Magnetic switch and proximity sensing

A magnetic switch comprising a magnetic field sensing system configured for providing a first signal representative of the absolute value of a first component of the magnetic field in a first direction and at least a second signal representative of the absolute value of a second component of the magnetic field in a further direction different from the first direction, further comprising comparing means adapted for comparing the sum of the absolute values of at least the first and second signals with a threshold value, the magnetic sensor further comprising a connection to the comparing means for providing at least one status signal as output of the switch, the magnetic switch being configured to provide one status signal representative of a first state if the sum of absolute values surpasses the threshold and to provide a different status signal representative of a second state if the sum of the absolute values does not surpass the threshold.