, while a utility room or store usually gains nothing over standard 1M switches.

Good places for air switches:

Living room Bedside Entrance Staircase 2 way Elderly users

Less benefit:

Store room Utility, wash area

For staircases, the V1292 2 way twin at ₹300 gives two 2 way switches on one 2M module. The wiring is explained in our 2 way switch wiring diagram guide.

For board heights and positions by room, see our switch board height from floor guide.

VIZA Air vs KEMPS Aster 2M: which 2 module switch?

Both our VIZA Air and KEMPS Aster ranges offer 2 module 2 switch and single 2M switch models with the same kinds of combinations, so the choice is mainly the look of the series and its plates, with Aster 2M switches priced a little below or near the matching VIZA Air model.

Matching pairs, at MRP:

10AX + 20AX: K175 ₹216 V1295 ₹255 20AX twin: K176 ₹282 V1296 ₹310

20AX single: K181 ₹185 V1341 ₹210 32A DP: K186 ₹451 V1346 ₹460

KEMPS prices here are our white line; VIZA Air is the grey and matt black line. Choose the series whose plate you want: the KEMPS Aster plates or the VIZA plates. Our KEMPS vs VIZA vs VIYONA comparison sets out the series.

Air switch price vs two 1M switches

A 2 module 2 switch air unit costs more than two plain 1M switches in the same slot: our VIZA V1291 twin is ₹165 MRP against ₹124 for two VIZA V1215 10A 1M switches in the same grey line, so the extra ₹41 pays for the look and the wider, lighter rockers rather than any electrical difference.

The comparison, both 2M of board space:

Two V1215: ₹124 One V1291 twin: ₹165 Same plate size

On a whole home the gap adds up, so many people use air switches on the boards people see, living room and entrance, and standard 1M switches elsewhere. That keeps the cost down without changing the plates.

For a full board priced at MRP, see our modular switch board price guide.

Other meanings of air switch: what we do not make

Outside modular switch boards, air switch can also mean a pneumatic push button that switches a load through a small air tube, used on spa baths and some kitchen appliances, or an air circuit breaker used in large industrial panels, and we make neither of these.

Three different products, one name:

Modular air switch: we make Pneumatic air button: not ours Air circuit breaker: not ours

A pneumatic air switch keeps the electrics away from water, which is why spa baths use one. An air circuit breaker is a high-current breaker for commercial and industrial boards, far above home use. For home circuit protection, see our isolator vs MCB guide; for large breakers, MCB vs MCCB.

If you are buying for a home switch board, the air switch you want is the modular kind.