The short answer
Most landlords have a working system within two to three weeks, counted from the moment the module is ordered. That time is almost never spent on the technology itself: ordering takes a few days, installation by an electrician takes half a day, and activation via your phone takes fifteen minutes. Where the time actually goes is the electrician's schedule and the condition of the meter cabinet at the time he arrives.
Whoever looks at the process step by step immediately sees why the lead time varies so much per landlord. A property with a modern meter cabinet and an electrician who can come next week is ready in a week. A building with an old circuit breaker panel, or an electrician who has time only in five weeks, logically takes longer. That is not a shortcoming of the system, but simply the reality of building planning.
The four steps in order
The first step is ordering the module itself: the box that goes in or next to the meter cabinet and measures the guest's consumption. This is the part that goes fastest, usually a matter of days after confirmation.
The second step is installation. An electrician connects the module to the groups intended for guests, and leaves the group for the refrigerator outside, so it always has power even if the guest's balance is zero. How much work this is depends on the current state of the meter cabinet. If you are not sure exactly what is in your meter cabinet, you can read that calmly in the knowledge base with explanations by topic before the electrician comes; that saves questions during the visit itself.
The third step is activation. The landlord does this himself, not the electrician: with the phone via bluetooth, a short wireless connection over a few meters distance, the module is linked to the account and the tariff is set. In practice this takes a few minutes, provided the phone is close enough to the module and bluetooth is on.
The fourth step is hanging the QR code in the property and informing the guest, for example in the house rules or the welcome folder. From that moment a guest can scan, buy kWh and monitor his consumption live.
For those who want to know the exact sequence
The sequence the electrician technically follows: first map out the existing circuit breaker panel and determine which groups are for guests and which are for fixed installations such as the refrigerator, then place the module between the main connection and the guest groups, then test the earth leakage circuit breaker and fuses for correct operation, and only then power the module so the landlord can activate it.
Where it goes wrong in practice
The most common bottleneck is not the module but the schedule. Electricians in many regions are booked for weeks, especially in high season when landlords rush to get things done before summer. Anyone who orders in time and schedules the appointment early avoids having the installation completed just after the first guests of the season arrive.
The second bottleneck is a meter cabinet that is not ready for the separation between guest groups and fixed groups. Some older properties do not have enough separate groups, or a connection that must be modified first before the module can be properly placed. That is not a problem with the module, but something the electrician can assess in advance if he receives a photo of the meter cabinet beforehand.
A third, smaller bottleneck is the activation itself: an old phone without working bluetooth, or a meter cabinet in a basement without coverage, can delay the final step. That is usually solved in a few minutes by standing closer to the module or using a different phone.
If you want to connect multiple properties at the same time, such as a holiday park with separate cottages or a collection of charging stations, it is advisable to bundle the orders and have the electrician work in one round. This saves travel time and therefore waiting time, and it gives you an overview all at once of which properties already have a tariff and a QR code and which do not yet.
Make your own estimate
Because every meter cabinet and every schedule is different, it is difficult to give an exact date in advance. You can get a good indication for your own situation by seeing in a few questions what is needed for your property. This also explains where the data on consumption and tariff come from exactly, so that you know what you can ask the electrician for.
If you have any doubts about costs or what is needed per property, check the answers to the most frequently asked questions or do the free quick-scan. It gives you a concrete picture within a few minutes of the steps that still need to be taken for your situation.