Becker Centronic and B-Tronic

Becker motors and receivers come in two radio families, and the installer needs to know which one a site uses before adding components. Older sites may also carry the B-Tronic name; the current Becker pages cover Centronic and CentronicPLUS only.

Centronic is the long-established one-way system. A handheld, wall or timer transmitter sends a command; the radio receiver in the motor (or in a plug-in or flush-mounted receiver) acts on it. There is no acknowledgement, so the transmitter cannot show whether the command arrived or where the shutter is. Each receiver stores a list of the transmitters it has been taught, and one transmitter channel can control a single motor or a group.

CentronicPLUS is the bidirectional system. Receivers confirm commands and can return status, which allows transmitters and Becker's central controllers to display the result and to work with scenes and automations more reliably. CentronicPLUS devices also take part in routing, so range in a building can extend beyond a single hop. Check the product data sheet for which family and features a given product supports.

Band and range. Both families list a radio frequency of 868.3 MHz on Becker's product data sheets. Indoor range depends on construction: metal roller shutter boxes, foil-backed insulation and reinforced concrete shorten it. Plan receiver positions so the antenna lead is not trapped inside metal.

Power. Tubular motors are normally mains powered (230 V in Europe); the receiver is either built into the motor or is a separate unit that switches a standard wired motor. Battery-powered transmitters need periodic battery changes.

Hubs. Neither family needs a hub for basic remote control. A Becker central controller or gateway is used for timers, scenes, app control and integration with other systems; the available models and features differ by country.

End limits. Electronic motors store their upper and lower end positions. Limits are set or changed with a setting tool or a defined transmitter sequence described in the motor manual, never by forcing the shutter against its stops.

Centronic and CentronicPLUS are proprietary to Becker-Antriebe; other manufacturers' remotes do not control them directly.

• Becker states which of its transmitters, receivers and controllers work with each family; mixing families on one receiver is possible only where the product data sheet says so.
• Integration with smart-home platforms runs through a Becker central controller or gateway. The manufacturer lists the supported platforms and voice assistants for each controller model and region.
• Some third-party building automation gateways and open-source projects advertise Becker support; these are not Becker products and their scope varies.
• For wired building systems such as KNX, the usual route is a KNX shutter actuator switching a wired Becker motor rather than a radio link.

Check the current Becker documentation for the exact model before planning a mixed installation.

Generic sequence; the exact button presses and timings are in the Becker manual for the motor and transmitter:

1. Have the motor and any mains receiver installed by a qualified person according to local electrical rules, and confirm the end limits are set as the manual describes. 2. Put the receiver into learning mode, usually by switching its power on (learning window opens for a short time) or by using an already-taught master transmitter. 3. Send the learning command from the new transmitter channel; the motor confirms with a short movement. 4. Repeat for each motor or group, labelling channels as you go.

Pitfalls: other receivers on the same circuit may also enter learning mode after a power cycle, so isolate circuits or work one motor at a time; a full reset clears every taught transmitter including the master, so keep a record before resetting; Centronic and CentronicPLUS transmitters are not interchangeable unless the product documentation says so. Do not try to defeat a motor's obstacle detection or freeze protection to make a sticking shutter close; fix the mechanical cause.

• Identify whether the existing site uses Centronic or CentronicPLUS before buying extra transmitters or receivers.
• Decide whether you need confirmation and status feedback; that points to the bidirectional family.
• Check which Becker controller or gateway supports the app, timer or smart-home platform you plan to use in your country.
• For retrofits, check whether a plug-in or flush-mounted receiver can drive the existing wired motor.
• Confirm motor torque, shaft size and end-limit type against the shutter or blind.
• Ask the supplier how master transmitters and reset procedures are documented for handover.