6 Lights controlled individually, two switches…One possibility would be to use Philips Hue to give you control of individual lights (from HA, Philips Hue App, etc.), and use Lutron Aurora or RunLessWire for Philips Hue where your existing switches are to allow non-tech savvy people to control your 6 lights like a scene. The downside is this is a pricey solution. But it would work.
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Oh, geez. I can’t believe this has become an “argument”…but here goes anyway…
In your post you said that
As a point of fact, a standard 3 way switch is of type SPDT switch which you said was the “standard switch in lighting circuits”. That’s not true in the US. And I doubt that is correct in the UK either because why would you put SPDT switches in everywhere (increasing costs for the more complex switch) when a simpler/cheaper SPST switch will work as well.
In the US the “standard light switch” is a SPST switch not a SPDT switch.
Here is a diagram:
Then you said that
and then linked that statement to the following:
As if you were linking them to the so-called “intermediate” switch above. That inference was supported by the “two positions are linked and hidden” portion of that sentence since the only switch that has “two positions linked and one hidden” in this exchange is the SPDT (ie. 3-way) switch.
In the US what you are calling the “intermediate” switches are called “4-way” switches and they are a DPDT type switch.
Here is a diagram to bring it all together:
So your “unambiguous” answer caused more confusion because you tried to be more precise but got all of the facts wrong.
It doesn’t. However, I was saying that I at least have some knowledge and experience in the area so I can at least give you my experience in what the topic was about and tell you I’ve never heard any electrician in the trade call them what you are and if everybody knows what everyone else is talking about by using common parlance then I don’t see the problem. Until someone wants to come in and confuse things by being “more precise” (and ultimately incorrect).
And as far as not everyone here being in the US I took it from the OP saying that they had a “3-way” switch which is a term of art in the US that they were probably from there themselves. And TBH I did try to clarify in my post when I said:
You know what? that’s a good idea…
Use smart bulbs (you can get cheap wifi or zigbee bulbs for that use) in all of the fixtures with the switches bypassed and the lights hardwired on then using the existing wires in the switch boxes run a zigbee/wifi switch back to HA to control all the lights at once.
You still loose the ability to control any of the lights at all if your HA goes down but it would be a workable solution if you don’t mind that possibility.
This is not a argument, this is a technical discussion about terms used.
“technically” an SPST is as it says, a single throw device, if you imagine half of a switch from the Bela Lagossi Frankenstein film, its closed or it just hangs in free air. A double throw switch can be thrown this way or that way (hence why some call it a two way switch). It is a switch and its switching the live wire and there are two ways it can be switched.
I think your diagram shows your “3 way switch” with a common pole and 2 throws (double throw) This is a standard switch in the UK. https://www.screwfix.com/p/mk-1-gang-2-way-10ax-light-switch-white/11822 the other common switch is the “intermediate” https://www.screwfix.com/p/mk-logic-plus-1-gang-10ax-intermediate-switch-white/78553#_=p you will see that they are more than 4 times the price, economies of scale. You can buy a switched socket outlet for less than a non-switched for the same reasons, but its more complex.
Your 3-way switch is not an intermediate, description is as I stated above.
[quote=“finity, post:22, topic:139096”]
As a point of fact, a standard 3 way switch is of type SPDT switch
[/quote] yes I agree.
[quote=“finity, post:22, topic:139096”]
That’s not true in the US
[/quote] but doesn’t your diagram show the other throw (or way)?
[quote=“finity, post:22, topic:139096”]
That’s what I mean about ambiguity, as a ‘3 way switch’ should have 3 positions
[/quote] this refers to your misunderstanding of my “intermediate” AND implicit that your “3 way switch” only has two ways to be switched, without being explicit about the error.
[quote=“finity, post:22, topic:139096”]
In the US what you are calling the “intermediate” switches are called “4-way” switches and they are a DPDT type switch
[/quote] yes that’s as I said, but they are not 4 ways (think about the terms you are actually using, in the context of how you use them) there are 4 connections though.
[quote=“finity, post:22, topic:139096”]
So your “unambiguous” answer caused more confusion because you tried to be more precise but got all of the facts wrong
[/quote] not necessarily, you are just one person and you are arguing using US electricians terminology (different from engineers terminology as mine is from a sparks). Inherently I’m more interested in the logic than the terminology and that is ultimately my point.
[quote=“finity, post:22, topic:139096”]
common parlance
[/quote] US parlance. The fact that I didn’t understand clearly, his usage proves that there was a ‘tiny’ portion of the world population who doesn’t use your ‘common parlance’. If I used UK ‘parlance’ then few would understand outside the UK (cept probably our Oz and Kiwi brethren 
who also have a sense of humour).
@sparkydave may help out here, even to prove me wrong (which wouldn’t be the first time 
)
This actually started about ambiguity and I do feel you have proven my point in spades
Remind me again how many countries play in the world series.?
Here in Aus we refer to switches ‘correctly’. 
Regarding house wiring, if a light for example has only one switch, it’s a single way switched circuit. Two switches, two way (not this weird 3 way that the US talk of… where is switch #3?). We do also use 3 or more way switching which is where the intermediate switch comes into play. Intermediate switches are a different beast, they aren’t a normal DPDT because they actually have more of a changeover type action (although the same effect can be achieved by shorting out a couple of legs on a standard DPDT switch).
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one of the first search results in google disagrees with you:
Single gang 1 way light switch
There are two terminals in a one way light switch. When the switch is on, both terminals are connected together.
