bticino Living Now: installation, wall boxes and sets

bticino Living Now is a switch with flat, edge-to-edge keys that looks like part of the wall. Each switch is assembled from several parts - a mechanism, a cover and a cover plate - and before you order it is important to know what wall boxes you have, because the Living Now mounting frame is fixed with screws only. Here we explain the design, the colours, the installation and how to put a set together.

What Living Now is

bticino is an Italian brand founded in Milan in 1936 and part of the Legrand group since 1989. Living Now is its premium series - a new generation of switches and sockets with a flat surface and precise lines. The design received an Honourable Mention at the XXVI Compasso d'Oro ADI 2020 - the oldest international design award.

• Full Touch Controls - a patented system: you can press the key anywhere - in the centre, at the top or at the bottom - and it always returns perfectly aligned.
• More room for functions - the keys run edge to edge across the frame, with no visible gaps.
• An optional slim LED line - helps you find the switch in the dark.
• Fits a standard installation - both the standard and the smart mechanisms, with no extra wiring.

All the mechanisms, covers, colours and cover plates in the series are in the Living Now catalogue (PDF, in Bulgarian) - have a look before you choose.

What a Living Now switch is made of

Living Now is the only one of the three bticino series in which each mechanism has its own separate cover. That is why a switch is assembled from five parts:

1. Wall box in the wall - round (German standard) or rectangular (Italian).
2. Mounting frame - screwed to the wall box. For a round box it is K4702 (2 modules).
3. Mechanisms - a switch takes 1 module, a USB charger 1 module, a Schuko socket 2 modules.
4. A cover for each mechanism - white, cream or black: switch K4001 + cover KG01, USB K4191AC + cover KG13C, socket KG4141 + cover KG04 (in black).
5. Cover plate - the visible frame around the keys, clipped on last.

Colours: 3 covers and 16 cover plates

The covers come in three colours - white (KW), cream (KM) and black (KG) - with a satin finish that is pleasant to the touch. The letters in the code show the colour: KW01 is a white switch cover, KG01 a black one.

There are 16 cover plates in three materials: technopolymer, metal (zamak) and natural wood. Any cover plate can be combined with covers in any colour.

Tone	Cover plates (code suffix)
White	White KW, Ice DW, Sky DA, Pixel MW (technopolymer); Gold ZW, Moon NW (metal)
Cream	Cream KM, Aura DM, Illusion MM (technopolymer); Copper ZM (metal); Oak LM (wood)
Black	Black KG, Night DG (technopolymer); Cosmos NG, Steel ZG (metal); Walnut LG (wood)

The code is made up of the size and the colour: KA4802KG is a black cover plate for 2 modules, KA4802M2LG a 2+2 module cover plate in walnut. The metal and wooden cover plates are not mass-produced, so there may be a slight difference in tone between batches.

German or Italian wall boxes

In Bulgaria the standard (BDS) is the round wall box with screws 60 mm apart - the German standard. It takes a 2-module mounting frame. The Italian standard is the rectangular box: 503E (3 modules), 504E (4) and 506L (6 modules in one row).

• German standard: each wall box gets a K4702 mounting frame. Two or more boxes are set 71 mm apart, centre to centre, and covered with a shared 2+2, 2+2+2 or 2+2+2+2 module cover plate - horizontally or vertically.
• Italian standard: K4703, K4704 and K4706 mounting frames and KA4803, KA4804, KA4806 cover plates.

Important with round wall boxes: the position of the screws

The K4702 mounting frame is supplied without screws and is fixed with the wall box's own screws - there is no version with claws. Its slots allow the wall box screws to be horizontal or vertical. If the box has been set in at an angle, is old or has no screws, the frame cannot be fixed properly.

How to put a set together

An example for a round wall box: a K4702 mounting frame, two 1-module mechanisms, two covers and a 2-module cover plate. If you like, you can add the LN4743/230T LED to the switch for the illuminated line.

If the wall box will hold just one switch of 1 module, two blank half-modules K4949 go on either side and a 2-module cover goes on top. Another option is the wide K4001M2A switch. A Schuko socket takes up the full 2 modules on its own.

A switch, a USB charger and a socket together make 4 modules - they go into two round wall boxes 71 mm apart, each with its own mounting frame, under a shared 2+2 cover plate:

Example sets

What you want	Modules	Wall boxes	Cover plate
One switch	1M + 2 × K4949	1 round	2M
Two switches	1M + 1M	1 round	2M
Switch + USB	1M + 1M	1 round	2M
Schuko socket	2M	1 round	2M
Switch + USB + Schuko	1M + 1M + 2M	2 round, 71 mm apart	2+2M
Three switches in a row	3 × 1M	Italian 503E + K4703	KA4803

Plan the wall boxes in advance

If your renovation is just starting, decide now where the switches, sockets, USB chargers and smart buttons will go. The electrician can then fit exactly the number and type of wall boxes you need, with the screws horizontal or vertical. Ideally they should be at least 50 mm deep - that leaves room for the smart mechanisms too. The mounting frame comes with a protective cap that keeps the mechanisms clean while the walls are painted.

Smart home with Living Now with Netatmo

The smart version looks just like the standard switches, but controls the lights, blinds and sockets both from your phone (the Home + Control app) and by voice - Apple HomeKit, Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa. The smart mechanisms are installed in place of the standard ones and need live and neutral in the wall box; the connection is wireless via a gateway from the series. There are also battery-powered wireless switches that stick onto the wall.

Free consultation

Send us a photo of your wall boxes or a plan of the rooms and we will tell you which mounting frames, mechanisms, covers and cover plates to order - with no unnecessary parts. Call us on +359 877 259 295 or e-mail info@ava-lighting.com. We also design complete electrical layouts.

Read more: bticino Living Now: design that disappears into the wall, intelligence that stays and bticino Light Now: installation and sets.

Frequently asked questions

Will Living Now fit my old round wall boxes?

Yes, as long as the wall box screws are horizontal or vertical. The K4702 mounting frame is fixed only with the wall box screws, so if the screws are angled or missing, the wall box has to be replaced.

Why is there a separate cover?

With Living Now the mechanism and the cover are bought separately so that you can choose the colour - white, cream or black. That is why every switch, USB charger and socket also needs a cover.

How many modules fit in one round wall box?

Two: two switches, a switch and a USB charger, or one Schuko socket. For a single 1-module switch you add two blank half-modules K4949.

Can I put a switch, a USB charger and a socket in one frame?

Yes - in two round wall boxes 71 mm apart with a 2+2 cover plate, or in an Italian 4-module wall box.

What is Living Now with Netatmo?

The smart version of the series - controlled from an app and by voice, in the same design as the standard switches.