Euro Modules

It's common enough but in practice, using the faceplate of one manufacturer with the switches of another one (and often, even another range of the same manufacturer) never looks good.

In fact I think that the very example in this page, at the bottom, with a silver faceplate and plain white modules, shows it quite well.

I'm also not sure, and interested. Sometimes modules fit together, sometimes not. However, there are nicer examples of this concept. My personal favorite, with an online switch configurator: https://www.tem-si.com/

I love this setups because you can easily retrofit a switch with a motion sensor, not needing to drill new holes or add cables.

LeGrand's Mosaic range is very similar. I would also be interested to know if there is a standard (although I suspect not).

https://www.legrand.fr/catalogue/interrupteurs-et-prises/mos...

It's a cute idea but Mosaic is quite expensive. Also, you still must take into account safety regulations eg adequately separating low and high voltage wiring behind the faceplate.

A lot of companies build these types of systems in Europe. We have Vi-Ko (recently sold to Panasonic) and other local manufacturers which sell similar systems.

I’m more used to modular sockets/faceplates, but with a small strip of separation between each socket/switch.

Personally, I’m using https://www.berker.com/de/e-katalog/schalterprogramme-und-ge... in my apartment.

Previously Gira switches/sockets were installed, which are sadly just slightly out of spec.

This isn't a European standard, I believe it originally came from Germany and a lot of other countries followed suite. In these countries the electrical installation boxes are usually circular with a 60mm spacing between mounting screws [1]. Compared to the UK which uses square boxes and US which has rectangular boxes, this is probably because walls in Europe are usually made from masonry (and often concrete) and it's much easier to drill a round hole than a square hole. The boxes themselves are plastic. If you want multiple you can just place multiple single units next to each other, or you can get installation boxes that are multiple units too.

I believe one of the first companies to come out with the idea of mounting them in multiple 'units' was Gira with their "System 55" line. [2] The switch / socket / dimmer / whatever, called an insert, goes into the installation box and usually screws in with at least two screws. The part that is exposed is usually 55mm (hence the name), and a frame fits snugly over the top, covering the screws. It's worth noting that this isn't a standard, and they are not always interchangable between manufacturers - for example the spacing between frame may be slightly different. In my apartment for some reason the electrician decided to use a different manufacturer for some switches, and they often catch on the frame and aren't as smooth to operate. The frame just snaps in place over the top, so often it's tricky to get all the inserts aligned properly for it to fit correctly.

When you buy them from a hardware store you buy the insert and the face plate seperately. There's usually a few different colours to choose from, in my country the hardware stores sell white, ivory and anthracite, but if you go to a specialist electrical retailer they will have more to choose from. For example Busch-Jaeger has over 10 different designs to choose from [3]. Some manufacturers even sell the switch plates - the bit you touch - seperately from the insert. This makes more sense if you think about commercial installations, where you may have different printed symbols on the plates, but behind it's all the same. It's also worth mentioning that the inserts are not just limited to switches or sockets, you can get heating controllers, radios, motion sensors, smart home controllers, etc [4].

[1] https://www.lichted.de/led/montageanleitung-zum-einbau-von-u...

[2] https://www.gira.com/en/en/inspirations/systems/gira-system-...

[3] https://www.busch-jaeger.de/en/products/switch-designs

[4] https://www.jung.de/en/623/products/technology/

I also find it an unusual submission, but here in the UK I am unfamiliar with modularity for wall sockets. They usually come as single integrated units even if they have things like USB added. The UK has very (re)strict(ive) electrical standards though.

Here's an example of the style of perhaps 95%+ of sockets you'd see in UK homes nowadays: https://www.diy.com/departments/electrical-security/switches...

I explained here: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29340489

Basically I think they're great, they're relatively common here (UK) but I think not in North America, I'm curious if there's an actual standard behind them, think there should be, and that everyone should use them.

The discussion going on in the Museum of Plugs & Sockets thread about people's favourite socket 'I wish everyone used X' could be resolved as 'fit your preferred Euromodule socket'! (BS1363 are available at least, 2U modules.)

In North America, as far as I know there are a few modular standards at different sizes, so definitely not new as a concept. For small things like Ethernet, USB, and coaxial there is the keystone standard which is common and very cheap [0], and for larger things like switches there are standardized rectangular "gangs" that fit larger modules, including keystone plates.

0: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keystone_wall_plate