Typically, these terminals will be marked COM and L1 (sometimes L1 and L2). Although, technically, it doesn’t matter which way round you connect the wires, it is best to stick to convention and connect the permanemt live (from the supply) to COM and the switched live (to the lamp) to L1.
This is the most common type of switch, and is used where a light is controlled from a single switch (although you will often see a two way switch used, with one terminal left unused).
And before you say to look at the last sentence, “often” does NOT mean “standard”
If you were the OP and you said “I have a couple of two way light switches that control 6 lights from two locations” I might have had a question about what a “two way light switch” was. Then I could either do a quick google search and figure out what you were talking about or better yet ask you to explain what you meant. Then you could have explained yourself better so that I could understand. How do you think I figured out that what I call a “3 way switch” you call a “2 way switch” (as it’s even called in the link to the product you posted above shows)?
Then we could have gone on to discuss the actual topic instead of going off into the weeds about the minutiae of engineering terminology for common household electrical devices.
Generally, the average person on these forums or in wider society isn’t going to have the foggiest idea what the terms SPST, SPDT, DPDT or any other of the things you were trying to get them to figure out and force them to put it into YOUR terms. So I doubt that the explanation above would have included anything about SPDT or anything like that.
But at a certain point being stubborn and pedantic about being less “ambiguous” in the terminology just becomes more tedious…as this thread now shows.
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The author of this thread did say the switches are in a 3-way configuration and by looking at the author’s profile, hail’s from New York. The term 3-way switch is the common term used in the USA and Canada. As interesting as non-North American electrical terminology may be, it’s not germane to this topic.
Simply put, all of the author’s desired functionality is not possible; some sort of compromise is required. The only question is which features can be dropped in order to produce a workable solution.
Yet you still respond… ? And why is my response an ‘argument’ where yours is ‘reasonable’ ?
I genuinely have never used such a switch. I concede their existence but dispute their popularity.
Every switch I have ever ‘inspected’ has been at least a two way.
The 2-way switch (the one I gave the link to) is £1.38 each
The 1-way switch (from the same manufacturer) is £1.31 so you are correct, they are available and you save a massive 7 pence per switch, but their reduced flexibility mean they are genuinely uncommon, and electricians do like to minimise the stock they carry. And the client pays it all anyway and labour costs outweigh the cost benefit.
Commercial grid switches do not come in this form presumably for the same reasons.
Of the 29 switches (I specified and bought them) in my house 25 are 2-way and 4 are intermediate. 2 of them are even on the same circuit. I have checked, my grid switches do not come in the 1-way format.
As a matter of interest what is the price difference in the US ?
How many of each type did you have in your van ?
How much time is usually involved in going back to a supplier to pick up an alternate ?
I did no such thing, I merely commented that I found it ambiguous and that I hate ambiguity. These are my faults not your instructions.
Ok, so now I’m confused. 
Are we still talking about the same switches? I thought that we needed to talk about all switches in common engineering terminology. You changed the rules again didn’t you?
Nah, I know what you mean. and, even better, now when the next person from the UK mentions an “intermediate” switch, I’ll know what they are referring to and we can move on to the crux of the discussion. I can at least say it hasn’t been a complete waste of time. 
Looking at all the posts so far (except the ones I would of missed… because I skim read…) you have a few options and the way forward depends on how much you want to spend.
Since you have access to wiring at both lights and switches you could:
-
Put z-wave / wifi devices in at each switch location. These will still give local control in the event of network outage.
-
Hard-wire the circuits to remain on all the time and use smart globes with wireless buttons to control the lights. This will NOT allow local control if HA / network fails. The upside is that you can use RGB globes for effects etc.
-
Some sort of combination of these above two could be done (not on the same light, but one on each) but probably not ideal.
I would go for #1 but is is also the most expensive and limits what you can do with the light, generally only on/off/dimming.
I’d vote for number 1.
#1 was my vote way up thread, too.
Thank you all for your responses, I’ll try to answer all the best I can.
No, not necessarily.
One location would be adequate, 2 would be ideal.
Light 1 & 6 - Two Locations ideally.
Light 2, 3, 4, 5 - One Location.
No dimming necessary.
120VAC
Yes
No
I expect to revert easily, hence the reason for looking into adding individual modules.
Trying to avoid smart bulbs, as @Mutt indicated, I won’t want to have someone try to figure out how to add a new bulb if one goes out.
Trying to avoid this, as HA frequently goes down for various reasons.
Agreed, not too concerned about the upfront expense, but more individual control, which will reduce electric usage, reducing my bill, and eventually pay for the conversion over time.
I meant battery operated RF remote, similar to the one below, somehow mounted to the wall.
Yeah, I understood that part.
The important part of that was I was just pointing that if you go that route then if your HA goes down you completely loose the ability to control your lights from anywhere. And as you indicated that’s not acceptable then I wouldn’t go that route.
I think the only reasonable solution given your stipulations is for you to drop the individual control requirement and go with smart 3-way (SPDT ) switches.
Wouldn’t the RF control still work?
As finity says, NO it woulldn’t
To be more precise, the RF unit talks to your Primary Controller (usually a stick in the Pi or whatever)
HA down = stick down
IF … and its a big IF you set up a secondary controller, then it could interface with that (big effort, lots of duplication and cost).
An alternative is to pair the node as a scene controller. but I’ve never seen anyone set upi 6 lights to respond to 6 invidual buttors on a remote.
Thanks 
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Remote would be paired to the sonoffs directly and not the controller, HA would control over WiFi.