Position the footswitch in a spot that allows you to easily access it with your foot. Although you may move during your performance, the footswitch should be placed in a location that does not require you to bend or stretch your leg in an uncomfortable manner. Move the wiring away from where you will be standing to reduce the chance of tripping or falling.
Plug the footswitch's audio cable into the jack labeled "footswitch" on your amplifier. if the footswitch is used to control and manipulate guitar effects, there will be a jack on the footswitch into which you will plug your guitar's instrument cable. If the foot switch controls amplifier parameters, you will only need to plug the footswitch into the amplifier.
Lower the volume on your amplifier and turn it on. Slowly raise the volume until you find an appropriate level. If your footswitch is used to control effects, test its functionality by strumming your instrument and activating the switch. A properly functioning footswitch should alter the sound the amplifier is projecting.
Test your footswitch's routing abilities by hooking up all necessary amplifiers, and pedals. According to the experts at Gibson, "Sometimes it's extremely useful to split your signal chain to achieve an asymmetrical, non-identical (ie non-stereo) sound from two amplifiers." If your footswitch is used to switch channels or adjust volumes, begin playing and test the switch to see if it produces the desired effect.
If the footswitch is not functioning properly, double check your cable connections and the power source for the footswitch.