The establishment of the center is very simple and fast and can be performed by any layman. They are plugged into electricity, it will boot, makes an automatic update, building via LAN (is needed because you can the Centre do not include per-Fi in its network) connected to the Internet and displays on the display an 8-digit registration number. With this you have to (after you have opened an account with RWE) sign. Then you have more Microsoft Silverlight installed (for whatever reason, because on my tablet works the operation even without) and away you go.
The center is looking for 5 minutes for new devices. If it finds that, you can drag these and Drog in a prefabricated room. You can also edit the individual outlets there and assign unique names -allerdings only the first 4 characters are displayed, the rest of it will scroll through when you move the mouse over it.
With a single click on the icon to a socket on this on or off. When ON, the icon at the top, when it is off the bottom of the status bar. If a radio can be unplugged, the Central detects this and sets the icon into the center between ON and OFF.
The radio outlets have quite a broad reach, so it works for me from the 1st floor to the basement. You can also turn off yourself and sockets with a switch, if you even do not want to control via PC. So far, everything is quite simple and works very reliably.
Nevertheless, I can not "make friends" with this system, and it will return again despite the low price. Why? Well, for several reasons:
1. The outlets are easy to me personally Globig
A radio-controlled socket is 13 cm high, 6 cm wide and 4 cm thick.
The outlets also no Flash, because if they are unplugged, they lose their status and are then always OFF. Is there a power outage, for example, then all outlets are off and not go to its previous state. Here, a simple query to the head office would be sufficient.
2. You need to control either a PC / laptop or other Internet-ready system as a tablet. For the PC / Laptop can be either online or with the available since 7.12.2012 Offline software the devices on and off. To short a radio outlet off one or, I think it's just too complicated.
3. The configuration itself is stored only by RWE, there is no way they save themselves to save possibly different scenarios.
The system is a fully enclosed, there is no compatibility with other products. After 24 months you no longer have access from the outside, then you have to enter into an agreement of the costs caused.
I am now waiting times on the new DECT 200 outlets of AVM, which you can control with an existing FritzBox. Since you do not need another system (additional headquarters and thus additional wireless source *), can change its equipment / configurations at any time without using a PC with a DECT handset of AVM, save its configurations offline, and can also after 24 months still free on his FritzBox access and control over the sockets. Furthermore, only half the size of the DECT-200 radio can. It measures the consumption, switched to standby, and can control time as well.
* In contrast to wireless routers you can here the wireless strength not adjust, and therefore the device sends always with 100%. My Fritzbox is set at 12.5%, and the ranges throughout the house and garden completely, the neighboring networks interferes less and offers fewer hackers attack possibility.
Supplement 12.12.2012
After much back and forth I managed to install local software. Optically it is identical with the Web browser version. And you can actually control its outlets without Internet access. However, it remains a mystery why RWE makes me so cumbersome installation. On the one hand you can see the software (as of 12 December 2012) Download nowhere, but only install an icon in the system tray. Second, the software has been installed in the background without a response, which is why I thought at first installation is failed.
Who uses the system only for programming its heating thermostats and other controls so certainly coming along well. But if you just want time off a wireless socket daily, for which the system is just too complicated.
